WASHINGTON — Democrats are set to take control of both chambers of Congress in January after sweeping gains in Tuesday's midterm elections. CBS News projected a Democratic House majority at about 10:15 p.m. ET on November 3 and Democratic control of the Senate shortly after 11:30 p.m. NBC News made the same projections.
President Donald Trump congratulated Democrats in a call with CBS News and said he would accept the results. "Yes, sure I'll accept them. Why wouldn't I?" he said. A week earlier, he had said he would accept the outcome "if they are honest elections."
How Big Is the Shift?
Before the vote, Republicans held the Senate 53–47 and a narrow House majority. CBS News now estimates Democrats will hold between 251 and 268 House seats once all votes are counted. NBC News projects Democrats will start the new Congress with their largest House majority in nearly two decades.
In the Senate, CBS News counts at least 54 Democratic seats, with races in Alaska and Mississippi still undecided.
Key Senate Races
According to projections by CBS News and NBC News, Democrats flipped Republican-held seats in several states:
Texas: James Talarico defeated Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Ohio: former Sen. Sherrod Brown defeated Jon Husted.
Maine: Troy Jackson defeated Sen. Susan Collins.
North Carolina: former Gov. Roy Cooper won the open seat.
Iowa: Josh Turek defeated Ashley Hinson.
Kansas: Adam Hamilton defeated Sen. Roger Marshall.
South Carolina: Annie Andrews won.
Democrats also held seats in Michigan (Abdul El-Sayed), Minnesota (Peggy Flanagan), New Hampshire (Chris Pappas) and Georgia, where Sen. Jon Ossoff was re-elected. Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts held Nebraska against independent Dan Osborn.
Races Still Being Counted
Two Senate contests remained too close to call on Wednesday. In Alaska, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) faces Mary Peltola (D) as ballots are tabulated. That race drew national attention after the Justice Department sued to block certification if Sullivan lost; a judge dismissed the suit before Election Day, Yahoo News reported.
In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom led Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by about 43 votes early Wednesday, according to CBS News. Colom's campaign estimated about 15,000 affidavit ballots remain to be counted.
House and Governors
In the House, Democrats flipped seats in Texas, Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California and Ohio, CBS News reported. In Pennsylvania's 1st District, Bob Harvie defeated Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. In Iowa, Republican incumbents Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn lost their seats.
Governor races also shifted. Democrats were projected to win in Georgia (Keisha Lance Bottoms), Texas (Gina Hinojosa), Ohio (Amy Acton), Iowa (Rob Sand), California (Xavier Becerra) and New Mexico (Deb Haaland). Republican Byron Donalds was projected to win in Florida.
Trump: "Congratulations to the Democrats"
Trump told CBS News he was "a little bit surprised" and "thought they'd do better." He blamed candidates who "didn't like" his endorsement. "My message is congratulations to the Democrats," he said.
On Truth Social, he wrote that he "wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!"
Asked whether the war with Iran had hurt Republicans by pushing up gasoline prices, Trump said that was "largely true" but that he would "do it again." He said he would use his veto power while also trying to "work with" Democrats.
Republicans Take Stock
Vice President JD Vance wrote that "the reason we lost is the war," linking the result to voters' concerns about Iran, the cost of living and Israel.
House Speaker Mike Johnson will not seek another term as Republican leader. Majority Leader Steve Scalise plans to run for minority leader and said the party "will need to be honest with ourselves." Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who will lose the post in January, said Republicans "will not stand idly by."
Democrats Set Their Agenda
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the results a "generational remake of the Senate map." House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries declared, "America is back." Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi backed Jeffries for speaker.
Democrats say they will push legislation on affordability and the Iran war, and plan to use their new subpoena power for oversight. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, warned administration officials: "Lawyer up."
What Shaped the Vote
Issues set the stage well before Election Day. In a pre-election Gallup poll, 50% of registered voters called the economy extremely important to their vote, 50% said the same of healthcare, and 47% named the Iran war.
Interest was high. The Associated Press found nearly 10 million more people had voted early than at the same point in 2022.
Outlook: Two Years of Divided Government
The new Congress takes office in January. With Democrats controlling both chambers and Trump in the White House, Washington returns to divided government for the final two years of his term.
That means Democratic bills facing presidential vetoes, and an administration facing investigations backed by subpoenas. How both sides use those tools, and how the uncalled races in Alaska and Mississippi resolve, will set the terms for the run-up to 2028.
