In a historic shift for American politics, the Democratic Party has made significant gains in the U.S. midterm elections, securing control of both the Senate and House of Representatives. This victory surpassed pre-election expectations, particularly in unexpected wins such as Mississippi, South Carolina, Kansas, Texas, Iowa, Ohio, Maine, and Michigan. The Democratic Party's success was evident across the country, with several states experiencing significant swings from Republican to Democrat since the 2024 presidential election.
In a surprising turn of events, traditionally red states like North Carolina and South Carolina switched to blue, while deep-red Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932. The Senate race in Alaska is still undecided, with second-choice votes set to determine the winner. The shift in political landscape was particularly pronounced in Texas, where the Democrats took both the Senate seat and governorship.
The BBC's partner CBS News projected that the Democrats would win the House of Representatives just after 03:00 GMT on Wednesday (22:00 EST Tuesday). The extent of this victory remains to be seen as counting continues. Significant seats, such as Florida 14 and Florida 25, are crucial for the Democrats as they challenge Republican attempts to redraw district boundaries in their favor.
A poll suggests that women turned out in large numbers and predominantly voted Democrat. Men also favored the Democratic Party, but by a narrower margin. Hispanic voters appeared to be a key demographic in the Texas elections, with the Democratic Senate candidate James Talerico receiving 68% of the vote compared to Republican Ken Paxton's 30%. This is a significant shift from the estimated 50% of Hispanic voters who backed Donald Trump in 2024.
The poll also revealed that across the country, the economy was the biggest concern for voters, followed by the state of democracy. A majority of respondents believe that Donald Trump's policies have worsened economic conditions. Turnout for these midterm elections was high, nearly reaching the 50% seen in 2018.
This summary is based on the original report produced by Wesley Stephenson, Christine Jeavans, Daniel Wainwright, Becky Dale, Libby Rogers, Jess Carr, John Walton, and Rob England. For updates on Trump's second term, subscribe to North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here, while those outside the UK can sign up here.