Democrats have taken control of the US Senate, according to an Associated Press projection. They hold 51 seats in the Senate, the number required for a victory in the upper chamber of Congress. In doing so, Democrats have defeated Republicans across the country in a series of historic wins.
Democrats have flipped seats in Texas, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Ohio. They are expected to take control of the House of Representatives as well. President Trump stated that he would accept the results. Democrats will soon have the ability to block Trump's legislative agenda and cabinet or federal judiciary appointments, including the Supreme Court, where conservatives hold a 6-3 majority. Democrats are expected to have full control of Congress from next year, for the first time since 2022.
In Ohio, former senator Sherrod Brown secured a victory in the Senate race. "What a night for Ohio!" Brown said, addressing the crowd at the Ohio Democrats' election night event. "This is your victory," he said, adding: "Corporations and billionaires tried to buy these elections, but it turned out there are more of us than them." Brown promised that his first act as a senator would be to ban stock trading by members of Congress. "From today, the people of Ohio have a senator who puts working people first," he said. Republican candidates Jon Husted and Vivek Ramaswamy conceded defeat in their respective races.
In Minnesota, Peggy Flanagan defeated Republican Michele Tafoya in the race for the US Senate. Flanagan is a member of the White Earth band of Ojibwe and currently serves as state vice president. She will succeed Democratic senator Tina Smith, who did not seek re-election. Amy Klobuchar was elected governor of Minnesota. Klobuchar, a Democrat, has represented Minnesota in the US Senate since 2007. She announced her candidacy for governor after incumbent governor Tim Walz withdrew from the race in early January.
In New Hampshire, Democrats achieved major victories. They won both House of Representatives seats and the open Senate seat. They flipped both chambers of the 525-member state legislature, as well as the executive council, winning all five seats. The race for New Hampshire governor is still too close to call, with incumbent Republican Kelly Ayotte leading. Chris Pappas holds the lead in his Senate race. The New Hampshire state secretary described the process as "incredibly smooth" and "really good".
In Washington, Chuck Schumer stated: "Wow! Wow! Now, against all odds, we Democrats have won the Senate." He added: "We have five words for the American people: relief is on the way." Democrats have regained control of the Senate after their candidates won in South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Iowa and Kansas, according to the Associated Press. Vote counting is still ongoing in Minnesota, Michigan and Maine. Democrats are hoping for a victory over two-term Republican Dan Sullivan in Alaska, but the result in that race could take days. Republican targets in Georgia and New Hampshire failed.
Democrats lost control of the Senate two years ago, when voters returned Trump to the White House and gave his allies a majority of 53 seats. Initially, they listed Republican seats in North Carolina, Ohio, Alaska and Maine as their Senate targets. The Republican party hoped to win Democratic seats in Georgia and Michigan, as well as in New Hampshire and Minnesota. Trump's approval ratings have fallen over time, particularly due to the management of the economy and immigration. His decision to attack Iran and send federal agents into high-profile immigration raids led to the deaths of two US citizens in Minneapolis. Gas prices rose due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Kansas has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1932, and Texas since 1988. In South Carolina, it has been 38 years since a Democrat won a Senate race, while in Iowa and North Carolina it has been 18 years. Trump criticised North Carolina Republican senator Thom Tillis for opposing his main domestic legislative proposal, which led to Tillis announcing his retirement. Democratic candidate, former governor Roy Cooper, easily won the race for Tillis's seat. Trump supported Texas state attorney general Ken Paxton instead of US senator John Cornyn, as a result of which the incumbent senator lost the primary election. Democratic state representative James Talarico won that race by a double-digit margin, according to AP. Following the sudden death of long-serving South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham, Trump supported the candidacy of his sister Darline Graham for the full term. Graham lost to Democrat Annie Andrews by a margin of about four percentage points.
Democratic victories in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina, according to Associated Press projections, will give them control of the House, assuming they retain all the seats they currently hold. James Talarico became the first Democrat to win a Senate race in Texas since 1988. Annie Andrews will be the next senator from South Carolina, a state that has not elected a Democrat since 1998. In North Carolina, Roy Cooper became the first Democrat elected to the Senate in 18 years. Former senator Sherrod Brown will return to the chamber, two years after losing his re-election bid. Cooper and Talarico led in polls for weeks. Andrews's viability became apparent only in the final days of the race, which was flipped by the sudden death of Lindsey Graham in July. The governor appointed Graham's sister Darline Graham as his replacement, and she quickly announced her intention to run for the full term. Trump supported Darline Graham, but Graham stumbled in the campaign, which gave Andrews, a paediatrician who had not previously held elected office, a surprising victory.
Democrats needed to win a total of at least four seats in the House to regain the majority, in addition to recapturing seats where incumbent Democratic officials are retiring in Michigan, New Hampshire and Minnesota. The party's candidate won in New Hampshire, while vote counting is ongoing in Michigan and Minnesota. Races have also not been called in Maine, Kansas and Iowa. AP quickly declared a victory in the Georgia Senate race for incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff. In New Hampshire, AP projected that Democrat Chris Pappas will succeed departing senator Jeanne Shaheen. Pappas is the first openly gay man elected to the US Senate. In Florida, AP projected that incumbent senator Ashley Moody defeated Democrat Angie Nixon. Moody beat Nixon by about three percentage points, with 99% of votes counted. Moody was appointed to the Senate last year after Marco Rubio became Trump's secretary of state. Moody will serve the remainder of the six-year term that Rubio won in 2022, when he was elected by a margin of 17 percentage points. Democrats also won re-election in Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, Illinois, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Colorado and New Mexico, according to AP.
