Democrats Win Control of Congress, AP Projects, Flipping 7 GOP Senate Seats Including Maine

Democrats will control both the House and the Senate when the new Congress convenes in January, the Associated Press projected, after midterm election results on Tuesday, Nov. 3, showed the party flipping Republican-held Senate seats from Maine to Texas. The AP called the Senate for Democrats late Tuesday night and the House early Wednesday, Nov. 4, Forbes reported. CBS News also projected that Democrats will retake the House.

7 Republican-held Senate seats flipped (TBR count of AP calls) · 4 net Senate seats Democrats needed · 218 seats for a House majority · Jan. 3, 2027 new Congress sworn in

What we know

Democrats needed a net gain of four Senate seats to take control, according to Forbes and Yahoo News, which reported that Republicans held 53 seats going in. The AP’s Senate call came after Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa, Forbes reported. In the House, Republicans held 218 seats and Democrats 214 before the vote, with one independent and two vacancies, according to CBS News, which said the final House margin was still unclear because several competitive races were being counted.

Both chambers had been under Republican control in the 119th Congress, as our Congress tracker shows. The 120th Congress takes office Jan. 3, 2027.

The Senate seats that flipped

These Republican-held seats were won by Democrats, according to AP calls and results reported by Forbes and the AP via PBS NewsHour:

• Maine: Troy Jackson defeated Sen. Susan Collins, who had served nearly 30 years, Forbes reported.
• Iowa: Josh Turek defeated Rep. Ashley Hinson.
• North Carolina: Roy Cooper won the open seat over Michael Whatley, the first Democrat to win a Senate race there since 2008, according to Forbes.
• Ohio: Sherrod Brown beat Sen. Jon Husted.
• Kansas: Adam Hamilton ousted Sen. Roger Marshall, the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Kansas since 1932, Forbes reported.
• Texas: James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton.
• South Carolina: Annie Andrews upset Darline Graham, which Forbes called one of the night’s most surprising results.

Democrats also held seats in Georgia, where Sen. Jon Ossoff defeated Rep. Mike Collins; New Hampshire, where Rep. Chris Pappas beat former Sen. John Sununu for retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s seat; and Minnesota, where Peggy Flanagan defeated Michele Tafoya, according to PBS and Forbes. In Massachusetts, Sen. Ed Markey won a third term. Republicans won the Florida special election, where Sen. Ashley Moody beat Angie Nixon 51% to 48% with 96% counted, and in Wyoming, where Rep. Harriet Hageman won the seat of retiring Sen. Cynthia Lummis. Michigan and Alaska had not been called in Forbes’ 1:46 a.m. update.

House flips

Democrat Jamie Ager beat Republican Jennifer Capps Balkcom in North Carolina for the party’s first House flip of the night, and Democrat Rebecca Bennett defeated Rep. Tom Kean in New Jersey, the AP reported. Republican Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, Scott Perry and Rob Bresnahan lost in Pennsylvania. CBS News reported that Democrat Katy Padilla Stout flipped Texas’s 23rd District, Bobby Pulido defeated Rep. Monica De La Cruz in South Texas, and Reps. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin and Max Miller of Ohio lost. Voting machine problems in Westchester County, N.Y., were expected to delay results there, including in Rep. Mike Lawler’s race, Forbes reported. Our earlier story covers the Westchester scanner failures.

Governors

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, all Democrats, won reelection, and Republican Byron Donalds beat Democrat David Jolly for Florida governor, Forbes reported. In Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey won a second term; see our Massachusetts election results.

Reaction and what happens next

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in line to become the first Black House speaker, said “America is back,” CBS News reported. Speaker Mike Johnson said Republicans would not be deterred by one election and warned Democrats against what he called retribution and partisan games, according to CBS News.

CBS News reported that Democrats plan investigations once they gain subpoena power in January, and that Jeffries’ stated priorities include reversing Medicaid cuts, extending expired Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, ending the Iran war and rolling back tariffs. Results are not official until states certify them. Race-by-race calls are on our national election tracker.

Sources

• Forbes: Midterm Election Results (Live Updates): Democrats Sweep House And Senate In Stunning Rout
• PBS NewsHour (AP): Democrats take control of the Senate after winning key midterm races
• CBS News: Democrats, retaking House majority, aim to derail Trump’s agenda
• Yahoo News: Midterms 2026 live updates

Additional sources

• The Boston Globe: Ed Markey wins third term in US Senate, AP projects