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By Andrew Stanton and James Bickerton
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Democrats pulled off a dramatic midterm election victory on Tuesday flipping the Senate after two years of Republican control in a dramatic blow to President Donald Trump.
The party picked up seven Senate seats in the midterm elections, riding a blue wave of victory across the country in a move that will significantly restrain President Trump during the final two years of his second term. The Democrats won seats in Maine, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. Their victories in Texas and Kansas are the Democrats' first in the states since 1988 and 1932 respectively.
They also held a seat in Michigan that was being targeted by the GOP, where Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Mike Rogers to become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. Democrats are also hoping to flip the Alaska seat currently held by Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan though the result is currently too close to call.
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Democrats also have a chance to win a Senate seat in Mississippi, widely regarded as a longshot during the campaign. With 96 percent of ballots counted the race remains too close to call, with Democrat Scott Colom on 48.95 percent of the vote, against Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith's 48.94 percent.
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Senate Composition Before Election
Prior to the midterms, Republicans held 53 seats against 47 who caucused with the Democrats.
Maine Senator Susan Collins was the only Republican senator representing a state carried by former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
Several Democrat-represented states that were narrowly won by Trump when he retook the White House were up for grabs. These included Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
However, Trump's unpopularity and anger over rising fuel prices and the cost of living meant only the Michigan Senate contest was widely regarded as competitive by election day. By contrast, a number of seats in traditionally Republican states were classed as "too close to call" by leading election observers.
How The Senate Changed
In Michigan, the race was called for El-Sayed following a bitterly fought contest. With 92 percent of the vote counted, El-Sayed led with 52.2 percent of the vote to Republican candidate Mike Rogers's 45.8 percent.
Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Ashley Hinson to flip an Iowa Senate seat with 50.5 percent of the vote versus 46.4 percent, with 98 percent of the vote counted.
In Kansas, Republican incumbent Roger Marshall was unseated by Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton. Marshall secured 46.1 percent of the vote to Hamilton's 50.9 percent with 95 percent of the vote counted. The historic win was the first Democratic Senate victory in the state since 1932.
In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson unseated veteran Republican incumbent Susan Collins, securing 53.8 percent of the vote to 46.1 percent with 86 percent of the vote counted.
Democrat Sherrod Brown beat GOP incumbent Jon Husted in Ohio with 49.7 percent of the vote against 45.5 percent with 97 percent of the vote counted.
Meanwhile, James Talarico became the first Texas Democrat to win a Senate seat since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988, beating Republican Ken Paxton with 55 percent of the vote to 43.1 percent, with 89.8 of expected votes counted.
The Alaska Senate race, where incumbent Republican Dan S. Sullivan is being challenged by Democrat Mary Peltola, is currently too close to call.
It is also unclear whether Democrats have pulled off a shock Senate win in Mississippi, where Democrat Colom is neck-and-neck with GOP incumbent Hyde-Smith as counting continues.
How Each Party Got Here
Republicans faced difficult headwinds ahead of the midterms, as Trump's approval rating fell amid voter frustration with the economy and cost of living. History also indicated that 2026 could be a tough year for the GOP. Historically, the party occupying the White House faces a midterm backlash, especially when the president is unpopular.
Still, taking control of the Senate was seen as an uphill battle for Democrats.
Democrats initially saw few clear pickup opportunities apart from Maine, which backed Harris by 7 points, and North Carolina, which Trump won by 3 points. There were no other Republican seats up for grabs in states Trump outright lost or won by single digits in 2024.
This meant Democrats had to expand the battleground into more conservative states to win a majority. Prior to the election, polling indicated that the Democrats were competitive, and in some cases even favored to take seats, in the typically red strongholds of Texas, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Alaska.
By contrast, Republicans entered the midterms knowing polling suggested they were likely to lose the House, and would face a strong challenge over control of the Senate.
Trump campaigned hard ahead of election day, travelling across the country to hold rallies in support of Republican candidates. He spent much of his final speech one day before the election talking about the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and various Washington D.C. construction projects rather than his Democratic opponents.
What Happens Next
The new Congress will be convened in January 2027. Democrats will now control both the upper and lower chambers, giving them significant new legislative and investigatory powers.
The Democrats will be able to introduce and advance legislation, though this could still be overcome by Trump's presidential veto, risking legislative gridlock. The party will also gain substantial new powers to investigate members of the Trump administration, potentially including the president himself, and allies they believe are guilty of wrongdoing.
During his first term, Trump survived two impeachment attempts. Democratic leaders may now face pressure from their party's grassroots to launch another impeachment bid, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries telling ABC News in September that "we haven't ruled anything in, and we haven't ruled anything out."
However, any impeachment bid would require the support of 67 senators—two-thirds of the total—to pass, meaning it would need cross-part support.
Representative Robert Garcia, the most senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, previously suggested that if the Democrats won the midterms they would launch sweeping investigations. He indicated that these could concern the Trump family's business interests, federal conduct during immigration enforcement, corporate profiteering, the Epstein files, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s policies on vaccines.
These investigations could be launched by Democratic-controlled committees in both the Senate and House, which would have the power to subpoena witnesses and request documents.
A Democratic-controlled Congress could also clash with the White House over government funding, potentially leading to another government shutdown. President Trump may be forced to rely increasingly on executive actions to govern, though these could be subject to legal challenges.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Oliver Pritchard.
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