Democrats seize House, deal major blow to Trump

Democrats have secured control of the US House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections, dealing a major political blow to President Donald Trump and his Republican Party.

The Democratic victory ends Republican control of the lower chamber of Congress and could significantly affect Trump’s ability to advance his legislative agenda during the remainder of his presidency. With a majority in the House, Democrats will gain greater influence over legislation, federal spending and congressional investigations into the administration.

The election results also point to a strong Democratic performance in several closely contested Senate races. Democrats have made significant gains in traditionally Republican states, raising the possibility of taking control of the Senate as well.

One of the biggest developments came from Texas, where Democrat James Talarico was projected to win a Senate seat, according to CBS News. His victory would mark a major political breakthrough for Democrats in a state that has not elected a Democratic senator in nearly four decades.

Democrats also secured a projected victory in Ohio’s gubernatorial race, while the state’s closely watched Senate contest moved into the likely Democratic category. Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown was challenging Republican Senator Jon Husted in the race.

Other competitive Senate contests remained undecided as vote counting continued. These included races in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi and Alaska. The Mississippi Senate contest also moved into the toss-up category, raising further hopes of Democratic gains in a traditionally Republican state.

The results have created growing divisions within the Republican Party, with several candidates facing difficult contests despite Trump’s efforts to support his party’s campaign.

Reacting to the Republican setbacks, Trump said he was not on the ballot and claimed that Republicans would have won by a landslide if he had been a candidate.

“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

His remarks appeared to distance him from the losses suffered by Republican candidates, potentially adding to tensions within the party as it faces the consequences of the election.

Democratic gains in the House and competitive Senate races have made the election a potentially historic night for the party. However, the final balance of power in the Senate remained uncertain as several key contests were still being counted.

The 2026 midterm elections covered all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats and several state-level positions, including governorships.