Democrats have won control of the United States Senate in the 2026 midterm elections. Yahoo’s results panel showed the result on Wednesday morning: 49 Democrats plus two independents who caucus with them reached 51 seats against 39 Republicans. Meanwhile, control of the House of Representatives remained undecided.
The Senate result gives Democrats control of the chamber’s agenda and of confirmations for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term. In addition, the campaign focused on living costs, tariffs and the war against Iran. Democrats entered the night needing a net gain of four seats to erase the Republicans’ 53-47 advantage, and they got it.
Democrats flip six Senate seats
Six Republican-held Senate seats changed hands. First, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in Texas, becoming the first Democrat to win a statewide election in Texas since 1988. Then, former senator Sherrod Brown defeated incumbent Republican Jon Husted in Ohio, two years after losing his own seat.
Megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Senator Roger Marshall in Kansas, making him the state’s first Democratic senator since 1932. Next, Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Ashley Hinson in Iowa. Pediatrician Annie Andrews then defeated incumbent Republican Senator Darline Graham in South Carolina. Finally, former governor Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley in North Carolina.
| State | Democrat winner | Republican defeated |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | Roy Cooper | Michael Whatley |
| South Carolina | Annie Andrews | Darline Graham |
| Texas | James Talarico | Ken Paxton |
| Ohio | Sherrod Brown | Jon Husted |
| Kansas | Adam Hamilton | Roger Marshall |
| Iowa | Josh Turek | Ashley Hinson |
Democrats also defended their own ground. Jon Ossoff won reelection in Georgia, Chris Pappas won in New Hampshire, Mark Warner won reelection in Virginia, Cory Booker won a third term in New Jersey, John Hickenlooper won reelection in Colorado and Ben Ray Lujan won reelection in New Mexico. Republicans held Kentucky, where Andy Barr won, and Oklahoma, where Kevin Hern won. Ten of the 100 Senate seats still showed no result, although the majority already stood clear.
Governors: Democrats flip Texas, Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin and Georgia
The Democratic wave ran through the governor’s races as well. Gina Hinojosa defeated Governor Greg Abbott in Texas, the first Democrat to retake the governor’s mansion since Ann Richards left office in 1995, and the first Latina governor in Texas history. Amy Acton then defeated Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio. State Auditor Rob Sand flipped the governorship from red to blue in Iowa, the state’s first Democratic governor since 2007.
David Crowley won in Wisconsin, becoming the state’s first Black governor. Keisha Lance Bottoms won in Georgia, becoming the first Black woman governor in United States history. Deb Haaland won in New Mexico, becoming the first female Native American to win a governorship in the country. Democrat Xavier Becerra won in California with 63.7% of the vote against Republican Steve Hilton’s 36.3%, with an estimated 43.07% of votes counted. Meanwhile, Republican Byron Donalds won the governorship in Florida. Democratic governors in Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts won reelection.
Mamdani wins New York City mayor’s race
The Associated Press projected Zohran Mamdani as the winner of the New York City mayoral election. Meanwhile, projections in Washington, D.C. put democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George on course to become the next mayor.
Trump responds: “I wasn’t on the ballot”
As the results turned into a rout for Democrats, President Donald 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 of the elections and that he looks forward to working with Democrats. Speaker Mike Johnson conceded that history held, saying his party had needed to defy more than a century of midterm history to hold the House.
What is still undecided
The House remained uncalled on Yahoo’s count, with Democrats at 175 seats and Republicans at 106, from 281 of 435 seats with results and 154 seats still showing no result. A party needs 218 seats for control. Other American outlets, including CNN and NBC News, projected that Democrats will also take the House, with NBC putting them at at least 244 seats, but Yahoo’s panel still showed the race undecided.
Counting continues, above all in California and Washington, where polls closed at 11 p.m. Eastern Time, and a number of must-watch House races in California could still shape the next Congress. The Mississippi Senate race also remained close, with Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith leading Democratic challenger Scott Colom by four points.
The Senate result stands confirmed: Democrats hold the majority, with six flips delivering it. However, the size of the Democratic win remains unconfirmed — the House count, and the last ten Senate seats, are still to come, and the new Congress takes office in January.
