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US Politics

Democrats win control of both the House and the Senate in midterm elections

Democrats flipped seven Republican-held Senate seats to reach 54, and Trump says Republicans would have won with his name on the ballot.

The U.S. Capitol in Washington
The U.S. Capitol in Washington. Photo: Architect of the Capitol, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
16 news outlets reported this
Liberal6 outletsDemocratic sweep, with historic wins in red statesCenter5 outletsReferendum on Trump, with Iran war costsConservative5 outletsDemocratic sweep, still-undecided Senate seats, and gun policy
Published 4 min readMoney and daily life
Overview

Democrats won control of both and the in Tuesday's elections. They flipped seven Republican-held Senate seats and are set to hold 54 seats in the chamber. Wins came in traditionally Republican states including Texas, South Carolina, Kansas, Iowa and Ohio.

Deutsche Welle reports that Democrats are set to hold at least 237 House seats in January, with some races still too close to call. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries could become the first Black speaker. He said his party will focus "relentlessly on affordability and on accountability."

According to Deutsche Welle, Trump did not dispute the result. He claimed Republicans would have won if he had been on the ballot. Deutsche Welle says he called himself willing to work with Democrats and promised to use his veto to block legislation.

Trump appeared to acknowledge that the Iran war hurt Republicans, saying it drove gasoline "up a little bit short term." Vice President JD Vance said the war was the "reason we lost." Two Senate races, in Alaska and Mississippi, were still undecided on Wednesday.

According to AP counts, Democrats Mary Peltola and Scott Colom were narrowly ahead of Republican Sens. Dan Sullivan and Cindy Hyde-Smith.

Key figures
  • 54 to 44 Senate advantage Democrats are set to have in January — Deutsche Welle
  • at least 237 to 139 House majority Democrats are set to have in January — Deutsche Welle
  • 13 point margin Democrats' House popular-vote lead, per New York Times data — Deutsche Welle
  • 626 votes Peltola's lead over Sullivan in Alaska, per AP — New York Post
  • 65 votes Colom's lead over Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, per AP — New York Post

Three sides of the story

Liberal6 outlets

Democratic sweep, with historic wins in red states

Al Jazeera English frames the night as winners and losers, with Democrats taking both chambers and "plenty of historic wins" from Texas to Michigan. It profiles Annie Andrews in South Carolina, Abdul El-Sayed as the first Muslim elected to the US Senate, and James Talarico in Texas. Trump, Elon Musk (more than $400m spent backing Republicans) and Vivek Ramaswamy are among its losers.

Semafor calls it a "generational wipeout" of Trump's party, quoting a senior Republican strategist who predicts "a full-on civil war." Semafor also reports, citing information shared with it, that the Democrats' top Senate pulled ads in North Carolina and Georgia, saving $22 million and $11 million, and that spending shifted to other states. Mother Jones says "a blue wave engulfed Republicans" and quotes its correspondent Ari Berman calling it an "extinction-level event" for Republicans in some red and purple areas.

Berman also discusses how backfired on Republicans. The New York Times reports that a G.O.P. group says the party faces a "crisis-level" loss of elected women.

Center5 outlets

Referendum on Trump, with Iran war costs

Deutsche Welle leads with Democrats taking the House and Senate in a "midterm rout" and calls the result a "blue tsunami" that surprised even optimistic pundits. It gives the Senate at 54 to 44 and the House at least 237 to 139. It cites New York Times data for a 13-point House popular-vote margin, the largest since 1976.

It describes the vote as a on Trump, whose approval stood around 38%, with the Iran war and fuel costs weighing on Republicans. It quotes Jeffries on "affordability and on accountability" and notes he said is not the focus for now. On Trump, it says he "appeared to admit" that the war's economic effects cost his party, saying "largely true" and that gasoline rose "a little bit short term."

Vance called the war the "reason we lost." A Wall Street Journal opinion piece titled "The GOP's Defeat Was Truly Massive" argues that Republicans lost both chambers of Congress and also crucial state legislatures.

Conservative5 outlets

Democratic sweep, still-undecided Senate seats, and gun policy

The New York Post leads with the "blue tsunami" washing out the GOP. It reports Democrats projected at as many as 258 House seats to 177, according to NBC, and 54 Senate seats. It quotes Jeffries on "extremism" and "corruption" and Schumer's "relief is on the way."

It then turns to Alaska and Mississippi, where Mary Peltola leads by 626 votes and Scott Colom by 65. It adds that state and federal investigations are under way into Democrats allegedly recruiting an independent, dubbed "Decoy Dan," in Alaska. The Daily Caller reads the night through guns.

It says supporters of gun control helped flip seats in states Trump carried in 2024, after Michael Bloomberg donated at least $36 million to Everytown for Gun Safety. It cites the new senators' records on firearms restrictions and says the change in Congress could bring efforts to raise transfer taxes on suppressors and short-barreled rifles. The Washington Times headline calls the result a "midterm massacre" and a "brutal rebuke" of GOP priorities under Trump, with Republican voters staying home.

Money and daily life

According to Deutsche Welle, Democrats plan a 100-day agenda aimed at lowering fuel, grocery and healthcare costs, alongside investigations of the Trump administration. Trump has said he is open to working with Democrats but would use his veto to block legislation. He also said the Iran war pushed gasoline up "a little bit short term."

All sources: 20 articles from 16 outlets

Liberal (6)

Center (7)

Conservative (7)

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1 min
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