Democrats Win House and Senate, Ending GOP Control of Congress
Election projections put Democrats in control of both chambers in January, creating new oversight and legislative constraints for President Donald Trump after a broad Republican defeat.
Democrats won control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the November 3, 2026, midterm elections, according to projections reported by NBC News, ABC News and The Associated Press. The result will end unified Republican control of Washington when the new Congress convenes on January 3, creating the most significant institutional check on President Donald Trump since he returned to office.
NBC News projected that Democrats would finish with about 255 House seats, while cautioning that the estimate could still move by several seats as counting continues. That would place the party comfortably above the 218 seats needed for a majority. NBC also projected a Democratic Senate takeover. Final margins in both chambers depend on outstanding races and certified state results, so the projections should not be treated as final official counts.
Trump acknowledges the losses
Trump told Fox News he was “a little bit surprised” and said he thought Republicans would perform better, according to ABC News. He argued that he was not personally on the ballot, even though he had repeatedly asked supporters during the campaign to vote as if he were. He also blamed some Republican candidates and economic pressure linked to the war with Iran.
The president offered two different signals about governing under a Democratic Congress. He told Politico that he was willing to work with Democrats on measures he considered good for the country, ABC reported. At the same time, he emphasized his veto power and posted an image of a red hat bearing the word “VETO.” A presidential veto can stop legislation unless two-thirds of both chambers vote to override it.
What changes in January
Control of the House gives Democrats the speakership, committee gavels, subpoena authority and the power to set the chamber’s legislative agenda. NBC reported that House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become speaker, which would make him the first Black lawmaker to hold that office. Democrats have said their priorities include health-care funding, tariff authority, immigration oversight and the Iran conflict.
Senate control carries separate consequences. The majority determines committee leadership and the floor schedule, and it can decide whether to advance presidential nominees and legislation. That does not mean every Democratic proposal will become law: Trump retains the veto, Senate rules can require more than a simple majority for many bills, and the parties may still need to negotiate on funding and other must-pass measures.
The new majorities also give Democrats broader capacity to investigate the administration. House committees can issue subpoenas and hold hearings, while Senate committees can conduct oversight and scrutinize nominees. Any particular investigation, subpoena or impeachment effort would require separate decisions after the new Congress takes office; the election result itself does not establish that those actions will occur.
A broad electoral setback for Trump
Democrats needed a net gain of only three House seats to take the chamber, but NBC projected a much larger shift across districts that included places Trump carried in 2024. Republican incumbents lost races in Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, Indiana, Colorado and North Carolina, among other states. The geographic spread made the outcome more than a change produced by one region or a single close contest.
The president’s party often loses House seats in a midterm election, but the projected scale and the loss of both chambers are a direct political setback for Trump. Voters were weighing his administration’s record on prices, tariffs, immigration and the Iran war as well as local candidates. The results show a change in congressional power; they do not, by themselves, prove that every voter was motivated by the same issue.
What remains unsettled
State officials must continue canvassing and certifying results, and some close races may face recounts or legal challenges. Those processes can change individual seat totals without necessarily changing which party controls a chamber. The most reliable immediate conclusion is therefore limited but consequential: major news organizations project that Democrats have secured both congressional majorities, and Trump will face divided government for the final two years of his term.