Democrats retake House as Trump's midterms collapse in key states
Voters in Texas, South Carolina, and Florida rejected Republican candidates endorsed by the president, signaling a sharp shift in the national electorate.
By Justin Brooks ·
Democrats have retaken control of the House of Representatives and are poised to win the Senate, a result that marks a decisive rejection of President Donald Trump's influence on the 2026 midterm elections. CNN projects that the party has secured the necessary seats to flip the chamber, ending Republican control of the lower house.
The shift was most pronounced in rural and Latino districts where Trump had posted large margins of victory in 2024. In Texas, state Representative James Talarico defeated state Attorney General Ken Paxton in the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, to take a seat held by Republicans since 1964.
Trump's direct interventions in the race appear to have backfired for his party. Candidates he endorsed over more established Republicans lost or trailed in Senate races in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, and South Carolina. In Florida, Democrats won several congressional districts that had been redrawn to guarantee Republican victories, including the 22nd District won by Pia Dandiya.
The president watched the returns from the White House East Room, where the atmosphere was described as tense. He remained silent on Truth Social for three hours before posting that he was not on the ballot and that Republicans would have won in a landslide had he been. He later acknowledged at a speech by the Reflecting Pool that the campaign was a "very strong shot" despite historical headwinds.
Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois and Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania both won reelection, strengthening their positions as potential 2028 presidential contenders. Pritzker told supporters in his victory speech that they have climbed one mountain but are now at the base of another. In Georgia, Senator Jon Ossoff's decisive win over Representative Mike Collins helped secure a victory for Keisha Lance Bottoms in the gubernatorial race, making her the first Black female governor in the nation.
Millions of votes remain to be counted in competitive states such as Maine, Iowa, and Alaska. Democrats currently hold four flipped Senate seats and need to retain seats in Michigan and Minnesota to secure a majority. The outcome in these remaining races will determine the final balance of power in the upper chamber for the next two years.
Source: CNN
