Americans voted in congressional elections considered a key test of support for President Donald Trump at the halfway point of his second term. According to projections, Democrats are very likely to take control of the House of Representatives from the Republicans, while the outcome of the battle for the Senate remains highly uncertain and will be decided by races in about a dozen key states.
All 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 senators are up for election. A majority in the House requires 218 seats, while Democratic control of the Senate requires 51 seats. Republicans only need 50 because in the event of a 50:50 tie, the deciding vote is cast by US Vice President JD Vance. Republicans have held all levers of power since 2024, with a 53-47 majority in the Senate and 220-215 in the lower house.
Significantly higher turnout was recorded in key states compared to four years ago. Polls closed in the states of Montana, Nevada and Utah, and some polling places are also closing in the eastern parts of Idaho and Oregon. There are six key races for control of the Senate, and Democrats should win at least three according to current projections to secure the upper house of Congress. Republicans Kevin Hern and Andy Barr won Senate seats in Oklahoma and Kentucky, bringing the Republican count to 36.
Democrat Annie Andrews won the election for the US Senate in South Carolina, according to CNN projections. US television network CBS changed its assessment of the Senate race in the state of Texas, categorising it as a "likely Democratic win". The last time a Democratic candidate won a seat in the US Senate in Texas was in 1988, when Lloyd Bentsen won re-election.
Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, according to CNN projections. The election outcome paves the way for Hakeem Jeffries to become the first Black speaker of the House in history. Jeffries (56), a representative from New York who has just won his eighth term, could take office on 3 January. When he became the leader of Democrats in the House in 2022, Jeffries said he "relies on people like Shirley Chisholm and many others" in his effort to improve the lives of ordinary Americans. He then became the first Black American to lead a major political party in either house of Congress.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the race for governor of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman elected to lead a US state. US President Donald Trump said he is ready to veto laws proposed by Democrats if they take control of Congress after the elections. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated that Democrats now have the opportunity to show how they can fulfil their promises. "Together we have the opportunity, my friends, to prove that Democrats can deliver results. To offer an alternative to empty promises and the permanent betrayals of the right," Mamdani said at a gathering to follow election results in Manhattan.
