Democrats are projected to take full control of Congress, winning majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections on 3 November.
Key Points
- NBC News and Decision Desk HQ projected a Democratic Senate majority on election night, after Democrats had already been projected to win the House earlier in the evening.
- Democrats flipped six Republican-held Senate seats: South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa.
- Republicans entered election day holding a 53-47 Senate majority, so Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to take control.
- The results are projections, not certified final results, and some races were still uncalled when the projections were made.
What happened
Democrats are projected to win control of both chambers of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, a result that would end two years of unified Republican control in Washington. NBC News and Decision Desk HQ projected a Democratic majority in the Senate on election night, hours after projections had already given Democrats the House of Representatives.
The Senate result was built on six flips of Republican-held seats. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Senator Darline Graham. In North Carolina, former Governor Roy Cooper beat Republican Michael Whatley. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, in a state where Democrats had not won a statewide election for more than three decades.
The other three flips came in Ohio, where former Senator Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Senator Jon Husted; in Kansas, where Democrat Adam Hamilton beat Republican Senator Roger Marshall; and in Iowa, where Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Ashley Hinson. Together with holds in key states, those wins gave Democrats the net gain they needed.
Democrats also held seats they had to defend. In Georgia, Senator Jon Ossoff was projected to win re-election, a result covered here: https://worldpulsewire.com/2026/11/04/ossoff-projected-to-win-georgia-senate-race-as-democrats-take-early-midterm-wins/ In New Hampshire, Democrat Chris Pappas won the open Senate seat. Georgia also produced a historic governor result on the same night, covered here: https://worldpulsewire.com/2026/11/04/keisha-lance-bottoms-georgia-governor-win/
All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats were contested in the midterms, along with governors in 36 states. The election was widely seen as a referendum on the first two years of President Donald Trump’s second term, with voters focused on the cost of living and the direction of the country.
Why it matters
Control of Congress changes what a president can do. With majorities in both chambers, Democrats would be able to block much of the Trump administration’s legislative agenda in its final two years, set the agenda for congressional investigations, and shape which nominees can move through the Senate.
The Senate result matters most for appointments. A Democratic Senate majority would give the party leverage over judicial nominees and senior administration appointments, two areas where the upper chamber acts alone. The House result matters most for legislation and oversight, since no bill can reach the president’s desk without passing both chambers.
The geography of the win is also significant. Democrats did not only hold seats in states they usually win. They flipped Senate seats in states that voted Republican in the 2024 presidential election, including Texas, Kansas, Iowa and South Carolina. That breadth is why the night was described as a wave rather than a narrow win.
For Republicans, the result is a sharp setback after entering election day with control of both chambers and the White House. For Democrats, it is a return to a position they have not held in full since losing Congress, and it gives the party a platform from which to contest the next presidential election.
What happens next
Counting will continue in the days after election night, and states will certify their results in the coming weeks. Projections are based on counted votes and statistical models, but they are not the formal result. Any close race could still change as remaining ballots are counted, and final seat counts in both chambers may shift slightly from the election-night projections.
Once the results are certified, the new Congress will take its seats in January. Democrats will then choose their leaders in both chambers, set committee chairs, and decide their first legislative priorities. The first test of the new balance of power will come in the early months of the session, when the two parties must agree on government funding and other must-pass bills.
President Trump will also have to adjust. With Congress no longer controlled by his party, executive action and foreign policy will become more important tools for the White House, while domestic legislation will need at least some Democratic support to pass. The next two years are therefore likely to be defined by confrontation and negotiation in equal measure, rather than by one party driving its agenda through.
Source: NBC News and Decision Desk HQ projections via USA Today live election coverage, 3 November 2026; Al Jazeera, 4 November 2026. All results are projections and are subject to certification. Verified by 2 sources.
