Democrats take control of Congress in midterms
Democrats won both chambers of the US Congress in the November 3 midterms, ending Republican control. President Trump acknowledged the losses, citing the Iran war and gasoline prices, while markets reacted to the shift in power.
IllustrationThe story so far
Polls leading up to the November 3 election showed Democrats holding a national lead, with early voting high in key Senate races. President Trump campaigned in Republican strongholds like Texas and Iowa, while cost of living and the Iran war dominated the debate. Millions of Americans voted for all House seats, 35 Senate seats, and governors in 36 states.
Results confirmed a Democratic sweep, with the party gaining control of both the House and Senate. Major upsets included Democrat Troy Jackson defeating incumbent Susan Collins in Maine. In Florida, Republican Byron Donalds became the state's first Black governor, while Deb Haaland won New Mexico, becoming the first Native American woman governor. Republicans lost support across all demographic groups compared to 2022.
In the aftermath, President Trump blamed the Iran war and fuel prices for the GOP defeat but dismissed impeachment threats. Democrats announced plans for a 100-hour legislative push to remove tariffs and end the war. Markets initially rallied on Trump's conciliatory tone but later plunged as fears of AI regulation and data center costs emerged, with the Nasdaq entering correction territory.
Latest updates
25 updates · newest first- 5 NovNew development
Nasdaq heads for worst day in 18 months on AI regulation fears
The Nasdaq composite was on track for its worst day in 18 months, falling as much as 5% and entering correction territory amid AI spending worries and fears of tougher datacentre regulation after U.S. midterms. Chip stocks led the decline, with SanDisk down 19% and Western Digital down 16.5%, while the VIX jumped 40%. The S&P 500 fell 3.7% and the Dow Jones industrial average dropped more than 1,500 points.
The Guardian ↗
CNBC ↗
MarketWatch ↗
- 5 NovNew development
Democrats' midterm win boosts single-payer and medical professionals
Democrats' landslide US midterm win is expected to reshape health care, with Democrats planning to reverse Medicaid cuts and challenge the anti-vaccine agenda. More than 500 Democratic medical and public health professionals ran for office, including Michigan Senator Abdul El-Sayed and Ohio Governor Amy Acton. The result also dealt a setback to the Make America Healthy Again movement, whose Iowa candidate lost by more than 10 points.
STAT ↗
- 5 NovNew development
Democrats signal oversight blitz as Trump officials lawyer up
Democrats said they will use their historic midterm gains in Congress to flex their investigative muscles. Incoming House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair Robert Garcia issued a two-word statement, 'Lawyer up,' to Trump administration officials Democrats say have dodged oversight.
The Hill ↗
- 5 NovOfficial statement
Trump dismisses impeachment threat after Republican midterm losses
US President Donald Trump dismissed the prospect of impeachment after his Republican Party suffered a sweeping defeat in the midterm elections. Speaking to reporters in Washington on Wednesday, he warned that an attempt by Democrats to impeach him when they take control of Congress next year would backfire on the party. He said he was prepared to work with Democrats while stressing he could use his presidential veto to block legislation.
Euronews ↗
- 5 NovOfficial statement
Zelenskyy hopes Democratic Congress will aid Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hopes Democratic control of both chambers of the US Congress will bring more support for Ukraine. He said Democrats speak clearly about aiding Kyiv and renewing the connection between the United States and Europe. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged the new Congress to keep pressuring Russia, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz questioned whether President Trump would change course.
Al Jazeera ↗
- 5 NovOfficial statement
Sierra Club releases policy blueprint for incoming Democratic Congress
The Sierra Club released a legislative policy blueprint for the incoming Democratic Congress, urging lawmakers to address the affordability crisis and hold polluters accountable. The organization recommends passing a make polluters pay package, the Energy Bills Relief Act, and a windfall profits tax to reverse damage from the Trump administration. The blueprint aims to lower costs, strengthen infrastructure, and protect public health and safety.
CleanTechnica ↗
- 4 NovOfficial statement
Trump says no plans to change Cabinet after GOP midterm losses
President Trump said he has no plans to change his Cabinet after Democrats took control of the House and Senate. He made the remarks in a Fox News interview late Tuesday night, when asked whether the election results would prompt changes. The statement leaves his current Cabinet in place as Democrats gain power in Congress.
- 4 NovNew development
House Speaker Mike Johnson will not seek GOP minority leadership
House Speaker Mike Johnson said on a staff call that he will not run for Republican minority leader in the next Congress. The announcement follows a bruising midterm defeat for Republicans and sets up a likely fight over the party's future.
NPR ↗
- 4 NovNew development
Vance blames Iran war for GOP midterm losses, Trump agrees in part
Vice President JD Vance said the ongoing Iran war was the reason Republicans lost the midterms, saying the president himself said so. He brushed aside other issues, including harsh immigration policies, and said many 2024 Trump voters voted for Democrats out of anger. President Trump called the explanation largely true because the war raised gasoline prices, while saying he would do it again.
DW ↗
- 4 NovNew development
US stocks rally as Democrats sweep midterms, lifting market sentiment
Wall Street opened higher after Democrats took control of both the Senate and the House, easing fears of political disorder. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose 1.1% while the Dow gained 1.9%, as investors welcomed President Trump's conciliatory tone. However, Tesla and SpaceX shares fell in premarket trading, and the dollar dropped to a one-month low.
South China Morning Post ↗
- 4 NovOfficial statement
Trump blames Iran war and gasoline prices for GOP losses
President Trump said the ongoing war with Iran and higher gasoline prices helped cause Republican midterm losses, while saying he would have done it again. In a Fox News interview, he argued voters supported his Iran actions but were unwilling to pay more for fuel in the short term. He also praised Democrats for fighting hard, while on Truth Social he blamed others for losses in key races.
- 4 NovNew development
Midterm data show Republican support falls across voter groups
Democrats won the House and Senate, taking full control of Congress for the first time since 2023. Survey data show Republicans lost support among all demographic groups compared with the 2022 midterms, including white men, white women and Latinos. Three-quarters of voters aged 18 to 24 voted Democrat, and 92 percent of Black women voted Democrat.
- 4 NovNew development
Jackson ousts Collins in Maine Senate flip
Democrat Troy Jackson is projected to defeat Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, flipping a Republican seat for the first time in almost 50 years and ending Collins's nearly 30-year tenure. Jackson, the former state Senate president who ran unsuccessfully for governor this cycle, was projected with 53 percent of the vote. The win is a crucial victory for Democrats in their push to retake the Senate majority.
- 4 NovNew development
Democrats capture both chambers of Congress in midterm rout
Democrats won control of the US Senate and House of Representatives in Tuesday's midterms, crossing the 51-seat and 218-seat majorities. The result gives the party power to block legislation, launch investigations and challenge appointments in the final two years of President Trump's term. Trump said he was willing to accept the results but threatened to veto Democratic bills.
- 4 NovNew development
Troy Jackson unseats Susan Collins in Maine Senate race
Democrat Troy Jackson defeated five-term Republican Susan Collins in Maine, ending her nearly three-decade tenure in the US Senate in one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 midterms. Jackson, a former lumberjack and state senate president, won a closely fought race marked by disputes over living costs and Trump's agenda. Collins, who had served since 1997, conceded early Wednesday after Republican groups spent heavily on the race.
BBC News ↗
- 4 NovNew development
Risch wins fourth term in Idaho Senate race
Idaho Sen. Jim Risch was projected to win a fourth term, defeating Independent Todd Achilles to hold his seat. Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was first elected to the Senate in 2008 after serving as lieutenant governor and governor.
- 4 NovNew development
Florida elects first black governor as Republicans hold seats
Republican Byron Donalds won Florida's governor's race, becoming the state's first black governor, while Republican Ashley Moody retained her Senate seat. The wins kept key Florida offices in Republican hands as Democrats took full control of Congress. Donalds, backed by President Donald Trump, succeeded term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis, and Moody beat Democrat Angie Nixon in the special election for the seat previously held by Marco Rubio.
- 4 NovNew development
Democrats win Senate, setting up divided government for rest of Trump term
Democrats won control of the US Senate in the November 3 midterms, according to an Associated Press call, giving them power to challenge President Trump's agenda for the rest of his term. The party gained seats in states where it had long struggled, aided by voter frustration over high prices. Trump acknowledged the Iran war and gasoline prices contributed to Republican losses and said he could cooperate on some issues while warning of vetoes.
ABC Australia ↗
- 4 NovNew development
Haaland wins New Mexico governor, first Native American woman
Democrat Deb Haaland is projected to defeat Republican Gregg Hull in New Mexico's governor's race. The former Interior secretary under President Biden will become the first Native American woman to serve as governor of a US state.
- 4 NovNew development
Treasury yields fall as investors seek bonds after election sell-off
U.S. Treasury yields fell as investors sought shelter in bonds after equity futures dropped on Democratic midterm gains. The 10-year yield was 4.9291%, down 2 basis points; the 30-year was 5.3093%, down 1 basis point; the 2-year was 4.5996%, down 1 basis point. AI shares led declines on fears Democrats could slow data center buildout.
- 4 NovNew development
Democrats plan 100-hour legislative push and probes after taking Congress
Democrats said they will use their first 100 hours in the House to introduce bills removing tariffs, ending the Iran war and cutting health insurance costs. They face limits because most Senate bills need 60 votes and President Trump can veto legislation lacking two-thirds support. The House majority also gives Democrats subpoena power, and the party said it will probe Trump, his family business interests and agencies led by his allies.
- 3 NovNew development
US midterms begin amid Westchester ballot scanner problem
Americans are voting Tuesday in midterm elections seen as a referendum on President Trump, with control of Congress on the line. New York Attorney General Letitia James said her office was monitoring a ballot scanner problem in Westchester County, where Rep. Mike Lawler said every ballot would be counted. Results were expected to begin in Kentucky and Indiana at 6 p.m. ET.
- 2 NovNew development
US midterms decide control of Congress as polls close across states
Millions of Americans vote on Tuesday for all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats and governors in 36 states, deciding which party controls Congress for two years. Republicans hold narrow majorities, and Democrats need a net gain of four seats in each chamber to take control. Polls close at different times, so first results are expected after East Coast polls close and will arrive during the night for European viewers.
France 24 ↗
- 2 NovNew development
House map looks set as Senate races stay close
Early voting data, polling and ad spending keep the House and Senate maps broader than expected, with the Senate described as one of the most competitive in modern history. President Trump has campaigned mainly in Republican strongholds, including Texas, where polls show a narrow Democratic lead in a state Democrats have not won a Senate seat for 33 years. Analysts say the itinerary is a defensive effort to drive turnout and protect the Senate.
- 1 NovNew development
US midterms near as Democrats lead polls and early voting rises
With two days before the US midterm elections, polling averages show Democrats leading Republicans nationally, while several close Senate races could decide control of Congress. President Donald Trump was set to campaign in Iowa and Kansas, while Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed was set to hold events in Michigan as cost-of-living concerns and the Iran war dominated. Early voting was particularly high in states with tight Senate contests.