Democrats win the U.S. House and Senate, AP says

Results as of about 4 a.m. PT, Wednesday, Nov. 4; California figures as of 4:54 a.m. Counting continues, and some races below are not decided. Called means The Associated Press (AP) has declared a winner; projected means a TV network decision desk has.

SAN JOSE - Democrats won control of both the U.S. House and the Senate in Tuesday's midterm elections, The Associated Press reported. AP declared the House majority overnight, after NBC, CBS and ABC had already projected it. Democrats flipped at least seven Republican-held Senate seats and five governor's offices, AP's results show.

The result ends two years of full Republican control of Washington, NPR noted. AP wrote that the results were a widespread repudiation of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, with Democrats winning Senate seats in Texas, Kansas and South Carolina for the first time in decades.

Where the count stands

• Senate: Democrats 54, Republicans 44, with 2 races uncalled, in AP's count early Wednesday. Democrats needed 51. The 54 includes two independents who vote with Democrats.
• House: Democrats 228, Republicans 139, with 68 of 435 races uncalled, in AP's count early Wednesday. A majority is 218. AP reported that Democrats flipped 25 Republican-held seats. CBS News estimated Democrats could win as many as 259 seats, though the final number could be lower.
• Governors: 34 of 36 races called. Democrats flipped five states: Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas, AP's results show.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who chairs the Senate Democrats' campaign committee, told AP: "The size of the blue wave is bigger than I ever imagined," the Guardian reported.

The Senate races that decided control

Democrats needed to gain four Republican-held seats. They gained at least seven, AP reported:

• North Carolina: Former Gov. Roy Cooper beat Republican Michael Whatley for the seat held by Sen. Thom Tillis (R).
• Ohio: Former Sen. Sherrod Brown beat Sen. Jon Husted in a special election for the seat JD Vance left to become vice president.
• Iowa: Josh Turek beat Rep. Ashley Hinson for the seat Sen. Joni Ernst left open. This was the race that clinched the majority, AP reported.
• Texas: State Rep. James Talarico beat state Attorney General Ken Paxton for the seat held by Sen. John Cornyn (R).
• South Carolina: Democrat Annie Andrews beat Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed after Sen. Lindsey Graham died, AP reported.
• Kansas: Adam Hamilton beat Sen. Roger Marshall.
• Maine: Democrat Troy Jackson beat Sen. Susan Collins, who conceded Tuesday night.

Democrats also held Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed beat Republican Mike Rogers for an open seat, AP reported. He will become the nation's first Muslim senator. Republicans held Nebraska, where Sen. Pete Ricketts beat independent Dan Osborn; Montana, where Kurt Alme won; and Louisiana, where Julia Letlow won, AP's calls show.

Democrats held Georgia, where Sen. Jon Ossoff beat Republican Mike Collins, and New Hampshire, where Chris Pappas beat Republican John E. Sununu. In Minnesota, Peggy Flanagan won the open seat. Republicans held Florida, where Sen. Ashley Moody won a special election, and Idaho.

Still uncalled Wednesday morning:

• Mississippi: Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) and Democrat Scott Colom were separated by fewer than 50 votes, with about 96% of the vote counted, AP's count shows. Mississippi holds recounts only by court order.
• Alaska: Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) led former Rep. Mary Peltola (D), 48.5% to 47.7%, with about 72% counted. Late ballots are accepted until Nov. 18, and ranked-choice counting could follow, so a winner may take days or weeks, AP's count shows.

House: AP calls the majority

AP declared that Democrats had won the House early Wednesday Eastern time, its results show. Earlier, House Speaker Mike Johnson conceded that Republicans had lost the House at an election-night event in Shreveport, Louisiana, nola.com reported. Unlike in 2022, when it took eight days, the answer came quickly, AP noted.

Democrats flipped Republican seats across the country, according to AP and NBC results. Janelle Stelson beat Rep. Scott Perry in Pennsylvania. Rebecca Cooke beat Rep. Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin's 3rd District, and Democrats also flipped Wisconsin's 1st, held by Rep. Bryan Steil. Bobby Pulido beat Rep. Monica De La Cruz in Texas's 15th District. In Iowa's 3rd District, Sarah Trone Garriott beat Rep. Zach Nunn. In Ohio, Rep. Max Miller lost his seat.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who would likely become speaker, said: "This is not a partisan moment. This is a patriotic one," Anadolu Agency reported. He promised to "fight hard to lower the high cost of housing and groceries and gas."

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said that in a Democratic House he would spend his time fighting "anyone promoting socialism," nola.com reported.

Governors

Democrats flipped five governor's offices, AP's results show:

• Texas: Democrat Gina Hinojosa beat Gov. Greg Abbott. She led 52.9% to 45.7% with about 85% counted.
• Georgia: Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms beat Republican Rick Jackson.
• Ohio: Amy Acton beat Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.
• Iowa: Rob Sand won.
• Nevada: Attorney General Aaron Ford beat Gov. Joe Lombardo, AP reported.

Democrats also held Wisconsin, where David Crowley became the state's first Black governor-elect, and won Minnesota (Sen. Amy Klobuchar) and New Mexico (former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland), NBC's results show. Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) won reelection in Arizona over Rep. Andy Biggs, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) beat Rep. John James in Michigan, AP reported. Republican Rep. Byron Donalds won Florida.

Two governor's races were uncalled early Wednesday, AP's count shows. In Kansas, Democrat Cindy Holscher led Republican Ty Masterson 50.3% to 49.7%, with about 98% counted. In Alaska, Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins had 49.0%, ahead of Republicans Bernadette Wilson (29.4%), Dave Bronson (14.2%) and Treg Taylor (7.5%), with 73% counted.

What Trump said

Trump was not on the ballot, but he held rallies in 20 states and urged voters to "pretend" he was, USA Today reported. On his Truth Social site Tuesday night he wrote:

I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!

He blamed Fox News, writing that the network "bears responsibility for these losses by constantly and consistently putting on the Dumocrat opposition, and worse," TheWrap reported. He also blamed Abbott, writing that Abbott would not have lost if he "hadn't become a RINO" (Republican in name only) in recent months, according to NBC.

Trump told The New York Times he was "absolutely willing" to accept the results. "We'll work with the Democrats," he said, adding, "We'll probably work something out," the Times reported. In a Fox News interview that aired early Wednesday, he said: "Congratulations to the Democrats. They did a good job," the New York Post reported. He said voters agreed with his Iran policy but were not willing to pay more for gasoline. He also posted a picture of a red cap with "VETO" stitched on it, AP reported.

Other reactions

• Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer: "Five words for the American people: relief is on the way," the Guardian reported.
• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.): Democrats must "aggressively fight for working families. No more excuses," the Guardian reported.
• Texas Senate winner James Talarico: "Tonight we defeated Goliath," the Guardian reported.
• Speaker Mike Johnson: "We faced some real odds here," nola.com reported.
• Senate Majority Leader John Thune: In a post on X on Wednesday, he said Republicans "will not stand idly by as the far-left, socialist wing of the Democrat Party attempts to unwind everything we've done." He added, "Thankfully, we still have President Trump in the White House," RSBN reported.

California and the Bay Area

AP called the governor's race for Democrat Xavier Becerra, the former state attorney general and U.S. health secretary, over Republican Steve Hilton, AP reported. He will be California's first elected Latino governor. At 4:54 a.m. Wednesday, Becerra had 64.0% to Hilton's 36.0%, the Secretary of State's count shows.

The four South Bay House members, all Democrats, led their Republican challengers by wide margins in the Secretary of State's 4:54 a.m. count. AP called all four races: the 16th District for Rep. Sam Liccardo, the 17th for Rep. Ro Khanna, the 18th for Rep. Zoe Lofgren and the 19th for Rep. Jimmy Panetta.

• 16th District: Sam Liccardo 75.9%, Peter Sundin Soulé 24.1%.
• 17th District: Ro Khanna 70.5%, Ritesh Tandon 29.5%.
• 18th District: Zoe Lofgren 71.7%, Shane Lewis 28.3%.
• 19th District: Jimmy Panetta 72.0%, Peter Coe Verbica 28.0%.

No statewide proposition had been called in the results reviewed. In the Secretary of State's 4:54 a.m. count, measures leading included Prop. 1 (housing bonds, 59.4% yes), Prop. 2 (rainy-day fund, 59.6%), Prop. 3 (extending a high-income tax for schools and health care, 58.7%), Prop. 37 (middle-income home loans, 61.0%), Prop. 38 (immunology research bonds, 55.7%) and Prop. 42 (banning new personal property taxes, 54.3%).

Measures trailing included Prop. 39 (voter ID, 41.4% yes), Prop. 40 (a one-time tax, 44.4%), Prop. 43 (limits on local tax measures, 45.1%), Prop. 44 (clinic spending rules, 18.2%) and Prop. 45 (environmental review changes, 45.9%). Prop. 5, which changes the recall process, was still close at 50.3% yes. Counties are still counting mail ballots, so these numbers will change.

What a Democratic Congress can and can't do

Trump's term runs to January 2029. A Democratic Congress cannot pass laws on its own, but it gains new tools. The new Congress is sworn in Jan. 3, 2027.

Impeachment. The Constitution gives the House "the sole Power of Impeachment," meaning a simple majority can charge a president, the Senate explains. Removing him takes a two-thirds vote of senators present, or 67 if all 100 vote. Democrats will have at least 54. Jeffries and other leaders have said they are not focused on impeaching Trump but have not ruled it out, NBC reported. The House impeached Trump twice in his first term, and the Senate acquitted him both times.

Vetoes. Trump said before the election he would become "Mr. Veto" if Democrats won, NPR reported. Under the Constitution, Congress can override a veto only with two-thirds of both chambers, a bar Democrats will not reach alone. Most bills will need deals or will stall.

Investigations. House and Senate committee chairs can issue subpoenas, or legal orders to testify or hand over records. Rep. Robert Garcia of Long Beach is in line to lead the House Oversight Committee and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland the Judiciary Committee, NBC reported. Democrats have signaled inquiries into the Justice Department, Homeland Security and the Trump family's business interests, NPR reported.

Budgets and shutdowns. The current stopgap spending law runs out Dec. 11, 2026, a Holland & Knight analysis notes. The outgoing Republican Congress must pass funding or another stopgap by then to avoid a partial shutdown. Next year, any spending bill will need both a Democratic Congress and Trump's signature. Republicans may also try to raise the debt limit, the cap on federal borrowing, before Democrats take over, NBC reported.

Judges and nominees. The Senate must approve, or confirm, federal judges and Cabinet members, the Senate explains. A Democratic majority will control which nominees get votes. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) put the chance of confirming a Trump Supreme Court nominee at "slim to none," NBC reported.

2028. Not since 2006 has the party out of power flipped both chambers in one night, NBC reported. In NBC's exit poll, 43% of voters said they voted to oppose Trump.

Source: AP 2026 election results and live coverage; California Secretary of State election results.