Who Won the 2026 Midterms: The Story as of 2 AM

Kansas just elected its first Democratic senator since 1932. Texas, its first since 1988. And in Mississippi, a Senate race is separated by a few dozen votes, out of nearly a million. This is the night that flipped Congress. As of about four in the morning Eastern time on Wednesday, November fourth, Democrats have won control of both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate. That outcome is confirmed by major news organizations, though counting continues across several states and final tallies remain unsettled. In the House, CBS News projected a Democratic majority a little after ten in the evening Eastern time, and the Associated Press has called the chamber as well.

The magic threshold in the House is two hundred eighteen seats out of four hundred thirty-five. NBC News currently projects Democrats will finish with two hundred fifty-eight House seats. That figure is an estimate, and the final count is not yet certified, but the majority itself is settled. In the Senate, the decisive call came shortly before midnight Eastern, when the Associated Press projected that Democrats had captured the chamber. To understand the scale of what took place, look at the baseline math. Going into Tuesday, Republicans held fifty-three seats in the Senate. Because Republican Vice President JD Vance breaks ties in a fifty-fifty chamber, Democrats could not settle for an even split.

They needed a minimum of fifty-one seats to secure outright control. As of four Eastern, both NBC News and Fox News count fifty-four Democratic seats and forty-four Republican seats, with two races still undecided. That majority was built on seven individual seats that flipped from Republican to Democratic hands. Those seven flips reshaped the Senate map, reaching into states that have voted reliably Republican for decades. In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Senator Roger Marshall. According to CBS News, Hamilton is the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Kansas since 1932. That is ninety-four years without a Democratic senator from that state.

In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. CBS reports that Talarico is the first Democrat elected to the United States Senate from Texas since 1988. NBC News adds that no Democrat had won ANY statewide election in Texas since 1994. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Darline Graham. CBS News characterized that race as a major upset, capturing a seat Republicans had held securely for years. In North Carolina, former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley, flipping a seat in a state that has seen closely contested federal races for several cycles. In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Senator Jon Husted, retaking a seat in a state where Republicans have held widespread statewide dominance in recent elections.

In Iowa, Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Ashley Hinson, securing another Midwestern seat previously held by the Republican column. And in Maine, Democratic state lawmaker Troy Jackson defeated Republican Senator Susan Collins, ending her tenure after nearly three decades in Washington. The contest in Maine stands out because of the margin and the tenure involved. Senator Collins conceded the race shortly after midnight Eastern. In her concession statement, she said: "It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of Maine in the United States Senate." According to CBS News exit polling, local economic pressures played a direct role in that outcome.

CBS reports that sixty-nine percent of Maine voters said tariffs have harmed their local economy. For an electorate with a large manufacturing, agricultural, and maritime base, that economic assessment weighed heavily on the race. Beyond the flipped seats, the night produced notable holds and historic milestones. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed was projected the winner over Republican Mike Rogers, holding a seat for Democrats. According to CBS News, El-Sayed becomes the first Muslim senator in United States history. In Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff successfully defended his seat against Republican Representative Mike Collins, keeping a battleground state in the Democratic column.

In New Hampshire, Democratic Representative Chris Pappas held an open Senate seat for his party, defeating Republican former Senator John Sununu. At the same time, Republicans held several competitive contests of their own. In Florida, Republican Ashley Moody held her seat against Democrat Angie Nixon. In Montana, Republican Kurt Alme defeated independent candidate Seth Bodnar, preserving Republican representation in that state. In Louisiana, Republican Julia Letlow won her contest against Democrat Jamie Davis. And in Nebraska, a race that CBS News had rated as a toss-up concluded with Republican Senator Pete Ricketts holding his seat. Ricketts was projected the winner over independent Dan Osborn, leading approximately fifty percent to forty-four percent with about eighty-seven percent of the expected vote counted.

The shift in power extended directly into gubernatorial mansions across the country. In several major states, Democrats flipped governorships that had long been controlled by Republicans. In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Governor Greg Abbott, ending his tenure as governor and giving Democrats control of the executive branch in Austin. In Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, capturing the governor's office in Columbus. In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson. CBS News reports that Bottoms is the first Democrat to win a Georgia governor's race since 1998. And in Iowa, Democrat Rob Sand defeated Republican Zach Lahn, flipping the governorship in Des Moines.

Republicans recorded their own notable victory in Florida, where Republican Representative Byron Donalds defeated Democrat David Jolly.