The Democrats gained control of both chambers of the US Congress in the 2026 midterm elections. This was a resounding electoral repudiation of the Trump presidency and the Republican Party.
The wins give Democrats their first Senate and House majority since 2021, ushering in a period of political confrontation in Washington.
Trump, who only won four states, boosted the party’s inroads in safe Republican territory, flipping Senate seats in Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina, according to The Associated Press. Democrats also picked up more than two dozen Republican-held House seats.
Economic concerns, including increases in living costs, inflation and the Iran war, as well as public discontent with corruption within the government, all played a part in the Republican losses.
The verdict will be a major blow to the former president’s legislative programme. Democrats would be able to derail presidential appointees, hold his administration to account and initiate congressional inquiries.
Trump aimed to part ways with the loss and wrote on social media: “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!”
It’s a big change in the balance of power in Washington and could determine the course of Trump’s last two years in office.
