Democrats have regained control of Congress, winning back the U.S. House and Senate as Republican midterm losses mount.
Coming into the night, Republicans held 53 of the Senate’s 100 seats, compared with 45 held by Democrats. To wrest back control of the Senate, Democrats needed a net gain of at least four seats. As at 6 a.m. ET on Wednesday, the Democrats had won 54 Senate seats to the GOP’s 44.
Democrats won a series of key Senate seats. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed defeated Mike Rogers in one of the most closely watched races. James Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, becoming the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in the Lone Star State since 1988.
Annie Andrews beat GOP Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina to flip a Senate seat. In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins, putting an end to her three-decade tenure. Sen. Jon Ossoff comfortably won reelection in Georgia. Other Senate seats to flip to the Democratic Party included Roy Cooper in North Carolina and Sherrod Brown in Ohio.
In the 435-seat House, the GOP held 218 seats, compared with 214 held by Democrats. To retake control of the House, Democrats needed a net gain of three seats — and the AP said early Wednesday that the party had exceeded that figure.
There were also 36 gubernatorial races and numerous ballot measures to keep an eye on. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia became the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history, while Democrat Amy Acton became the first woman elected governor of Ohio. In Florida, Republican Byron Donalds became the state’s first Black governor-elect.
President Trump, whose approval ratings are at or near all-time lows, distanced himself from mounting Republican losses in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday night, “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” Trump wrote. “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
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Dylan Stableford
Here are the key races yet to be called
While Democrats clinched a majority in the U.S. Senate, two races with razor-thin margins have not yet been called.
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In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola leads incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan by less than 700 votes (102,701 to 102,075) with 74% of the votes counted, according to the Associated Press. Daniel J. Sullivan, the independent whose presence in the race triggered a lawsuit and criminal investigation into Peltola’s campaign, has received 3,583 votes.
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In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom leads incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 43 votes (462,821 to 462,778) with 96% of the votes counted.
Democrats also seized control of the House, but dozens of races remain undecided.
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In Colorado‘s 4th congressional district, Democrat Eileen Laubacher leads incumbent GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert by nearly 5,000 votes (168,729 to 163,835) with 83% of precincts reporting.
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In New York‘s 21st district, Republican Anthony Constantino leads Democrat Blake Gendebien by more than 6,000 votes (139,792 to 133,714) with 81% of the vote counted. The winner will replace GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik, who chose not to run for reelection.
And in Kansas, the governor’s race remains deadlocked between Democrat Cindy Holscher and Republican Ty Masterson, with just 5,000 votes separating the two (Holscher with 546,587, Masterson with 541,030) and 98% of them counted. The outcome could come down to provisional and mail-in ballots, which can arrive through Friday.
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