Democrats win both chambers of US Congress in midterm landslide, rebuke Trump over economy and Iran war

Democrats won control of both chambers of the US Congress in a midterm election landslide that amounted to a rejection of President Donald Trump following widespread voter discontent with the economy and the war in Iran.

Across the country, Democrats scored victories in GOP strongholds, flipping at least seven Senate seats and winning House races in districts Republicans easily carried in 2024. Democrats are projected to flip Senate seats in Maine, Kansas, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Iowa and Ohio. The Blues also held seats in Michigan and Minnesota.

In the battle for the House, Democrats won races in Indiana, Iowa, Virginia, Texas, Nebraska, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, among other states. In a sign of how deep the losses were for Republicans, the head of the House GOP's campaign arm, Representative Richard Hudson, lost in North Carolina.


During the campaign, Trump asked voters to pretend he was on the ballot and handpicked Republican. By Tuesday night, voters had rejected them.

Trump-backed candidates in South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas and Michigan all lost, handing Democrats control of the chamber and exposing the limits of Trump's political power.

Trump has spent more than a decade reshaping the Republican Party around his MAGA movement, dictating primary matchups and pushing aside conservative figures he felt were insufficiently loyal or not aligned with his vision. Trump repeatedly favoured loyalists and ideological allies over more established Republicans with stronger statewide networks and proven electoral track records, betting that his endorsement could overcome their political liabilities. One of the most stunning repudiations came in South Carolina, which had not elected a Democratic senator since 1998 and which Trump won by 18 percentage points in 2024.

Trump backed Darline Graham, the sister of late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. But Democrat Annie Andrews won the seat in a stunning upset.

In North Carolina, Trump endorsed former national Republican campaign official Michael Whatley, who lost in a rout to former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.

In Texas, Trump intervened in a messy Republican primary election to promote scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton over Senator John Cornyn, a Trump ally who some in the party considered a safer pick in the general election.

But, Democrat James Talarico delivered the blue brigade a seat the party had not won since 1988.

Former US Representative Mike Rogers, Trump's choice in Michigan, was defeated by Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who will be the first Muslim to serve in the Senate.