Blue Wave: Democrats win control of the House and Senate as GOP suffers major midterm losses

With five races left to be called, Democrats have flipped seven Senate seats, winning control of the upper chamber of Congress, while also securing the House with Republicans losing dozens of seats.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, overturning Republican majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate and dealing a major setback to President Donald Trump midway through his second term.

The Democratic Party secured control of the Senate after winning a series of closely contested races, including several in traditionally Republican states, while also capturing the House majority.

According to projections by RealClearPolitics, the party flipped seven Republican Senate seats with two more races too close to call.

The Democratic Senate caucus, which includes two independents, currently has 47 seats in the 100-member upper chamber, and could potentially rise to 55 or even 56 seats if Democrats win in Alaska and Mississippi.

The Polymarket online betting platform currently projects Democrats gaining eight seats in the Senate.

Among the most significant results was the victory of Democrat James Talarico over Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, marking the first Democratic victory in a US Senate election in the state since 1988.

In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall, becoming the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the state since 1932.

Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown also won in Ohio, defeating Republican Senator Jon Husted and reclaiming a seat he lost in 2024.

Democrats scored additional victories in North Carolina, where former Governor Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley.

Anti-Israel firebrand Abdul El-Sayed, whose accusations against Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip became a prominent feature in the campaign, defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan, retaining the Senate seat for Democrats.

In a major upset, South Carolina’s Republican Senator Republican Darline Graham, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, was defeated by Democrat Annie Andrews. This is the first time a Democrat has won a Senate seat in the reliably Republican South Carolina since 1998.

In Iowa, Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Ashley Hinson, while RealClearPolitics also indicated a Democratic pickup in Maine, where Graham Platner’s primary opponent Troy Jackson is projected to unseat longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins.

Alaska remained another closely watched contest, with Democratic former Representative Mary Peltola seeking to unseat Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. With 67% of the vote counted, Sullivan currently has a one-point lead over Peltola, 48.6% to 47.6%.

Democrats also retained several seats Republicans had hoped to capture, including Georgia, where Senator Jon Ossoff won reelection.

In the House of Representatives, Democrats overcame the Republicans’ narrow majority and were projected by RealClearPolitics’ Polymarket-based model to win approximately 250 seats, compared with 185 for Republicans, a net Democratic gain of 35 seats.

Thus far in the vote count, Republicans have lost a net of 30 seats in the House, with Democrats receiving 236 seats – well beyond the 218 needed for a majority in the lower chamber.

The results represented a significant reversal from the 2024 elections, when Republicans won control of the White House and retained majorities in both chambers of Congress.

Voter dissatisfaction with the economy, the rising cost of living and the war with Iran played important roles in the elections, according to national polling conducted ahead of and during Tuesday’s voting.

Democrats also registered major victories in gubernatorial contests, capturing Republican-held offices in Texas, Ohio, Iowa and Georgia.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries celebrated the results as his party moved toward assuming control of the chamber.

“Today begins the great American comeback,” Jeffries told supporters.

“We’re going to work hard to deliver on the dramatic change that you deserve,” he added.

Trump, meanwhile, said he would recognize the election results and expressed a willingness to cooperate with the incoming Democratic congressional leadership.

“I am absolutely willing to accept those results,” Trump told The New York Times late Tuesday.

“We’ll work with the Democrats, and we’ll, you know, look forward to working with them. We’ll probably work something out.”

Democratic control of Congress will significantly complicate the president’s ability to advance his legislative agenda during his final two years in office.

The new Senate majority will give Democrats control over committee leadership and the confirmation process for federal judges, Cabinet officials and other senior administration appointments.

Meanwhile, the House majority will allow Democrats to launch congressional investigations, issue subpoenas and exercise greater influence over federal spending and legislation.

However, Trump will retain his presidential veto power, while the Senate’s 60-vote threshold for advancing most legislation will continue to limit what Democrats can enact without Republican support.

The newly elected Congress will convene in January 2027.

Beyond Congress, Democrats picked up four governorships from Republicans, winning races in Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas.

President Trump won all four states in 2024, and Democrats have not won a gubernatorial election in Texas since Ann Richards’ victory in 1990.