Democrats Win House and Senate, Flipping Seven Republican Senate Seats

Democrats have won full control of Congress, ending Republican control of Washington two years into Donald Trump's second term. The result comes from an NPR analysis based on Associated Press race calls, and it returns Democrats to control of both chambers for the first time since 2023.

Several races were still unresolved on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Ballots were still being counted in Alaska's Senate race, and in Mississippi, where fewer than 50 votes separated the two Senate candidates, according to The New York Times. The size of the new House majority is also not yet settled.

Seven Senate seats change hands

According to AP race calls, Democrats flipped Senate seats in seven states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Kansas, Iowa and Maine.

In Texas, state Rep. James Talarico beat Attorney General Ken Paxton. Trump had endorsed Paxton, who defeated Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary.

In Ohio, Sherrod Brown unseated Sen. Jon Husted. In Iowa, Josh Turek beat Rep. Ashley Hinson. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton defeated Sen. Roger Marshall and becomes the state's first Democratic senator since 1932.

In North Carolina, Roy Cooper won the open seat vacated by Sen. Thom Tillis, who chose not to seek reelection after Trump criticized him. In South Carolina, Dr. Annie Andrews beat Sen. Darline Graham. Maine Sen. Susan Collins conceded to Democrat Troy Jackson.

Democrats also held ground elsewhere. Sen. Jon Ossoff won reelection in Georgia over Rep. Mike Collins. Rep. Chris Pappas won the New Hampshire seat of retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, defeating former Sen. John Sununu.

Republicans prepared for a tough race. They spent tens of millions of dollars in the campaign's final stretch in states and districts Trump won handily two years ago, and Trump campaigned in heavily red areas. The money advantage did not stop the losses.

The House and the redistricting gamble

The New York Times estimates Democrats' margin in the national House vote at about 13 percentage points. By that estimate, it is the largest margin for either party in a congressional election in at least half a century.

The Republican redistricting push did not hold. Democrats won at least three Florida districts that the Republican legislature redrew to hurt them, and flipped a North Carolina seat that was part of the GOP's map-drawing effort.

In Pennsylvania, Democrats ousted four Republican incumbents in swing districts, taking all of the state's competitive races. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey also lost. Kean missed four months of votes this year while being treated for depression, a diagnosis he did not disclose until he returned.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who is poised to become speaker, said voters have "had enough of the extremism, enough of the corruption." Cost of living and perceived corruption were the central themes of the Democratic campaign.

Trump's two statements

Trump told The New York Times he is "absolutely willing to accept those results" and is prepared to work with Democrats.

In a Pod Force One podcast interview published Monday, before the votes were counted, he said he would block Democrats' legislation if they took control of Congress. He keeps his veto, so Democratic bills will almost certainly need his signature to become law.

Oversight is where the pressure is sharper. Rep. Robert Garcia of California, expected to chair the House Oversight Committee, posted two words on X: "LAWYER UP." Investigations in both chambers are expected once the new Congress is sworn in in January.

NPR notes that voters hoping for fast policy change could be disappointed. Its read is that the Democratic affordability agenda may end up as a 2028 campaign message rather than law.

Thune holds his ground, and some on the right want him gone

Senate Majority Leader John Thune responded on X with a defense of the past two years. He said Senate Republicans "prevented the largest tax hike in American history, secured our border in an unprecedented way, confirmed the president's Cabinet at the fastest pace in two decades, and put strong conservative judges on benches across the country faster than we have since the Reagan administration."

He added that Republicans "will not stand idly by as the far-left, socialist wing of the Democrat Party attempts to unwind everything we've done," and that they will work with Trump to stop "the worst impulses of Democrat extremism."

Not everyone on the right accepted that framing. Jack Posobiec wrote on X, "It's time for you to step down." Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of The Federalist, wrote, "Resign, you pathetic failure." Another critic questioned the phrase "Democrat obstruction," arguing Republicans held the presidency, House, Senate and Supreme Court and did not carry out voters' wishes.

That frustration has a specific policy target. In July, Trump called on Thune to keep the Senate in session to terminate the filibuster and pass the SAVE America Act. The filibuster is still in place, and the bill did not become law.

Thune's own defense rests on the record he listed, and he has a stated plan for what comes next. A source close to him told The Washington Sun he is still expected to run for Republican leader. No other Republican has publicly said they will challenge him.

He would be running as minority leader. He is also up for reelection in 2028 and has said he will put "wheels in motion fairly quickly" on that decision.

What comes next

Senate Republicans hold their leadership elections Tuesday, Nov. 10. The Alaska and Mississippi counts will determine how wide the Democratic Senate margin ends up. The new Congress is sworn in in January, when Jeffries is expected to take the gavel and Garcia's Oversight Committee can begin issuing demands to the administration.