The Republican Party of US President Donald Trump suffered a heavy defeat in the mid-term elections, losing its majority in both houses of Congress. The US mid-term elections were held on Tuesday, 3 November, and according to projections from television networks NBC News and CNN, the Democratic Party is taking control of the House of Representatives. Democrats simultaneously secured a majority in the Senate, thereby stripping Republicans of control over both houses, which they had held during the first two years of Trump's second term.
The elections determined all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate, which has a total of 100 members. A majority in the House of Representatives requires at least 218 mandates. Democrats secured their Senate majority thanks to the victory of Josh Turek in Iowa, where he defeated Republican Ashley Hinson. In Texas, Democratic candidate James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, marking the first Democratic victory in a US Senate election in that state since 1988.
In Ohio, Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Jon Husted, while in North Carolina, former governor Roy Cooper secured a victory over Republican Michael Whatley. Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall in Kansas. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Darline Graham, a candidate supported by Trump. Peggy Flanagan, a Democrat who served two terms as Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota and has governed the state alongside Governor Tim Walz since 2019, defeated former sports television commentator Michele Tafoya, thereby entering history as the first woman from the American indigenous peoples elected to the US Senate.
An AP Voter Poll survey showed that approximately three-quarters of voters were dissatisfied or angry about the state of the US, and about 70 per cent of those polled believe that Congress should more strongly oversee presidential power. Among the key issues highlighted by voters were high costs of living, rising prices of fuel and daily necessities, and dissatisfaction with the US war against Iran.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries stated during election night that his party is facing a major change in the country's political direction. Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that his party had successfully secured control of the upper house of Congress. If the projections for the House of Representatives are confirmed, Democrats will control both houses of Congress from January 2027, although vote counting in certain electoral districts is still ongoing.
Representative Robert Garcia from California, who is likely to become the new chair of the House Oversight Committee, warned: "Prepare the lawyers." The results will likely trigger investigations into the war in Iran, the management of the FBI, and the business activities of the Donald Trump family. James Talarico, in his victory speech, invoked the biblical story of David and Goliath, stating: "We have just taken back Texas", "We have just proven that all the money in the world cannot be measured against the strength of the people of Texas" and "We have shown that politics of division cannot defeat politics of love". Elon Musk, the world's richest man, did not comment on the results, while Trump, who constantly posts on Truth Social, did not comment on the loss of the majority, but in one post criticised Fox News for giving space to Bill de Blasio, calling him "the worst mayor in New York history".
