Democrats captured majorities in both the US Senate and House of Representatives in Tuesday’s midterm elections, scoring sweeping victories across the country and dealing US President Donald Trump a major political setback as voters voiced growing frustration with his economic policies and handling of the war against Iran.
The scale of the Democratic victory extended into traditionally Republican strongholds, including South Carolina, Texas and Iowa, highlighting a significant shift in voter sentiment. Rising living costs, economic concerns and sharply higher fuel prices following the US decision to launch a war against Iran in February emerged as major factors behind the Republican losses.
In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor, became the first Democrat in nearly a century to win a Senate seat in the state. In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown reclaimed a seat previously held by Vice President JD Vance, while Texas state Representative James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Both states had backed Trump by double-digit margins in the 2024 presidential election.
Democrats also secured a major victory in South Carolina, where pediatrician Annie Andrews defeated Republican Senator Darline Graham, who had been appointed following the death of her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham. Trump had strongly backed Graham and Paxton despite controversies surrounding their candidacies.
The Democratic gains extended to six Republican-held Senate seats, securing the party’s majority. In the House, Democrats were on track to take control after winning at least eight Republican-held districts in states including Kentucky, New Jersey and North Carolina.
The party also made significant gains in gubernatorial races, with Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeating three-term Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Democrats also captured governorships in Iowa and Ohio.
Trump had campaigned extensively for Republican candidates, holding more than two dozen rallies in the final weeks before the election and urging supporters to treat the vote as a referendum on his presidency. As Republican losses became apparent, he responded on social media, claiming that Republicans would have won by a landslide had his name been on the ballot.
In Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who was projected to win re-election, told supporters that voters had delivered a decisive rejection of what he described as Trump’s corruption and incompetence.
Republican Senator Ashley Moody narrowly held her seat in Florida, leading her Democratic challenger Angie Nixon by around three percentage points in a state Trump had won by 13 points in 2024. Democrats also retained three Florida House districts that Republicans had redrawn earlier this year, despite Trump’s previous victories in those constituencies.
Exit polls conducted by SSRS for a consortium of US media organisations showed widespread dissatisfaction with the country’s direction. Half of voters said the midterm elections were an opportunity to rebuke Trump, while three-quarters said they were either angry or dissatisfied with the way the country was heading. Around 70 percent also said they wanted Congress to exercise stronger checks and balances on the president.
