Democrats Win House and Senate in 2026 Midterms Amid Voter Anger Over Costs and Iran War

Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate in the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm elections. NBC News projected them to take at least 244 House seats; 218 are needed for a majority. Fox News said Democrats had secured 228 House seats and held a 54-seat Senate majority at the time of its report, with the Alaska Senate race too close to call. Democrats flipped Senate seats in South Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina and Maine, according to The New Republic. In Texas, James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton.

The AP Voter Poll, a survey of voters in all 50 states, cited inflation, corruption, the war on Iran and weak Republican candidates. About 2 in 10 Texas voters reported severe inflation hardship, and roughly three-quarters of them backed Talarico. The Fox News Voter Poll surveyed more than 100,000 registered voters from Oct. 19 to Nov. 3.

The left-leaning New Republic leads with a podcast about a "blue tsunami" and Trump's presidency being on "life support." It features editor Michael Tomasky and host Greg Sargent, and covers Democratic gains in the South, Great Plains and Midwest, JD Vance's prospects and a changing Democratic Party. Fox News frames the results as a blue wave and leads with its own poll, a pollster interview, causes and demographic splits. The Blaze also uses "blue tsunami" but covers only the House, citing NBC's projection and Democratic hopes for the Senate. Both sides report the sweep and cite NBC and Talarico. TRT World's independent coverage centers on AP poll findings about inflation and tariffs.