US midterms 2026: Five key takeaways as Democrats sweep Congress

American voters have handed Democrats control of both houses of Congress in the midterms, decisively rejecting Republicans in historically red states and shifting the balance of power in Washington, DC.

Here are five key takeaways.

Democratic victories exceed polls

The polls in the run up to election day pointed to a likely Democrat majority in the Senate and almost certain control of the House, but the party ended up outperforming even those positive indicators, flipping multiple Republican strongholds.

Leading 54-44 in the Senate, flipping seven seats from the Republicans with two still to be called, was beyond the dreams of most Democrats. In the House, the party already has a majority, with over 60 seats still to be called, and Hakeem Jeffries is set to become the country’s first Black speaker.

The Republican defeat will have major consequences for both the Trump administration and the country at large over the next two years as well as the 2028 election cycle.

Trump says he accepts results

US President Donald Trump said he would respect the midterm results in interviews with the New York Times and Fox News. He acknowledged that the price of gas may have contributed to the Republican defeat but insisted he was right to go to war with Iran.

The president, who has historically low approval ratings, said that if he had been on the ballot, the result would have been different. However, the gains the Republicans had made with Hispanic and rural voters under Trump were wiped out in many areas, amid concerns over an immigration crackdown and the cost of living, and gas in particular.

Trump also said he had no regrets about endorsing candidates who struggled on the campaign trail, including Darline Graham in South Carolina and Ken Paxton in Texas, both of whom lost in traditionally red states.

Democrats strike in deep red territory

Democratic candidates have been victorious in what were until recently seen as unassailably Republican territory, from Kansas and Texas to South Carolina in the Senate.

That Texas elected a Democratic senator in James Talarico and – even more strikingly – Gina Hinojosa as governor is a seismic change in the southern state, where Hispanic voters appear to have deserted the Republicans. Similarly, victories in Kansas, South Carolina and potentially Alaska marked major changes. Whether they are held in six years' time or not, they are likely to give Democrats a major advantage in the next cycle.

The party's candidates also secured two momentous firsts: Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan will become the US's first Muslim senator, and Keisha Lance Bottoms, who won the Georgia governor race, is set to be the nation's first elected Black woman governor. However, while the results were spectacular for the Democrats and individual candidates shone, the party brand remains broadly unpopular.

Balance of power flips

From a trifecta to divided government, after endorsing the Republican agenda in 2024, Americans decisively rejected the party in 2026. The results have major implications for the final two years of the president's time in office.

With comfortable majorities in both houses of Congress, the Democrats will not only be a major check on the administration's domestic agenda and appointments but will also have the space to accept some dissent within its broad coalition.

The Democratic grip on the domestic agenda could lead Trump to make more use of executive orders and focus more on foreign policy, where Congress has less power to intervene. 

The 2028 presidential race begins

The permanent campaign is a feature of the US political system, and attention is already turning to the 2028 election cycle.

The comprehensive reelection of Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in Georgia and Roy Cooper flipping North Carolina, also in the Senate, will do nothing to harm the buzz behind them, while Josh Shapiro was comfortably reelected as Pennsylvania's governor. 

The midterms also unearthed a series of new potential stars, from Talarico and El-Sayed to Adam Hamilton in Kansas, Annie Andrews in South Carolina and Josh Turek in Iowa.

There were no breakout performances for the Republicans, though Byron Donalds narrowly held off his opponent to become Florida's first Black governor. For 2028 frontrunners like JD Vance and Marco Rubio, who are closely associated with the administration, the results will make nervous reading.