AP Calls It: Democrats Win Full Control of Congress as Thune Eyes Minority Leader Job
Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to The Associated Press, handing President Donald Trump a divided government for his final two years.
The AP said Democrats took the Senate in a flurry of wins late Tuesday and reached the 218 seats needed for a House majority early Wednesday. That was far faster than in 2022, when the House call took eight days.
Democrats flipped at least seven Republican-held Senate seats, in Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina, the AP reported. They also held battleground seats in Georgia and Michigan.
Kansas elected Democrat Adam Hamilton over Sen. Roger Marshall, making him the state’s first Democratic senator since 1932. In Iowa, Democrat Josh Turek defeated Rep. Ashley Hinson for the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Joni Ernst.
Democrat James Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, Annie Andrews ousted Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina, and Democrat Troy Jackson unseated Sen. Susan Collins in Maine. Sherrod Brown defeated Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio.
House Flips Reach Deep Into Trump Country
In the House, Democrats flipped more than two dozen districts, some of which Trump carried by double digits in 2024. Iowa went from an all-Republican delegation to three Democrats in its four seats.
The AP also reported pickups in Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania, where Republican redistricting had aimed to add as many as nine GOP seats, plus new Democratic seats in Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Utah.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in line to become the first Black speaker, said “the American people are crying out for transformational change.” He has outlined a 100-day agenda on living costs and oversight of the administration.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the results a “generational remake of the Senate map.” The new Congress convenes Jan. 3, and Democrats are not expected to have enough votes to override vetoes.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., intends to run for minority leader, a source close to him told Fox News Digital. Another Senate GOP source warned that the bid could draw serious backlash.
That source pointed to the conference’s failure to pass key Trump priorities, including the SAVE America Act. The election-integrity bill passed the House three times in 2026 but stalled under the Senate filibuster.
Thune defended the GOP record in a post on X, saying Senate Republicans “will not stand idly by as the far-left, socialist wing of the Democrat Party attempts to unwind everything we’ve done.”
Two Senate races were still undecided early Wednesday. Mississippi’s contest between Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom remained too close to call, and Alaska accepts overseas ballots for up to 15 days after the election.
The AP Voter Poll found deep frustration heading into the vote. About three-quarters of voters rated the economy “not so good” or “poor,” and about 8 in 10 said inflation caused their household at least moderate hardship.
Voters also cited government corruption, high prices and the Iran war. Roughly half called corruption and the cost of living “crucial” to their vote, ahead of immigration enforcement and the war.
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