Democrats win US Congress in midterm rout of Trump

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>Democrats seized control of the US Congress on Wednesday, capturing the Senate and House of Representatives in a stunning, nationwide rejection of Donald Trump set to put the brakes on the final two years of his presidency.</p> <p>The Democratic landslide will give the opposition power to block legislation, launch broad investigations into Trump’s administration and thwart his judicial and senior government appointments.</p> <p>The vote reflected deep anger over living costs, tariffs and Trump’s war against Iran, which has sent fuel prices soaring and compounded dissatisfaction with an already deeply unpopular president.</p> <figure class='media w-1/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/2042089/trump-hand-picked-senate-candidates-republicans-paid-the-price'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/2042089" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> <p>Trump struck a conciliatory note despite his history of questioning election results, telling <em>The New York Times</em>: “I am absolutely willing to accept those results” and promising to “work with the Democrats”.</p> <p>“I think the Democrats did a good job, I really do,” the 80-year-old told Fox News, in rare praise for his political opponents. “They fought hard.”</p> <p>But he sought to distance himself from his own party’s poor showing, adding: “I don’t view it as a hit on me.”</p> <p>He acknowledged that the Iran conflict had contributed to the defeat but defended the military campaign, and he suggested the rival parties could find common ground on immigration, long one of the most divisive issues of his presidency.</p> <p>But minutes later on social media the 80-year-old signalled how he intends to deal with Democratic attempts to pass laws, posting a picture of a red baseball cap emblazoned: “VETO.”</p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2117839574722281970'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter '><span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2117839574722281970"></a> </blockquote> </span></div> </figure> <p>The Democrats’ decisive Senate breakthroughs came in Kansas and Iowa, the fifth and sixth Republican-held seats to fall in the extraordinary “blue wave” election night.</p> <p>In Kansas, Methodist minister Adam Hamilton defeated Republican incumbent Roger Marshall, becoming the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the reliably conservative state since 1932.</p> <p>Iowa had not elected a Democratic senator since 2008, again illustrating the scale of party’s inroads into Republican strongholds.</p> <figure class='media w-full sm:w-full media-- ' data-original-src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/040929394fcfadf.webp'> <div class='media__item '><picture><img src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/040929394fcfadf.webp' width='1200' height='720' srcset='https://i.dawn.com/thumbnail/2026/11/040929394fcfadf.webp 300w, https://i.dawn.com/medium/2026/11/040929394fcfadf.webp 500w, https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/040929394fcfadf.webp 1200w' sizes='(min-width: 1024px) 890px, 100vw' alt='Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton speaks following her victory in the US midterm elections at a Democratic Election Night rally, in Columbus, Ohio, US, November 3, 2026. &mdash; Reuters' /></picture></div> <figcaption class='media__caption '>Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton speaks following her victory in the US midterm elections at a Democratic Election Night rally, in Columbus, Ohio, US, November 3, 2026. — Reuters</figcaption> </figure> <p>The upsets followed victories in Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina and Ohio, where voters rejected Republican candidates despite Trump’s intensive efforts to rally his supporters.</p> <p>Democrat James Talarico ousted a Trump-backed Senate candidate, while Gina Hinojosa unseated Republican governor Greg Abbott, ending decades of Republican control of the state’s top office.</p> <p>Talarico said that “we defeated Goliath” after winning a US Senate seat over Texas attorney General Ken Paxton, a close ally of President Donald Trump who was heavily backed by tech billionaire Elon Musk.</p> <p>“In this race, we went up against our own Goliaths. The richest man in the world, the most powerful man in the world, and the entire Washington, DC establishment,” Talarico told a victory rally in the Texas capital, Austin.</p> <p>Democrats also protected key Senate seats of their own, including Jon Ossoff’s in Georgia and an open seat in New Hampshire.</p> <p>In California, Democrat Xavier Becerra handily defeated Donald Trump-backed Republican Steve Hilton in the race to become the governor, US networks said.</p> <p>Partial results showed Becerra, a career politician who served in the cabinet of former president Joe Biden, had a nearly two-to-one advantage over Hilton, with about half of the ballots counted.</p> <p>Becerra had run a low-key campaign in a state where Democrats heavily outnumber Republicans and where the Trump brand is almost toxic.</p> <p>The son of Mexican immigrants, he will be the first elected Latino governor of California, a state that would be the world’s fourth-largest economy if it were a country.</p> <p>“Ladies and gentlemen, you have now entered the Becerra era,” the former US Health and Human Services secretary told his supporters at a victory party in Sacramento.</p> <p>“I didn’t run to make history,” he said. “I ran to make a difference for anyone and everyone who calls California home, whether you voted for me or not.”</p> <p>Becerra will replace term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democratic Party big-hitter who is believed to have his eyes on a tilt at the White House in 2028.</p> <figure class='media w-full sm:w-full media-- ' data-original-src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/04114111624e2d8.webp'> <div class='media__item '><picture><img src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/04114111624e2d8.webp' width='1200' height='720' srcset='https://i.dawn.com/thumbnail/2026/11/04114111624e2d8.webp 300w, https://i.dawn.com/medium/2026/11/04114111624e2d8.webp 500w, https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/04114111624e2d8.webp 1200w' sizes='auto, (min-width: 1024px) 890px, 100vw' loading='lazy' alt='California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra speaks at an election night event on November 3, 2026 in Sacramento, California. &mdash;AFP' /></picture></div> <figcaption class='media__caption '>California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra speaks at an election night event on November 3, 2026 in Sacramento, California. —AFP</figcaption> </figure> <p>Hilton, a British-born conservative former pundit who was once an adviser to former UK prime minister David Cameron, had always been a long shot.</p> <p>He conceded he had lost a difficult race.</p> <p>“Maybe this isn’t the best year to be running for office as a Republican when we see what’s going on around the country,” he said.</p> <p>Republicans had held a 53-47 Senate majority.</p> <p>The six-seat Democratic gain proved sufficient for networks to project a takeover despite some races remaining unresolved.</p> <h2><a id="republican-heartland" href="#republican-heartland" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" title="Permalink"></a>Republican heartland</h2> <p>Democrats also captured the House after flipping Republican-held districts in states stretching from Pennsylvania and New Jersey to Kentucky, Arizona and North Carolina.</p> <p>Some victories came in territory Trump had carried comfortably in 2024, despite Republican attempts to shore up House seats by redrawing electoral boundaries.</p> <p>One bellwether was Indiana, where Democrat J.D. Ford defeated Republican congresswoman Victoria Spartz in a district Trump won by 17 points. Analysts had identified an upset there as a warning of a much wider Democratic advance.</p> <figure class='media w-full sm:w-full media-- ' data-original-src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/04103700b067e1c.webp'> <div class='media__item '><picture><img src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/04103700b067e1c.webp' width='1200' height='720' srcset='https://i.dawn.com/thumbnail/2026/11/04103700b067e1c.webp 300w, https://i.dawn.com/medium/2026/11/04103700b067e1c.webp 500w, https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/04103700b067e1c.webp 1200w' sizes='auto, (min-width: 1024px) 890px, 100vw' loading='lazy' alt='Supporters react to early election results in favor of US Senator Jon Ossoff at an election night watch party hosted by the Democratic Party of Georgia after the midterms election in Atlanta, Georgia on November 3, 2026. &mdash; AFP' /></picture></div> <figcaption class='media__caption '>Supporters react to early election results in favor of US Senator Jon Ossoff at an election night watch party hosted by the Democratic Party of Georgia after the midterms election in Atlanta, Georgia on November 3, 2026. — AFP</figcaption> </figure> <p>In Georgia, former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor in US history, while other Democratic gains extended to statehouses across the country.</p> <p>Republicans had some bright spots in Florida, where Trump-backed Byron Donalds won the governorship, becoming the state’s first Black governor, and Ashley Moody kept a Senate seat.</p> <p>George Washington University professor Todd Belt called the Democratic advance “a big wipeout and a strong repudiation of Donald Trump and his policies,” citing voters’ concerns about the economy, corruption and the Iran conflict.</p> <h2><a id="trump-on-defensive" href="#trump-on-defensive" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" title="Permalink"></a>Trump on defensive</h2> <p>Democrats will now be able to block Trump’s legislation, investigate his administration over corruption allegations, the Iran war and immigration enforcement, and use Senate control to thwart judicial appointments and senior nominations.</p> <p>Robert Garcia, a Democrat expected to lead the powerful House Oversight Committee, warned Republicans on social media: “LAWYER UP.”</p> <p>House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries declared Trump’s MAGA movement “on the run from sea to shining sea.”</p> <figure class='media w-full sm:w-full media-- ' data-original-src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/04095845116d17c.webp'> <div class='media__item '><picture><img src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/04095845116d17c.webp' width='1200' height='720' srcset='https://i.dawn.com/thumbnail/2026/11/04095845116d17c.webp 300w, https://i.dawn.com/medium/2026/11/04095845116d17c.webp 500w, https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/04095845116d17c.webp 1200w' sizes='auto, (min-width: 1024px) 890px, 100vw' loading='lazy' alt='House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a press conference with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) at the AC Hotel Washington DC Capitol Hill Navy Yard on November 03, 2026 in Washington, DC.' /></picture></div> <figcaption class='media__caption '>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a press conference with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) at the AC Hotel Washington DC Capitol Hill Navy Yard on November 03, 2026 in Washington, DC.</figcaption> </figure> <p>Jeffries is also positioned to become the first Black speaker of the House when the new Congress convenes in January, if elected by his colleagues.</p> <p>As speaker, Jeffries, representing a New York City congressional district, would preside over a majority that will be sworn in the first week of January, taking the reins from Republicans who controlled the House for the past four years.</p> <p>“Today begins the great American comeback,” Jeffries proclaimed in a victory speech late on Tuesday after media outlets projected the likelihood of Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.</p> <p>For many voters, the central concern was Trump’s stewardship of the economy.</p> <p>“Rent, groceries, utility bills, and property taxes keep climbing,” 24-year-old Los Angeles voter Taylor Cook told AFP.</p> <h2><a id="a-rebuke-to-trump-winner-says" href="#a-rebuke-to-trump-winner-says" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" title="Permalink"></a>A rebuke to Trump, winner says</h2> <p>“In sweeping and decisive victories, the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of the man named President Donald J. Trump,” incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, the projected winner in Georgia, told supporters at a victory party.</p> <p>In Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody fended off Democrat Angie Nixon but was ahead by only about three percentage points in a state Trump carried by 13 points in 2024, according to a vote count compiled by <em>Reuters</em> and <em>USA Today</em>, further evidence that even solidly Republican states were shifting dramatically toward Democrats.</p> <p>Democrats held onto three House districts in Florida that Republican lawmakers had redrawn earlier this year, all of which backed Trump by at least nine percentage points, according to media projections.</p> <figure class='media w-full sm:w-full media-- ' data-original-src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/041000438d1d5b5.webp'> <div class='media__item '><picture><img src='https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/041000438d1d5b5.webp' width='1200' height='720' srcset='https://i.dawn.com/thumbnail/2026/11/041000438d1d5b5.webp 300w, https://i.dawn.com/medium/2026/11/041000438d1d5b5.webp 500w, https://i.dawn.com/large/2026/11/041000438d1d5b5.webp 1200w' sizes='auto, (min-width: 1024px) 890px, 100vw' loading='lazy' alt='Cait Conley, Democratic candidate for the US House of Representatives in New York&rsquo;s 17th Congressional District, reacts following her victory in the US midterm elections, in Pleasantville, New York, US, November 3, 2026. &mdash; Reuters' /></picture></div> <figcaption class='media__caption '>Cait Conley, Democratic candidate for the US House of Representatives in New York’s 17th Congressional District, reacts following her victory in the US midterm elections, in Pleasantville, New York, US, November 3, 2026. — Reuters</figcaption> </figure> <p>Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta, on Tuesday was elected governor of the state of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman elected to that office in the US, media projections showed.</p> <p><em>CNN</em> and <em>NBC News</em> called the race in her favour.</p> <p>Bottoms defeated billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson, who ran as a Republican. Current Governor Brian Kemp is term-limited and could not run again.</p> <p>Midterm elections are typically viewed as a referendum on the president, and that is especially true for Trump, who dominates attention like no other politician. Trump himself told his supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” and held dozens of rallies in the closing weeks.</p> <p>According to exit polls conducted by SSRS on behalf of a consortium of US media outlets, including major television networks and the <em>Associated Press</em>, half of voters nationwide said they saw the 2026 midterm elections as an opportunity to rebuke the president, and three-quarters said they are “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the way the country is headed.</p> <p>In addition, 70 per cent of voters surveyed said they want Congress to provide more checks and balances on the president.</p> <p>History is against Republicans: the sitting president’s party has lost ground in Congress in all but two midterms since World War Two. Trump’s approval rating is hovering near his career lows, with voters frustrated by <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1976395/iran-guards-say-4-tankers-ablaze-after-hitting-mines-near-strait-of-hormuz">war on Iran</a>, higher fuel prices and wider affordability concerns.</p> <p>Led by Trump, Republicans have portrayed Democratic candidates as radical, un-American and even communist, labels Democrats flatly reject.</p> <p>Opinion polls show voters are most concerned about affordability and disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue. His tariffs on imports, many of which the courts threw out, and his decision to attack Iran in February raised prices for consumers.</p> <h2><a id="trump-deploys-election-monitors" href="#trump-deploys-election-monitors" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" title="Permalink"></a>Trump deploys election monitors</h2> <p>The US Justice Department said it had deployed 1,000 election monitors and observers to all 50 states in what it called the largest Election Day monitoring effort in history.</p> <p>Democrats criticised the plan as potential voter intimidation. In roughly two-thirds of the jurisdictions the department listed, voters supported Democrat Kamala Harris over Trump in the 2024 presidential election, a <em>Reuters</em> analysis found.</p> <figure class='media w-1/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/2041791/the-american-midterm-elections-as-explained-by-a-pakistani-journalist'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/2041791" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> <p>Election officials in several states reported no issues with the monitoring effort. New Mexico’s secretary of state’s office said it had received reports of federal monitors asking “unusual questions” in one county and that the Justice Department offered assurances that the conduct would be addressed.</p> This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.