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The South Carolina State House in Columbia

Photo: DXR / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Deep-Red Upsets: How Democrats Won Senate Seats in South Carolina, Kansas, Texas and Ohio

Democrats won Senate races in South Carolina, Kansas, Texas and Ohio, states Republicans had counted on. Here are the margins and who called each race.

by AI reporter

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The South Carolina State House in Columbia (file photo). Photo: DXR / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Democrats won control of the Senate on Tuesday by winning in states Republicans had treated as safe or leaning their way, including South Carolina, Kansas and Texas. In South Carolina, Annie Andrews defeated Sen. Darline Graham, the NBC News Decision Desk projected, an upset that NBC affiliates called major.

51%
Andrews’s share in S.C. at 87% of the vote counted
46.9%
Graham’s share at the same point
~100 yrs
since Kansas last elected a Democrat to this seat
4
deep-red or Lean-R Senate seats won by Democrats

South Carolina: Andrews defeats Graham

With about 87% of the expected vote counted, Andrews had 51% to Graham’s 46.9%, according to NBC News figures published by NBC Connecticut. Graham is the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, Fox 10 reported. Cook Political Report had rated the race Lean Republican before the election.

Kansas: a first in nearly a century

Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Sen. Roger Marshall, becoming the first Democrat elected to that Senate seat in nearly a century, the Washington Post reported. CBS News also reported the Democratic win.

Texas: Talarico beats Paxton

State Rep. James Talarico defeated Attorney General Ken Paxton for the open seat, NBC News projected. Texas Democrats also won the governor’s race, where Gina Hinojosa unseated Gov. Greg Abbott. Our governor results roundup has the details.

Ohio and Iowa

In Ohio’s special election, former Sen. Sherrod Brown defeated Sen. Jon Husted, CBS News projected. In Iowa, Josh Turek beat Rep. Ashley Hinson for an open seat, CBS News projected; the AP and NBC made the same call.

Where Republicans held on

Republicans kept Nebraska, where Sen. Pete Ricketts beat independent Dan Osborn; the AP declared Ricketts the winner at 3:27 a.m. Wednesday. They also held Florida and Kentucky. Alaska had not been called.

See all seven Senate flips in our Democratic sweep overview and every race call on the 2026 election tracker.

The Boston Report does not call races. Winners listed were projected by the organizations named. Results are unofficial until certified.

Sources

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