Democrats Retake U.S. House in Midterms as Senate Control Appears Within Reach or Won

Democrats retook control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the midterm elections on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, passing the 218 seats needed for a majority in the 435-member chamber, according to projections. Democrats entered election night with 214 seats to the Republicans' 218. Wins in Republican-held districts in North Carolina, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and New Jersey carried them over the line. Richard Hudson, the North Carolina chair of the House Republicans' campaign arm, narrowly trailed his Democratic challenger. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said "America is back" before midnight. Democrats plan investigations once they gain subpoena power in January. They are also reported to have won, or to be close to winning, the Senate: one report said Iowa delivered the 51st seat, after pickups in North Carolina, Texas, Kansas and South Carolina. Voter anger over the cost of living, tariffs and the war with Iran, which has pushed up fuel prices, weighed on Republicans as Trump's approval sat near record lows.

The Guardian US and CBS News, on the left, lead with the House takeover. The Guardian calls it a "blue wave" and highlights Hudson's possible loss and the district-by-district wins. CBS stresses the end of Trump's legislative agenda and quotes Jeffries, then lists planned probes of Trump's family business dealings, immigration enforcement, the Epstein scandal, pardons and Washington construction projects, led by Reps. Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin. The Washington Examiner, on the right, leads with the Senate instead, describing a once-unlikely majority secured with Iowa's seat and noting that Democrats no longer need Alaska. It stresses consequences for Trump's nominees and a possible Justice Samuel Alito vacancy, and blames Trump's falling approval and the Iran war for inflation. Both sides tie the result to the Iran war and prices. They differ in chamber focus and in whether the emphasis falls on House investigations or Senate confirmations. The Hindu, an independent outlet, adds the South Carolina Senate upset, where Annie Andrews beat Darline Graham.