US midterms: Democrats win the House and head for a Senate majority
Maine and Texas flip as President Trump's approval sits at 38%; Mississippi is separated by a few dozen votes.
Democrats have won control of the US House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections and are on course to hold at least 54 Senate seats, according to projections on Wednesday. The results arrived with President Donald Trump's approval rating at 38%, historically low for a president at the midterms.
Among the notable Senate flips, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine, and James Talarico beat Ken Paxton in Texas despite heavy spending in that race by Elon Musk. In the House, Democrats flipped California's 48th District among other seats.
Some races remain too close to call. In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom led Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 65 votes with about 95% of the count in, per AP estimates, while Alaska was also undecided.
The fallout has begun in Washington: Speaker Mike Johnson said he will not seek re-election as House Republican leader, Vice President JD Vance blamed the losses on the Iran war, and Trump reportedly said he would accept the results. Markets in India and elsewhere had been watching the outcome for its effect on the administration's policy agenda.
