Democrats Capture Senate and House in 2026 Midterm Upset

Democrats have delivered a major electoral setback to President Donald Trump, capturing control of both chambers of Congress in the November 3, 2026, midterm elections. According to NBC News projections, the party secured 54 Senate seats and is expected to hold 258 House seats after making significant gains across traditionally Republican states.

Republicans have secured 44 Senate seats, while two contests in Alaska and Mississippi remained undecided as of Wednesday, November 4. Democrats need 51 seats for a Senate majority, while the threshold in the House is 218.

The Democratic victories included seven Senate pickups in Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina, according to NBC News. The results also included victories in several Republican-leaning congressional districts and states.

In Maine, Democratic candidate Troy Jackson defeated Republican incumbent Susan Collins, ending her three-decade presence in the Senate. With approximately 60% of ballots counted, Jackson had established a convincing lead, prompting Collins to concede.

Jackson emphasized his working-class background and promised to remain accessible to voters throughout his Senate tenure.

"You understood what it would mean to send one of your own to the United States Senate," Jackson told supporters.

He also challenged Trump's political allies and wealthy supporters, declaring his independence from their influence.

"Donald Trump and the billionaires need to understand one thing very clear – something about your new senator. I don’t owe them a damn thing." Jackson said.

He outlined his commitment to protecting constituents' healthcare, livelihoods and freedoms.

"When they threaten your healthcare, your livelihood, or your freedoms, I am going to stand up to them. You know where I’ll stand. You know how I’ll vote.

And when you’ve got a question about it, you’ll be able to ask me yourself. I’m not acting like I’m the best thing that ever happened to the US Senate or anything like that." Jackson said.

In Florida, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted his state's election performance as evidence that Republicans could maintain voter support despite the national results. Florida voters elected Republicans to the Senate and governor's office.

"People can look at Florida and show how you can deliver big results and how you can build a durable coalition," DeSantis told reporters in Tallahassee.

He attributed the state's performance to his administration's record and its relationship with voters.

"Why did Florida hold up? Why were we able to hold the line? The answer is we’ve built up a record of achievement. We’ve earned trust from our voters that even in the worst situation that you can imagine politically, we were able to prevent the worst from happening here," DeSantis said.

However, DeSantis criticized Republican lawmakers in Washington over unfulfilled campaign commitments, particularly the release of the Epstein files and congressional stock trading.

"We ran as Republicans on saying we need to do that, and then you actually have people in the Congress voting against release when the attorney general said she had all this horrific stuff on her desk and that people were going to be held accountable," DeSantis said.

He also questioned lawmakers' financial activities and called for restrictions on stock transactions by members of Congress.

"It’s untenable when you have people trading stock. Why don’t they ban congressional stock trading? It would be a breath of fresh air." DeSantis said.

DeSantis, whose 2024 presidential campaign ended after Trump secured the Republican nomination, indicated he would discuss the 2028 presidential contest after leaving office on January 5. Analysts consider him a likely candidate.

Two Senate races remained particularly close. In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom led Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 43 votes, with more than 95% of ballots counted, according to NBC News projections. Mississippi last elected a Democratic senator in 1982.

In Alaska, Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan held a 1,677-vote advantage over Democrat Mary Peltola, while approximately 80,000 ballots remained uncounted. The contest also faced a legal dispute involving another candidate named Dan Sullivan on the ballot, with the Trump administration threatening to block certification if the Republican incumbent lost.

Trump rejected the suggestion that his presidency contributed to Republican losses. Responding to the results on his social media platform, he wrote:

"I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" Trump wrote.

Economic dissatisfaction emerged as a significant factor in the election. An Associated Press poll found that three-quarters of voters considered the economy "not so good" or "poor." Approximately eight in 10 respondents said inflation had created either "severe" or "moderate" financial hardship for their households.

Beyond Congress, Democrats also recorded gubernatorial victories. Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania, Wes Moore in Maryland, Maura Healey in Massachusetts and Kathy Hochul in New York won reelection. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker also secured an unprecedented third term for a Democrat in the state.

Texas delivered another major upset when Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who had sought a fourth term.

International reactions followed the Democratic victories. London Mayor Sadiq Khan congratulated the party and described its campaign as a rejection of Trump's political approach.

"Congratulations to Democrats on a huge victory last night. With a focus on hope, unity and supporting families with the cost of living – their campaign was a true rejection of the damaging and divisive politics of Donald Trump." Khan wrote on X.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham also expressed hope that the election results would create an "opportunity" to concentrate on ending the Iran war and addressing rising living costs.

Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf connected Republican defeats to Trump's handling of the conflict with Tehran, which he said had contradicted the president's campaign commitment against starting new wars and contributed to global energy and living-cost pressures.

"Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message. If the US govt betrays their public will to serve international paymasters" Ghalibaf wrote on X.

The two remaining Senate contests had yet to be officially resolved as vote counting continued on Wednesday.