The night started the way many expected. Democrat Jon Ossoff won re-election in Georgia, and Chris Pappas held New Hampshire for his party. In Florida, Republican Sen. Ashley Moody held her seat.
The flips that changed everything
Then the Republican-held seats began to fall. Roy Cooper flipped North Carolina. Sherrod Brown made a comeback in Ohio. After that came the states few people had put on their map: Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina. Before Election Day, CBS News had rated all three as leaning Republican. NBC News counted six Senate flips in all, including Texas, where James Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton.
CNN projected the Senate for Democrats at 11:35 p.m. Eastern. Shortly before midnight, the AP followed, calling the chamber and putting Democrats at 51 seats called to Republicans' 39, with 10 races still open. Democrats had needed a net gain of four seats, and they cleared that bar.
The House falls first
The House was actually called earlier. MS NOW projected a Democratic majority just before 10 p.m. Eastern, followed by CNN, NBC and CBS. NBC later reported that Democrats had reached 218 confirmed seats. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the party's leader in the House, is expected to become speaker when the new Congress convenes in January. In some reports the AP had not yet formally called the House, so check its tally before publishing the final numbers.
The double win is rare. Time reported it is only the fifth time since World War II that a party has flipped both chambers in a midterm.
What voters were reacting to
CBS News said stubborn affordability worries and the unpopular war with Iran put several Republican-held states in play. Peltola said as much in Alaska, where she accused her opponent of voting for the Iran war 14 times. Democrats also benefited from Trump's low approval, which CNN called historic unpopularity.
Trump's response
Trump was quiet for several hours. Then he wrote on Truth Social that he was not on the ballot and would have won in a landslide if he had been. He also said he would become a political pundit and explain why candidates won and lost. In an interview before the election, he had said he would become "Mr. Veto" if Democrats won. Later, he said he would work with Democrats.
Jeffries told supporters that America is back and that voters had made clear they had enough of extremism and corruption. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said relief is on the way.
What a Democratic Congress can and cannot do
The change is real, but the limits are too. Democrats will control committee gavels in the House, along with subpoena power. They have promised investigations, including one into the Trump family's finances and business ventures and another into the administration's handling of the Iran war. A Democratic Senate also changes who gets confirmed to judgeships and cabinet posts.
But CNN noted that Trump's veto and the 60-vote threshold for most Senate bills make it unlikely Democrats can pass much of their agenda. Overriding a veto needs two-thirds of both chambers, which Democrats will not have.
What is still unsettled
Not every race is finished. In Alaska, Mary Peltola's contest with Sen. Dan Sullivan is still being counted. If no one tops half the vote on first choices, the ranked-choice count is scheduled for November 18 and certification for November 25. Other close races, including some Senate contests, were still outstanding in some reports.
Related coverage
Sources: AP, CNN, NBC News, CBS News, Time, Variety, NBC Washington, CBC and Newsweek election coverage, November 3-4, 2026. Results can change as votes are counted. Last updated: November 4, 2026.
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