2026 US Midterms: Democrats flip 7 Senate seats including Kansas, South Carolina and Texas, 4 governorships; win control of House seats in major blow to Trump

Democrats have successfully flipped several seats that were under the Republicans’ control, in the US midterms held in 2026. This creates a big political blow for President Donald Trump and the GOP. The red to blue shift spans from the Senate to the House of Representatives and the state governorships.

The gains include seven Senate seats, 27 House seats and four governorships, according to CNN at the time of writing. Democrats have won control of both chambers of Congress, while their victories in Republican-leaning states such as Texas, Kansas and South Carolina highlight the scale of the party's victory.

Senate: Democrats break into Republican strongholds

The Senate flips occurred in the states of Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas. The Senate wins were very important because many of the states that flipped have been major Republican strongholds.

The biggest surprise came from the state of Kansas, where the Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton beat Republican Senator Roger Marshall. The result came as a shock because it was the first time since 1932, that a Democrat won a seat in the Senate from the state after 94 years.

Texas also delivered a major breakthrough. Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democrat elected to the US Senate from Texas since 1988. Paxton, the state's attorney general, had faced political controversy, including an impeachment by the Texas House in 2023 over allegations of misconduct. He was acquitted by the state Senate.

In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, who had been appointed to the Senate after the death of her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham. The result marked the first Democratic Senate victory in the state since 1998.

Democrats also reclaimed a Senate seat in Ohio, where former Senator Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Jon Husted. In Iowa, Josh Turek defeated Republican Ashley Hinson to succeed retiring Senator Joni Ernst. Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley, delivering another Democratic victory in a state that had been considered a Republican stronghold.

Maine delivered another major Democratic victory, with Troy Jackson defeating longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins.

Governors: Four Republican-held states turn blue

Democrats also won four Republican-held governorships in Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Texas.

Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia beat Republican Rick Jackson to be the first black woman elected as governor in the United States. This marks the end of over two decades of Republican governors in the state of Georgia.

In a shocking upset in Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa beat Republican incumbent Greg Abbott. She will be the first Latina governor of Texas and the first Democrat in over three decades to become the governor of the state since Ann Richards left in 1995.

Democrat Rob Sand beat Republican Zach Lahn in Iowa. Democrat Amy Acton won over Republican Vivek Ramaswamy to be the new governor of Ohio.