Democrats take House and Senate from Republicans in US midterm rout

Democrats will control both chambers of Congress after flipping seats in Republican strongholds across the US in an election seen as a repudiation of President Donald Trump. By late Tuesday night, it was clear that Democrats had succeeded in turning the 2026 US midterm elections into the so-called "blue wave" that had been predicted by pollsters.

But by Wednesday morning, the scale of the victory had turned into a "blue tsunami," surprising even the most optimistic political pundits. In January, Democrats are set to have a commanding majority of at least 237 to 139 in the House and a 54 to 44 advantage in the Senate.

Democratic candidates flipped seven highly competitive Senate seats, including in what have for decades been reliably Republican districts in "red" states. Texas voted in James Talarico as its first Democratic Senator since 1988, while electing a Democratic governor, Gina Hinojosa, for the first time in over 30 years.