Democrats Win Congress: 2026 Midterm Results, Senate Flips and What Is Still Undecided

Democrats took back Congress in the 2026 midterms, and the margin was bigger than most forecasters had dared to predict.

By Thursday morning, they had won the House and the Senate, flipped seven Republican-held Senate seats and left two other contests still undecided. In the Senate, Democrats had secured at least 54 seats to the Republicans' 44, a result that CBS News called once unthinkable.

How the Senate flipped

The night began with Democrats holding what they had. Jon Ossoff won re-election in Georgia and Chris Pappas kept New Hampshire in Democratic hands. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in one of the most closely watched races, and CBS reported he will become the first Muslim senator in the nation's history.

Then Republican-held seats began to fall. Roy Cooper flipped North Carolina. Sherrod Brown won a comeback race in Ohio. In Texas, James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton, becoming the state's first Democratic senator since 1988. Democrats also took Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina, three states that CBS News had rated as leaning Republican before the election.

The biggest name to fall was Maine's Susan Collins. Democrat Troy Jackson defeated the longtime incumbent, 53% to 47%, in the vote count reported by ABC News.

Republicans did hold one of their toughest seats. NBC News projected that Sen. Ashley Moody won in Florida over Democrat Angie Nixon.

The two races still hanging

Two Senate contests remained unresolved Thursday, and both are tight.

Mississippi. Democrat Scott Colom led Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,138 votes as of Wednesday night, with about 96% of the expected vote counted, according to ABC News. A few thousand provisional and absentee ballots were left. Mississippi has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1982, and Donald Trump won the state with 61% of the vote in 2024. ABC reported that the state has no formal recount process, which could matter if the final margin narrows.

Alaska. Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by 637 votes, according to the AP, with roughly three-quarters of the vote counted. A second candidate named Dan Sullivan, who has become the center of a legal and political fight, had 3,583 votes. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, so if no one passes 50%, the final count is scheduled for November 18, with certification targeted for November 25. Election officials say the delay is routine for the state.

The House

The House was called first. MS NOW projected a Democratic majority just before 10 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, followed by CNN, NBC and CBS. NBC News' tally showed Democrats with 242 seats called as of Thursday, to 151 for Republicans, with 42 races still uncalled. CNN projected that Democrats will end up with at least 245. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become speaker when the new Congress convenes on January 3.

NBC counted dozens of House seats flipped, and noted a rare win for the party's left wing in a swing district: Progressive activist William Lawrence defeated Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in Michigan.

What voters were reacting to

CBS News said stubborn affordability worries and the unpopular war with Iran put several Republican-held states in play, and CNN pointed to Trump's historically low approval ratings. The fallout has already reached the administration: CNN reported Republicans are turning on Pete Hegseth over the Iran war.

How Trump and the leaders responded

Trump was quiet for hours. He then wrote on Truth Social that he was not on the ballot and would have won in a landslide if he had been, and later said he would work with Democrats. In his first public appearance since the results, NBC reported, he talked mostly about the White House ballroom and largely avoided his party's performance.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would build a "legislative razor wire" against Trump's agenda. Jeffries told supporters that voters had made clear they had enough of extremism and corruption.

What comes next

• Mississippi and Alaska could decide how large the Senate majority is, either 54, 55 or 56 seats.
• The new Congress is sworn in on January 3. Until then, the current Republican-led Congress returns for a lame-duck session.
• With a Democratic House and Senate, expect subpoenas and investigations. But Trump still has the veto, and overriding it takes two-thirds of both chambers.

Related coverage

• Talarico wins Texas Senate race: first Democratic statewide victory in over 30 years
• Could a Democrat win Mississippi? Colom vs. Hyde-Smith Senate race
• What is 'Decoy Dan'? Alaska's Senate race, Peltola vs. Sullivan, explained
• Boebert trails in Colorado's most Republican district: why the 4th District race is too close to call
• What Democrats controlling Congress means for Trump: subpoenas, vetoes and nominees
• What is ranked-choice voting? How Alaska's system works
• What is an affidavit ballot? Why thousands of Mississippi votes could decide the Senate race

Sources: AP, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, CNN, AFP, Al Jazeera, Forbes and Time election coverage, November 3-5, 2026. Results can change as votes are counted. Last updated: November 5, 2026.