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American voters have delivered the biggest rebuke of a sitting president in a generation. In the midterm elections held on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, the Democratic Party swept control of Congress — winning the House of Representatives by a wide margin and flipping the Senate too — and took a string of governorships, including Texas, in what news outlets across the political spectrum are calling a blue wave.
According to the Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ, Democrats have won more than 250 seats in the 435-member House, crossing the 218 needed for a majority with room to spare. Counting was still continuing on Friday, and projections suggest the final tally could pass 260 — which would make it the party's strongest House showing since 1990, when it won 267 seats. In the Senate, Democrats hold 54 seats to the Republicans' 44, with races in Alaska and Mississippi still uncalled.
How big was the win?
The scale is what makes this result historic. Democrats flipped at least 25 Republican-held House seats, according to the Associated Press tally — more than the 21 they took in 2008, the last time they held their largest majority. They also won five governorships, including Texas, where governor-elect Gina Hinojosa campaigned heavily against the rapid spread of data centres, and Wisconsin, Ohio, New Mexico and Georgia.
Turnout was heavy: about 122.7 million ballots had been counted by Thursday, according to preliminary estimates from the University of Florida's Election Lab. And the drivers, according to reporting from the Japan Times and others, were familiar ones — anger over the cost of living and inflation, fatigue with President Donald Trump, and opposition to the war in Iran.
What changes now?
The practical consequences arrive on 3 January 2027, when the new Congress is sworn in. With the House, Democrats gain control of every committee — and with it, subpoena power and the ability to investigate the administration. With the Senate, they gain a say over confirmations, including any future Supreme Court nominees. And with both chambers, they can block legislation outright for the rest of Trump's presidency.
That does not mean Democrats can pass their own agenda: the president's veto still stands, and overriding it needs two-thirds of both chambers. But the balance of power in Washington has flipped. For two years, Trump governed with a Republican Congress. From January, every bill, every budget and every nomination will need Democratic consent.
What to watch next
Three things will show how the new majority intends to use its power. First, the remaining House races — 48 were still uncalled on Thursday — will decide just how large the majority is. Second, the Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi will settle whether Democrats finish at 54 seats or 56. And third, the first weeks of the new Congress will reveal whether the party uses its committee gavels for investigations, for legislation, or for both.
The midterms are often described as a referendum on the president. This one answered that question about as clearly as an election can: voters wanted a check on the White House, and they gave Democrats both chambers to do it with.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Times Now. Internal: Newsom Commutes 548 California Death Sentences — Explained, Iran Is Reviewing 'Concrete Proposals' on Its Nuclear Programme.