WASHINGTON / RankWire.AI / – Democrats will win control of both the House and the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections, CBS News projects. The network projected House control at 10:39 p.m. ET on Tuesday, November 3, and Senate control at 11:44 p.m. ET. Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to take the Senate. They flipped Republican-held seats in Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Iowa, North Carolina, South Carolina and Maine, according to projections.
Texas and Kansas elected their first Democratic senators in decades. James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton in Texas, a state that last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 1988. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton beat Sen. Roger Marshall, giving Democrats a seat they had not won in nearly a century. In Maine, Troy Jackson defeated longtime Sen. Susan Collins, who conceded the race early Wednesday. Collins had held the seat since 1997.
Former Sen. Sherrod Brown won back a Senate seat in Ohio by defeating Republican Jon Husted, despite heavy spending against Brown by the crypto industry super PAC Fairshake. In Iowa, Josh Turek beat Ashley Hinson, and Annie Andrews won in South Carolina. Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Mike Rogers in Michigan’s often-contentious race, keeping the seat in Democratic hands. Rogers had also lost a close Senate race in 2024. The Alaska and Mississippi races remain toss-ups.
Mixed results in House battlegrounds
In the House, Democrats flipped several Republican-held districts, including three seats in Iowa, Pennsylvania’s 1st District, where Bob Harvie beat Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, and Ohio’s 7th District. In Texas, Bobby Pulido defeated Rep. Monica De La Cruz in the 15th District. Republicans, however, also flipped a range of key House battlegrounds in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and elsewhere, CBS News reported. About 75 House races were still undecided early Wednesday.
In Alaska, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola in a tight race with a slow count. In Mississippi, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom are neck and neck. Both races could shape the size of the new Democratic majority, and results there may take days to finalize. Democrats already hold enough seats for a majority without them. Voting began weeks before Election Day in many states, with mail-in voting starting in North Carolina in September.
Trump approval hits midterm low
Exit polls showed President Donald Trump on track to set a record for the lowest approval rating for a president in a midterm, at 38%. The economy was the top concern for many voters. A senior Republican strategist blamed Trump for the party’s rough night, while another GOP operative described the results as biblically bad. Trump has argued the party would have won with Trump on the ballot.
In a call with CBS News, Trump congratulated Democrats and said the administration would work with them. Trump also warned of plans to use the veto pen liberally, suggesting Democrats would need to cooperate or face vetoes. The new Congress will take office in January, setting up divided government for the final two years of Trump’s term. Democrats will control committees and oversight of the administration. Trump’s term runs until January 2029.