Democrats projected to win US Congress in midterm elections

Democrats are projected to take control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, according to election forecasting agency Decision Desk HQ.

In the House of Representatives, Republicans held a 218-214 majority before the midterms, with one independent and two vacancies. With 218 seats required for a majority, Democrats needed a net gain of three seats. NBC projections indicate Democrats could win more than 250 seats. 

In the Senate elections, Republicans held a 53-47 majority. Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to reach the 51-seat threshold.

As votes were counted on election night, US media outlets projected Democratic victories in several states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Ohio and Maine.

Several of these states – South Carolina, Texas and Kansas – are all traditionally Republican strongholds, having voted for Donald Trump in the past three presidential elections.

In Texas, James Talarico is projected to defeat Republican candidate and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democrat to win a US Senate seat in the state since 1988. Democrat Gina Hinojosa is also projected to win the Texas governor's race and become the state's first Democratic governor in over 30 years.

In Kansas, Adam Hamilton is projected to defeat Republican incumbent Senator Roger Marshall, becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate election in the midwestern state since 1932.

The emergence of these "blue sprouts" in traditionally Republican strongholds has attracted widespread attention.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the outcome a "victory for America" in a social media post. With Democrats poised to take the House, Jeffries is set to become the first Black speaker of the US House of Representatives.

Preliminary exit poll results released by CNN indicated widespread voter dissatisfaction with the state of the nation, the economy and President Donald Trump's job performance. Roughly three-quarters of voters said they were dissatisfied with or felt even more negatively about the direction of the country.

The Associated Press reported that Republicans suffered steep losses amid low approval ratings for Trump, an unpopular war with Iran, and surging living costs. The report also noted that, since World War II, control of both chambers of Congress has switched from one party to the other in the same midterm election only three times: 1946, 1994 and 2006.

People close to Trump are blaming the Iran war. Some White House officials and Republican allies told The Wall Street Journal that the midterm elections would have looked very different if the conflict had ended months ago.

Trump acknowledged that the war in Iran was partially to blame for Republican losses, but maintained did not regret launching it.

"Iran was a piece of it," he told The Wall Street Journal in a phone interview on Tuesday night.

He rejected the notion that the results were a rebuke of his presidency, even as Republicans lost in deep-red states such as Kansas, South Carolina and Texas.

"It was a point in time, and I wasn't on the ballot," he said. "The biggest issue is that I wasn't on the ballot."

In Iran, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the results showed that the American people rejected war.

"Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message," he said in a post on X. "If the US govt betrays their public will to serve international paymasters and blackmailers, it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare."

With Democrats on track to control both chambers of Congress, the Trump administration could face legislative and political constraints in advancing its agenda over the next two years.

The House of Representatives plays a key role in setting the legislative agenda, overseeing federal spending, and conducting congressional investigations, while the Senate confirms presidential nominees, including federal judges and Cabinet officials, and must pass major legislation alongside the House.

(With input from Xinhua)