Democrats Win Control of Both House and Senate in 2026 Midterm Elections

CBS News projected that Democrats won control of both the US House and the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections, handing the party a sweeping victory and leaving Republicans with two years as the minority in Congress.

The Senate results were especially striking. Texas and Kansas each elected their first Democratic senators in decades — James Talarico and Adam Hamilton, respectively. Democrats also flipped seats in Ohio, Iowa, North Carolina, South Carolina and Maine, where veteran Republican Sen. Susan Collins was defeated. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed was estimated likely to win, though CBS News had not yet made a formal projection.

Exit polls showed President Trump on track to record the lowest approval rating — 38% — for a president at a midterm. A senior Republican strategist attributed the party's poor showing to Trump himself. The president pushed back, insisting that if he had been on the ballot, "we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" Trump later called CBS News to congratulate Democrats and said he will work with them.

Former President Barack Obama said voters had "sent a clear message" and urged Democrats to "roll up our sleeves," adding that the results were only possible because strong candidates came forward across all regions of the country.

In a notable House race, embattled Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller lost his seat to Democrat Brian Poindexter in the 7th Congressional District. Miller had refused calls to drop out over the summer despite domestic abuse allegations — which he denied — and the Cook Political Report had shifted the district from solid Republican to a toss-up by August.