Midterm update: Democrats Gain Control of House and Senate in 2026 Midterms, With Flips in Texas, Kansas, South Carolina and Other Republican-Held States

As of 7 AM Central time, Wednesday, November 4, 2026, Democrats have secured majorities in both chambers of Congress following Tuesday’s midterm elections. Multiple outlets, including The Economist, The Guardian, and Decision Desk HQ, have projected Democratic control based on called races. With 33 of 35 Senate contests decided, Democrats hold 54 seats to Republicans’ 44 (including seats not on the ballot this cycle), for a net gain of seven. In the House, Democrats hold roughly 222–228 of the 360–367 seats called so far, against 138–139 for Republicans, a net gain of about 25 seats so far, with projections pointing to a larger final majority.

Senate results and flips

Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to reach a majority. Called flips from Republican-held seats include:

• Texas: State Representative James Talarico defeated Attorney General Ken Paxton. This is the first Democratic Senate win in Texas since 1988. The race was among the cycle’s most expensive, with significant outside spending.
• Kansas: Adam Hamilton defeated incumbent Senator Roger Marshall. Democrats had not won a Senate seat in Kansas since 1932.
• South Carolina: Annie Andrews defeated Senator Darline Graham. No Democrat had won a Senate race in the state this century prior to this result.
• Ohio: Sherrod Brown defeated incumbent Jon Husted in the special election to complete the remainder of JD Vance’s term.
• Iowa: Josh Turek defeated Ashley Hinson. The last Democratic Senate win in Iowa was in 2008.
• North Carolina: Roy Cooper flipped the seat held by Thom Tillis.
• Maine: Troy Jackson defeated incumbent Susan Collins.

Democrats also held seats they were defending, including Georgia (Jon Ossoff), Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire. Republicans held seats in states including Florida, Nebraska, Alabama, and Arkansas.

Uncalled Senate races

Two races remain uncalled as of roughly 7–8 a.m. Eastern Time on November 4:

• Alaska: Incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan leads Democrat Mary Peltola by a narrow margin (reports range from under 1 percentage point to roughly 1,000–2,500 votes) with roughly 70–90 percent of ballots counted depending on the source. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting if no candidate reaches 50 percent of first-choice votes; additional mail and rural ballots remain outstanding. Final resolution could take days to weeks.
• Mississippi: Democrat Scott Colom holds a razor-thin lead over incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith (reports of 28–43 votes with about 97 percent counted). An independent candidate is receiving roughly 2 percent. Mississippi requires a majority; if no candidate reaches 50 percent, a runoff is scheduled for December 1. Affidavit and remaining ballots are still being processed.

House results and projections

Democrats needed 218 seats for a majority and have already surpassed that threshold. With approximately 360–367 of 435 races called, they lead 222–228 to 138–139. Outlets project further Democratic gains as remaining races are tallied, with estimates ranging from roughly 230 to 245 or more seats for Democrats and corresponding losses for Republicans. Democrats have flipped seats in districts drawn by Republican-controlled legislatures and in areas that supported Donald Trump in prior cycles. Hakeem Jeffries is positioned to become the first Black Speaker of the House.

Gubernatorial races

Gubernatorial contests were held in 36 states. Democrats have flipped several Republican-held governorships, including:

• Texas: Gina Hinojosa, the first Latina governor of the state.
• Georgia: Keisha Lance Bottoms, the first Black woman governor of the state.
• Iowa: Rob Sand.
• Ohio: Amy Acton.

Other notable outcomes include Xavier Becerra becoming California’s first elected Latino governor, Deb Haaland becoming New Mexico’s first female Native American governor, Byron Donalds becoming Florida’s first Black Republican governor, and Marsha Blackburn becoming Tennessee’s first woman governor. New York Governor Kathy Hochul won re-election. Republicans retained several other statehouses. With most races called, Democrats are projected to hold a majority of governorships.

Context and outstanding counts

Exit polls and reporting from multiple outlets cited voter concerns over the cost of living and the Iran conflict as factors in the results. President Trump stated that Republican losses occurred in part because he was not on the ballot and indicated he would accept the results. Additional House races, the two Senate contests, and some gubernatorial races remain outstanding; late-arriving mail ballots and ranked-choice tabulation in Alaska, plus potential runoff procedures in Mississippi, mean final certification will take additional time. The new Congress is scheduled to be sworn in on January 3, 2027.

Projections based on current called races and remaining contests point to a Democratic Senate majority in the range of 54–56 seats and a House majority in the low-to-mid 230s or higher, depending on final tallies in uncalled districts. Results remain subject to further counting and certification.