Democrats Projected to Win U.S. House; Senate Control Hangs in Balance

Democrats have won control of the U.S. House of Representatives, according to projections by CNN and CNBC, in midterm elections that were widely seen as a verdict on President Donald Trump’s second term. Control of the Senate remained unresolved early on Wednesday, with several races still to be decided.

The House result gives the Democratic Party the power to block Mr Trump’s legislative agenda and to launch congressional investigations into his administration during the final two years of his presidency. The elections were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Voters cited discontent over living costs, tariffs and the U.S. conflict with Iran, which has pushed fuel prices sharply higher, as factors weighing on Republicans. Mr Trump’s approval ratings have remained near record lows, according to polling cited in the original report.

Republicans entered election day with a 53-47 Senate majority, leaving Democrats needing four net gains to take control. Two Republican-held seats have already flipped, but the battle for the upper chamber remained unresolved.

In South Carolina, Democratic paediatrician Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, according to media projections. Ms Graham had been backed by Mr Trump and was appointed to replace her brother, longtime Republican senator Lindsey Graham, after his death in July. Democrats had not won a Senate election in the deeply conservative southern state since 1998.

The result followed another Republican Senate loss in North Carolina, where former governor Roy Cooper defeated a candidate handpicked by Mr Trump. Democrats also held crucial Senate seats in Georgia, where Jon Ossoff won re-election, and in New Hampshire, where Chris Pappas became the first openly gay man elected to the chamber.

House results offered further evidence of the scale of the Republican setback, with Democratic gains extending into normally conservative territory. In Indiana, Democrat J.D. Ford ousted Republican congresswoman Victoria Spartz in a district Mr Trump won by 17 percentage points in 2024. Analysts had identified an upset there as an early warning of a possible “blue wave”.

The party also flipped a Republican-held House seat in North Carolina, while results in Florida suggested that redrawn electoral boundaries were failing to deliver the gains Republicans had expected.

In Georgia, Democratic former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the governorship, becoming the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history and ending 24 years of Republican control. In Florida, Trump-backed Byron Donalds won the governorship, becoming the state’s first Black governor, while Republican Ashley Moody retained a Senate seat.

Mr Ossoff described the Democratic victories as a rejection of Mr Trump’s “depravity, corruption and incompetence”.

A White House official told AFP that the mood around the president was “defiant”, warning that Mr Trump would resist the “radical left” regardless of the election outcome. “Buckle up,” the official said.

Democratic control of the House will empower congressional committees to investigate the Iran war, mass deportations and allegations of corruption, while complicating Mr Trump’s efforts to pass new laws. Losing the Senate as well would jeopardise his judicial nominees and senior administration appointments.

For many voters, the campaign was about the cost of everyday life. “Rent, groceries, utility bills, and property taxes keep climbing, and I want people in Congress who will actually do something about costs,” Taylor Cook, a 24-year-old Los Angeles voter, told AFP.

Mr Trump defended his record in a final television appearance on Tuesday, praising his tariffs, immigration crackdown and military campaign against Iran. Counting and projections in several close races were continuing.