Democrats have swept to control of Congress in Tuesday's US midterm elections, exceeding 250 House seats as Texas senator Ted Cruz described the Republican defeat as a ‘Watergate-level repudiation’. Two Senate races, in Mississippi and Alaska, remain uncalled, with Democratic candidates hoping to oust Republican incumbents to bolster the party's new majority.
Democrats lead Republicans 253 seats to 157 with 25 House races left to call, after flipping seats in Ohio, Arizona and North Carolina. In one of the night's notable local results, Democratic socialist Nithya Raman was elected mayor of Los Angeles, narrowly defeating incumbent Karen Bass.
The November 3 midterms set control of Congress for the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency. Republicans entered with razor-thin majorities: a swing of just four House seats, or a Democratic net gain of four Senate seats, was enough to flip either chamber. Democrats won both.
Texas senator Ted Cruz said on his podcast that the GOP had been handed an “ass-kicking”: “It was not simply a bad 2006 midterm election, it was a Watergate-level repudiation.” Attention is already turning to who might lead the party into the 2028 presidential race, with JD Vance, Cruz and Ron DeSantis among the potential contenders as Republicans reckon with the fallout.
Bruce Stokes, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, called the result the “biggest wave” in 50 years but cautioned against over-interpreting it, pointing to tensions between the progressive and moderate wings of the Democrats in the upcoming Congress. Exit polling showed most voters thought “the economy was the principal issue”, he said, with a 3:1 vote “against Trump”. He also said the new Senate makeup would put some Republicans, particularly those standing for re-election, “in a bind”, given the likelihood of voting against popular social measures such as food stamps, Medicaid or other healthcare subsidies. Stokes said Georgia senator John Ossoff was “the clear winner” from this election, harking back to Obama’s election in the mid 2000s, while warning it was “very early” for speculation on the Democratic nomination and that almost 10 people could “throw their hat in the ring” in the coming weeks.
In the Senate, Democratic senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan said the new majority needed “action” from its leader. He reiterated that Maryland senator Chris Van Hollen would be an “amazing Senate majority leader”, without completely ruling out backing the current minority leader, Chuck Schumer, whom he refused to support on the campaign trail.
Trump's first official action after the results was a proclamation designating the gold-adorned Oval Office and Cabinet Room as a national monument. Separately, Harmeet Dhillon, a key Trump ally, resigned from leading the justice department's Civil Rights division, the first high-ranking department official to leave since the elections. Democrats are expected to use their control of Congress to aggressively investigate executive agencies, including the justice department.
The Nasdaq slumped 5.5% on Thursday, its worst day in 19 months, amid growing signs the AI industry will face tougher regulation because of the midterm results. A backlash against AI data centres was a notable undercurrent of the vote, with some 56% of voters saying AI data centres were a crucial or major factor in their vote, and gubernatorial races in Texas, Ohio and Georgia won by candidates who campaigned for pauses on new data centres. US data centre stocks tumbled, with states led by Democrats who support restrictions accounting for around 45% of planned US capacity.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Democrats now hold both chambers for the final two years of Trump's presidency, giving them the power to block legislation, budgets and appointments and opening the door to aggressive investigations of executive agencies including the justice department.
- The result is already reshaping the AI and data centre landscape: the Nasdaq had its worst day in 19 months on regulation fears, and governors who campaigned for pauses on data centre construction won in Texas, Ohio and Georgia.
- Both parties face immediate leadership questions: Senate Democrats must settle on a majority leader, and Republicans are already jockeying for the 2028 nomination.
Background
The US midterms are held two years into a presidential term, with all 435 House seats, a third of the Senate and dozens of governorships on the ballot. They have historically punished the president's party: the incumbent's party has lost House seats in 17 of 19 midterms since World War II, by an average of about 27 seats. Republicans entered this year's contests with narrow majorities in both chambers, leaving them exposed to the swing that delivered Congress to the Democrats on November 3.
Key Perspectives
- Ted Cruz (Republican senator, Texas): called the Republican defeat an “ass-kicking” and the election “a Watergate-level repudiation” on his podcast.
- Bruce Stokes (German Marshall Fund): described the result as the “biggest wave” in 50 years but warned against over-interpreting it; says the economy was the principal issue and the vote ran 3:1 “against Trump”.
- Abdul El-Sayed (Democratic senator-elect, Michigan): says the new Senate majority needs “action” from its leader and backs Chris Van Hollen for majority leader, without ruling out Chuck Schumer.
- Kevin D. Williamson (The Dispatch): argues the Democrats won with three different kinds of candidates and that keeping that coalition together could be harder than winning.
What to Watch
- The final Senate races in Mississippi and Alaska, which will set the size of the Democratic majority.
- The Senate leadership vote: whether Chuck Schumer keeps the top job or Chris Van Hollen, backed by El-Sayed, challenges.
- Early 2028 positioning, with Vance, Cruz and DeSantis in the Republican mix and John Ossoff the early Democratic beneficiary, as Stokes predicts almost 10 Democrats will enter the race in coming weeks.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedDemocrats are favoured to win the House.El País English: “Democrats are favored to win the House.”
- SupportedThe elections put control of Congress and 36 governorships at stake and will define the final two years of Trump’s presidency.El País English: “U.S. voters will head to the polls in the midterm elections, which will determine whether Donald Trump’s Republicans retain a friendly Congress or whether Democrats gain control of one or both chambers.”
- SupportedVoters will go to the polls on Tuesday, November 3, in elections that will determine control of Congress and shape the final two years of Trump’s term.Washington Examiner: “Those questions begin Tuesday, when the midterm elections will set the course and ultimately define the final two years of the president’s term.”
- Not in the sourcesThe reports cited in the opening were published on election day.Washington Examiner: “Those questions begin Tuesday, when the midterm elections will set the course and ultimately define the final two years of the president’s term.”
- SupportedOnly 37% of US voters approve of Trump.El País English: “Polls show that only 37% of U.S. voters approve of Trump”
- SupportedSurveys suggest Democrats are on track to win control of both the House and the Senate.El País English: “surveys suggest Democrats are on track to win control of both the House and the Senate.”
- SupportedThe president’s party has lost House seats in 17 of 19 midterm elections since World War II.El País English: “Since World War II, the party of the incumbent has lost House seats in 17 of 19 midterm elections”
- SupportedAll 435 House seats are up, and Republicans would lose control if they lost four seats.El País English: “All 435 seats are up for election every two years”
- SupportedAn average of 29 polls gives Democrats 51% support, 8.4 percentage points ahead of Republicans.El País English: “An average of 29 polls gives them 51% support in the race for the chamber, 8.4 percentage points ahead of Republicans”
- SupportedOf 35 Senate seats up for election, Democrats need a net gain of four to regain control; several competitive races include Ohio, Texas and Alaska.El País English: “Only 35 of the chamber’s 100 seats are up for election this year”
- SupportedVoters in 36 states will elect governors, with 18 of the seats on the ballot currently held by each party.El País English: “Voters in 36 states will elect governors this year.”
- SupportedThe Washington Examiner headline says GOP anxiety is growing that Trump’s midterm money will be spent too late or not at all, and that his pro-family agenda has bipartisan support while economic anxiety clouds GOP hopes.Washington Examiner: “GOP anxiety grows that Trump midterm money will be spent too late — or not at all
Trump’s pro-family agenda has won bipartisan support, but economic anxiety clouds GOP midterm hopes”