Democrats Projected to Win Both the Senate and House in 2026 Midterm Elections

Democrats won control of both the U.S. Senate and the House in the Nov. 3, 2026 midterm elections, according to projections from CBS News, CNN and Decision Desk HQ. CNN called the Senate at 11:35 p.m. ET, projecting at least 51 Democratic seats. CBS projected Democratic flips in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa, plus holds in Georgia and New Hampshire. Republicans had held a 53-47 majority, and Democrats needed four seats. In Texas, James Talarico defeated Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton. South Carolina elected a Democratic senator for the first time since 1998, and Kansas did so for the first time since 1932. CBS said the final size of the majority was not yet known. It cited the unpopular war with Iran and high gas and diesel prices as factors that widened the map, and said Republicans spent hundreds of millions of dollars defending seats in states Trump won by double digits. Exit polls pointed to voter anger over the cost of living. Trump now enters a lame-duck period for his last two years. Speaker Mike Johnson warned that Democrats would turn every committee into an investigative body targeting the president's family, Cabinet and donors.

Right-leaning outlets lead with Trump's loss. The Daily Mail calls it a devastating blow and a possible end of the MAGA era. It spotlights the Talarico-Paxton race and the Kansas milestone, cites exit polls on living costs, and says Vance's 2028 ambitions are clouded. The Daily Signal is shorter, focusing on the Decision Desk HQ call and the changed final two years of Trump's term. Left-leaning outlets also report both chambers flipping. CBS gives a seat-by-seat account, the Senate map, Republican spending, the Iran war and fuel prices. Rolling Stone calls the result a rebuke of Trump, blames an economic crisis on him, and says Democrats can now pursue an ambitious agenda and investigations, quoting Johnson's warning. Both sides cover the lame-duck outlook and likely investigations, but they differ on causes: cost of living for the Mail, war and gas prices for CBS. Variety's coverage resembles the others, while NewsNation cited only the House.