Democrats captured the United States House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections. They completed their capture of Congress a day after winning the Senate. Reuters and USA Today reported the win. It was a sweeping setback for President Donald Trump. The win reached deep into Republican strongholds.
The House win gives Democrats power to obstruct Trump’s legislative agenda for the final two years of his term. It also lets them launch far-reaching investigations of his administration. As a result, they will have the subpoena and contempt powers of a House majority behind them.
A House majority, called by the networks
CNN and NBC News projected a Democratic takeover of the House. NBC put Democrats at at least 244 seats in the 435-member chamber. Speaker Mike Johnson conceded the loss in a speech. He spoke after Democrats won enough seats to take control. Johnson thanked Trump and Vice President JD Vance. He said it was not enough to defy history. “From the first day of this election, we knew that to keep the House and sustain our majority, we would have to defy more than a century of midterm history,” Johnson said. “It looks like history will be kept.”
The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Representative Robert Garcia, warned Trump administration officials to “lawyer up.” He pledged investigations into allegations of corruption among Trump family members. Garcia also pledged investigations into abuses by immigration enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security, and the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The seats that flipped
Democrat Bob Brooks defeated Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie in Pennsylvania’s 7th District. Meanwhile, in New Jersey’s 7th District, Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy pilot, defeated Republican incumbent Thomas Kean Jr., flipping a district that includes Trump’s Bedminster golf club. Then, Democrat Stefany Shaheen won the open seat in New Hampshire’s 1st District previously held by Chris Pappas, who moved to the Senate race.
Indian American Pia Dandiya defeated Marine veteran Casey Askar in Florida’s 22nd District. Meanwhile, in Alabama, vulnerable first-term Democrat Shomari Figures kept his redrawn seat blue. He defeated state Representative Rhett Marques. Republicans made the district more rural and conservative. A Supreme Court ruling changed a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.
Trump responds
As the rout became clear, Trump responded on Truth Social that he was not on the ballot, writing that if he had been, Republicans would have won in a landslide. He also told the New York Times that he will accept the results and looks forward to working with Democrats, while blaming the scale of the losses on his own absence from the ballot.
What is confirmed is the House majority: Democrats hold both chambers of Congress. However, what is not confirmed is the final seat count, with some House races still uncalled, and the new Congress takes office in January.
