Democrats Push Deep into Trump's Heartland in Historic Night

Democrats have overturned Donald Trump's political map on a night that will shape American politics for years to come.

They won a string of major Senate races in states that have been reliably Republican for decades. In Kansas, the win came in a state that last elected a Democrat to the Senate nearly a century ago. The result sent a wave of victories across the country and pushed Republicans out of power in several key contests.

Halfway through Trump's second term, Democrats now have decisive control of the House of Representatives. They have also regained a Senate majority. This will allow them to challenge Trump's agenda and launch investigations into his administration. A third impeachment attempt against him could also be on the table.

Senate Races Shift

In the Senate, Democrats flipped at least six seats and comfortably secured a majority. Few had expected such an outcome in the months after Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, when Republicans controlled Congress.

Adam Hamilton won in Kansas. James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, ending a 38-year Democratic losing streak in statewide elections there. In South Carolina, Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, who had been appointed to the seat after the death of her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham. Few analysts had considered that seat competitive even a few months earlier.

Five-term Republican Susan Collins conceded the Maine Senate race to Democrat Troy Jackson. Paralympian Josh Turek flipped the Iowa seat held by retiring Republican Senator Joni Ernst. In Ohio, Sherrod Brown won a comeback victory over Jon Husted, giving Democrats another seat. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in a bitterly fought race.

Governor Races

Republican losses extended to governors' races. In Texas, Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa ousted incumbent Republican Greg Abbott, who had earlier this year been seen as a prohibitive favourite. Democrats also won governors' races in Iowa, Ohio and Georgia. In Georgia, voters elected the first Black woman to the post in the state's history.

House Majority Returns to Democrats

Democrats have won a House majority for the first time since 2022. They are projected to win 245 seats, while Republicans are projected to win 166.

Democrats flipped House seats in Texas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Kentucky and Colorado, among others. They were also positioned to make gains in Virginia and Indiana.

Black Democrats in southern states turned out in record numbers, helping carry the party to victory. Hispanic voters, who had helped secure Trump's 2024 presidential win, swung decisively back to Democrats. Democrats won all three House races in the heavily Hispanic congressional districts along the Texas-Mexico border. Hispanic voters also helped Democrats hold Florida House seats that Republicans had sought to flip through redistricting.

Redistricting battles, which had dominated headlines for months last year, ended in defeat for Republicans. In Texas, Republicans had hoped their new district lines would gain five seats. On Tuesday, they may instead lose one.

Limited Bright Spots for Republicans

Florida as a whole still appears to lean right. Republican Senator Ashley Moody narrowly won re-election, and Byron Donalds was elected as the state's first Black governor. Republicans also held governorships in Vermont and New Hampshire, but such gains were few.

Two years ago, Trump won the presidency with 48% of the vote and claimed an electoral mandate. He then governed accordingly, pushing policies on trade and immigration that were sometimes unpopular and launching an Iran war that most Americans oppose. On Tuesday, voters delivered a sharp rebuke that will not be easily forgotten.

Trump's Response

In comments to the BBC's US partner CBS, Trump pledged to strike deals with congressional Democrats. He said he did not want to spend his final two years in office rejecting their legislation. Later, he posted on Truth Social a picture of his red baseball hat with the word "veto" printed on it. He also said that his name was not on the ballot this year, but that Republicans would have won decisively if it had been. Trump had helped promote many of the Republican candidates and had urged voters to act as if he were up for re-election.