Democrats have regained control of the U.S. Senate, giving the party a platform to challenge President Donald Trump during his remaining two years in office. Tuesday’s midterm elections reflected discontent over high prices, the war in Iran and government corruption. Control of the House remained unresolved, with Democrats gaining seats as they pursued a majority in both chambers.
The Democratic Senate breakthrough included victories across several deeply conservative states. Josh Turek defeated Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa, while Adam Hamilton unseated Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas. James Talarico beat Ken Paxton in Texas, Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham in South Carolina, and Sherrod Brown ousted Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio. Roy Cooper also won an open seat in North Carolina.
Democrats successfully defended other important Senate seats. In Georgia, Sen. Jon Ossoff defeated Rep. Mike Collins, blocking a Republican pickup opportunity. Rep. Chris Pappas beat former Sen. John Sununu in New Hampshire to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Republicans recorded wins in Florida, where Sen. Ashley Moody won the special election to complete Marco Rubio’s term, and Wyoming, where Rep. Harriet Hageman won the seat held by retiring Sen. Cynthia Lummis.
House Democrats, who needed a net gain of three seats for control, defeated Republican incumbents in several battleground contests. Rebecca Bennett beat Rep. Tom Kean in New Jersey, while Pennsylvania Republicans Ryan Mackenzie, Scott Perry and Rob Bresnahan lost reelection. Democrat Jamie Ager defeated Republican Jennifer Capps Balkcom in North Carolina, and Democrats also captured an open Kentucky seat.
Economic concerns weighed heavily on the electorate. The AP Voter Poll found that roughly three-quarters of voters felt angry or dissatisfied with the country’s direction, and a similar share rated the economy negatively. About eight in 10 said inflation had imposed moderate or severe financial hardship on their households. Roughly half identified government corruption and living costs as crucial considerations in their congressional vote.
The results followed a late Republican spending push into states and districts Trump had comfortably carried two years earlier. Republicans had hoped their financial advantage would limit losses, particularly with a Senate map considered favorable to their party. Before West Coast polls closed, Trump sought to distance himself from the defeats, writing on social media: “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!”
Governor’s races also delivered major changes. Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and Democrat Amy Acton beat Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio. Georgia Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms will become the first Black woman to serve as governor of any state. Florida’s Byron Donalds became the nation’s first Black Republican elected governor.
Senate control gives Democrats greater power to obstruct Trump’s agenda, including his ambitions for a further conservative shift on the Supreme Court. Trump has pledged to veto Democratic initiatives, raising the prospect of legislative stalemate. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has proposed a 100-day program centered on reducing living costs and scrutinizing the administration, should his party also secure that chamber.
