Midterms 2026: Democrats win Congress, flipping Senate seats in Texas, Kansas and Maine

• Democrats win control of both the House and Senate
• Democrats flip Senate seats in Texas, Kansas, Maine, Ohio and North Carolina
• Trump says he is “absolutely willing” to accept the results
• Vivek Ramaswamy loses Ohio governor’s race to Amy Acton

DEMOCRATS won control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, flipping Senate seats and governors’ races in traditional Republican strongholds, in a major setback for President Donald Trump.

The results give Democrats the power to block legislation, open investigations into the Trump administration and stop his appointments for the final two years of his term.

Voters cited the cost of living, tariffs and the war with Iran, which has driven up fuel prices. An Associated Press survey of voters found roughly 6 in 10 disapproved of Trump’s job performance, and about 70 percent wanted Congress to act as a stronger check on the president.

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Trump accepts results

Trump, who has repeatedly rejected past election defeats, said he was “absolutely willing” to accept the results, the New York Times reported.

“My message is, congratulations to the Democrats, and I look forward to working with you for the good of our country,” he told CBS News. “I think the Democrats did a good job. They fought hard,” he told Fox News.

But he said he did not view the result as “a hit on me” and wrote on Truth Social: “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” He also posted an image of a red cap reading “VETO.”

Trump acknowledged the Iran war had contributed to the results but defended it, and suggested the parties could find common ground on immigration.

Senate flips

Republicans held a 53-47 Senate majority before the election. Democrats won at least seven Republican-held seats, according to the agencies.

• Texas: James Talarico defeated Attorney General Ken Paxton, becoming the state’s first Democratic senator in nearly 40 years.
• Kansas: Methodist minister Adam Hamilton became the state’s first Democratic senator since 1932.
• Maine: Former logger Troy Jackson defeated longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
• Ohio: Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Sen. Jon Husted.
• North Carolina: Former Gov. Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley.
• Iowa and South Carolina also elected Democrats.

In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers to become the first Muslim elected to the Senate, despite Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsing Rogers days before the vote. Democrats also held seats in Georgia, where Sen. Jon Ossoff was reelected, and New Hampshire.

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House and governors

Democrats passed the 218 seats needed for a House majority, flipping more than two dozen seats, including districts Trump won by double digits in 2024. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who said Trump’s MAGA movement was “on the run,” could become the first Black speaker of the House.

Democrats also won governors’ races in Texas, where Gina Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott to become the state’s first Latina governor, and in Iowa and Georgia. In Georgia, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms becomes the first Black woman elected governor in US history, AFP reported.

In Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Trump-backed Indian American Republican Vivek Ramaswamy to become the state’s first woman governor.

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Republicans had successes in Florida, where Trump-backed Byron Donalds became the state’s first Black governor and Sen. Ashley Moody held her seat.

Reaction

“The Trump era is over,” former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, told ABC News.

George Washington University professor Todd Belt called the night “a big wipeout and a strong repudiation of Donald Trump and his policies.”

“This is so incredibly exciting. We can get our country back,” Kathy Jackoway, a Talarico supporter in Texas, told AFP.

Abroad, Russia said it hoped Trump would continue his “peacemaking efforts,” China said it would “continue working” with the US, and Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he did not expect the result to change US policy.

(With inputs from PTI and AFP)