On a late Tuesday night in November, the Associated Press called the United States Senate for the Democrats, reversing the Republican hold won in 2024 and marking the moment when a long-standing national balance tilted against President Donald Trump's party. The change came through the 2026 midterms, where voters in places that had seldom elected Democrats in generations sent a message that many read as unease with the direction of Washington. Democrats now stand at or above the fifty-one seats needed for control, though some races are still being counted and the final tally has yet to settle.
Democrats Win Control of US Senate in 2026 Midterms, Ending Republican Trifecta
A Democrat last won a Senate seat in Kansas in 1932.
Mark
Start with the basic shift. What actually changed overnight?
Mimi
The AP projected Democrats winning the Senate. They had 45 seats plus two allied independents, and they needed a net gain of four. They've secured at least 51.
Luke
Worth noting that's a projection, and some races are still being counted. The 51 is a floor, not a final tally.
Mark
Why does it matter that the flips came in places like Texas and Kansas?
Mimi
Those are Republican strongholds. A Democrat last won statewide in Texas in 1994, and in a Kansas Senate race in 1932.
Luke
Fair, but those are historical facts about the states. The reporting doesn't tell us why voters shifted this time.
Mark
Hamilton offered an explanation in his speech, didn't he?
Mimi
He said voters across party lines felt what's happening in Washington is not OK.
Luke
That's his reading as the winner. It's attributed, not established, and the 25 percent Democratic figure is also his own.
Mark
And the larger consequence?
Mimi
The Republican trifecta from 2024 ends, since Republicans no longer hold the Senate.
Luke
Right. What that means for legislation isn't answered yet. That depends on the final count and what happens next.
El Pulso
- Democrats have reached at least 51 seats, enough to take the Senate, while a few races are still being counted.
- Flips in South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio and Kansas broke into Republican strongholds that had not sent Democrats to the Senate in decades.
- Texas and Kansas delivered the sharpest shocks, with a Democrat winning statewide for the first time since 1994 and a Kansas seat last claimed by Democrats in 1932.
- The result ends the Republican trifecta over Congress and the presidency, leaving Trump's party without control of all three branches of power.
- With the count still settling, the newly divided landscape sets up a contested legislative stretch that will test how the two parties work together.
On a late Tuesday night in November, the Associated Press called the United States Senate for the Democrats, reversing the Republican hold won in 2024 and marking the moment when a long-standing national balance tilted against President Donald Trump's party. The change came through the 2026 midterms, where voters in places that had seldom elected Democrats in generations sent a message that many read as unease with the direction of Washington. Democrats now stand at or above the fifty-one seats needed for control, though some races are still being counted and the final tally has yet to settle. The shift ends a Republican trifecta that had held Congress and the presidency together, and it opens a legislative period whose contests will decide how power is shared from here.
Late on Tuesday, the Associated Press projected that Democrats had taken back the United States Senate in the 2026 midterm elections. The result reversed the Republican win of 2024 and is widely read as a rebuke of President Donald Trump's party. Democrats needed a net gain of four seats, and with the results so far they have secured at least 51, while a handful of races remain uncounted.
Several of the victories came in places Democrats had rarely won. In South Carolina, pediatrician Annie Andrews took a seat from Republican Darline Graham, and no Democrat had won a Senate seat there since 1998. In North Carolina, former governor Roy Cooper defeated Michael Whatley, and in Ohio, Sherrod Brown unseated incumbent Jon Husted.
Texas and Kansas produced the night's starkest upsets. State legislator and seminary student James Talarico beat Attorney General Ken Paxton in a race billed as the most expensive Senate contest in American history, and no Democrat had won a statewide Texas election since 1994. In Kansas, pastor Adam Hamilton defeated Senator Roger Marshall, and he asked in his victory speech how a Democrat could win in a state where, by his account, only a quarter of people identify as Democrats. His answer was that Republicans, independents and Democrats alike believe what is happening in Washington is not right.
The Senate had seemed harder to flip than the House, since terms run six years and only about a third of seats are contested at once. This cycle carried 35 races, including special elections in Ohio and Florida created by vacancies after JD Vance and Marco Rubio joined the Trump administration. The result ends the Republican trifecta of 2024, and the final seat count will become clear as the last ballots are tallied.
Late on Tuesday night, the Associated Press projected that Democrats had taken back the United States Senate. The call came in the 2026 midterm elections and reversed the result of 2024, when Republicans won the chamber. It is widely read as a rebuke of President Donald Trump's party.
Democrats needed a net gain of four seats in the 100-member Senate. Going into the election, the outgoing 119th Congress had 53 Republicans and 45 Democrats, plus two independents who sit in the Democratic caucus. With the results so far, Democrats have secured at least 51 seats, enough for a majority, while a handful of races are still being counted.
Several of the flips came in places Democrats have rarely won. In South Carolina, Annie Andrews, a paediatrician, won a seat held by Republican Darline Graham, sister of the late longtime Senator Lindsey Graham. No Democrat had won a Senate seat in that state since 1998. Next door in North Carolina, former governor Roy Cooper beat Republican Michael Whatley. In Ohio, Sherrod Brown defeated incumbent Republican Jon Husted.
Texas produced one of the night's biggest upsets. James Talarico, a state legislator and seminary student, beat state Attorney General Ken Paxton. The last time a Democrat won a statewide election in Texas was 1994. The race had been billed as the most expensive Senate contest in US history.
Kansas was perhaps the starkest case. Adam Hamilton, a pastor who leads a megachurch, defeated sitting Republican Senator Roger Marshall. A Democrat last won a Senate seat in Kansas in 1932. In his victory speech, Hamilton asked how a Democrat could win in a deeply red state where, by his account, only 25 percent of people are Democrats. He answered that Republicans, independents and Democrats alike were saying that what is happening in Washington is not OK.
Democrats also held seats of their own. Jon Ossoff won in the swing state of Georgia, and Mark Warner, in the Senate since 2009, won a fourth term representing Virginia.
The Senate had been expected to be harder to flip than the House. Senate terms run six years rather than two, and elections are staggered, so only about a third of seats are on the ballot at any time. This cycle had 35 races: 33 regular elections and two special elections, in Ohio and Florida. Those states had vacancies after Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined Trump's second administration in 2025. At least seven races were considered key toss-ups: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Michigan.
The result ends the Republican trifecta won in 2024, when the party held the Senate, the House and the presidency at once. With the Senate in Democratic hands, Trump's party no longer controls all three. The final seat count will become clear as the remaining races are tallied.
Citas Notables
Voters in Kansas, whether Republican, independent or Democrat, were saying what's happening in Washington is not OK.— Senator-elect Adam Hamilton, victory speech
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