The defeat of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party in the US midterm elections also constitutes a loss for billionaire Elon Musk, as the results showed that the hundreds of millions of dollars he spent to finance huge campaigns to influence voters were not effective.
The richest man in the world pumped about half a billion dollars to support Republican candidates who were severely defeated by the ballot boxes, in light of the US Supreme Court abolishing practically all restrictions on the permissible electoral spending ceiling.
However, Musk's greatest bitterness was undoubtedly the downfall of the right-wing extremist Ken Paxton in the Senate elections for the state of Texas, which the businessman, an ally of President Trump, chose as a new headquarters for most of his companies.
Although the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla spent more than $220 million to support the former Texas Attorney General, 37-year-old Democrat James Tallarico, a relative newcomer to the political arena, was able to win the senator's seat.
Musk: “It looks like space lasers didn't work this time.”
Musk, who tops the list of major donors in these elections, commented sarcastically on a group of severe setbacks suffered by Republicans that caused them to lose control of both chambers of Congress. "It seems that the space lasers I used to interfere in the elections did not work this time," he said.
In another brief post on the “X” platform, he expressed his concern about the possibility of slowing down the establishment of data centers dedicated to artificial intelligence, as he wrote, “Data centers in space now appear to be an attractive option.”
AdImpact, a company that specializes in tracking advertisements, expects the volume of advertising spending to reach $11.6 billion, exceeding the previous record for the midterm elections of $8.9 billion in 2022, and even the volume of spending in the 2024 presidential cycle.
As for OpenSecrets, a non-partisan organization specializing in monitoring spending in American politics, it noted that total spending in the 2026 midterm elections rose to a record level of $11.9 billion, including hundreds of millions of dollars for the Democrats. Spending in Texas alone amounted to more than half a billion dollars.
If he assumes the presidency of the Council (as the first black president), Democrat Hakeem Jeffries (56 years old), who represents an electoral district in New York City, will lead the majority that will be sworn in in the first week of January, after Republicans controlled the Council during the past four years. “Today begins the great American comeback,” Jeffries said in his victory speech late Tuesday, after the media predicted that Democrats would gain a majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Jeffries attacked the Republican agenda led by Trump in Congress over the past two years, pledging to pass legislation that would cancel sharp cuts in spending on the (Medicaid) health care program for the poor and people with disabilities, which had been approved by law on July 4, 2025. Jeffries said, “The American people have said their word and made it clear that they are tired of extremism and tired of corruption. They want a Congress that actually works for the benefit of the American people.” Jeffries has long said that while his parliamentary bloc will focus on helping the poor and middle class cope with rising costs of living, Democrats will also investigate the Trump administration's dealings with corporate executives, including those who donated huge sums to his various campaigns and projects. But he stopped short of saying that the House of Representatives under his leadership would attempt to impeach Trump for a third time with the aim of impeaching him.
The first polling stations in the United States closed on Tuesday at the conclusion of the midterm elections, which will be decisive for the remainder of Donald Trump's second term, as Republicans may lose the majority in Congress to the Democrats, which may lead to restrictions on his powers.
These midterm elections are being held amid competition for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and a third of the Senate seats, in addition to a large number of positions at the local and state levels.
These elections may lead to a radical shift in the balance of power within Washington. Cautious optimism prevailed among Democrats as they watched Republicans pump tens of millions of dollars into the final phase of the election campaign into states and districts that Trump had easily won two years ago.
But it may take time for clear indicators to emerge about the new balance of power in Washington.
Parts of Indiana and Kentucky were the first areas where polling stations closed at 6 p.m. (23:00 GMT).
Everything related to the midterm elections can be found here
Texans are heading to the polls in unprecedented numbers. More than 7.7 million people cast early ballots in the 2026 midterm elections. This represents more than 40 percent of registered voters, a new record for a midterm election in Texas.
Noticeable electoral participation
In 15 counties, the number of votes cast during early voting exceeded the total number of votes cast in the entire 2022 midterm elections. There is a noticeable increase in Hispanic voter participation, an important segment in a state like Texas.
All eyes are on the Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Tallarico. Texas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1988, but this time the contest is very close. Recent opinion polls indicate a slight lead for Tallarico, but the difference is still too small to predict the winner.
A DW correspondent spoke to dozens of voters in Austin and El Paso. Many of them said they were concerned about the economy, political corruption and deep divisions in the United States. Some of them said that these divisions matter to them even more than fuel prices.
Is Texas shifting to the Democratic camp?
DW's Isaac Holmberg and Benjamin Alvarez Gruber met voters who previously supported Donald Trump but now support Democrats. One said: "I'm hurt. I mean I'm hurt because I'm an American and I'm suffering."
There's also another big question: Can money buy elections? According to the New York Times, Elon Musk spent about $168 million (150 million euros) to support Republicans in the Senate elections. But despite all this spending, the race in Texas remains tight and hotly contested.
Texas may make history tonight. The question remains: Will it finally move to the Democratic camp (blue), or will it remain in the Republican camp (red)?
*Reported by DW correspondent Misha Komadovsky. Austin Texas
DW reporters conducted on-site interviews with voters in some key US states on the sidelines of the midterm elections, including Michigan and Texas. Here are some interesting opinions:
Andrew Wu of Detroit, Michigan, told DW he supports Abdul Sayed "because of his focus on providing universal health care through Medicare for All and making the cost of living more affordable for Michigan families."
He added: "You can sometimes feel hopeless about the current political situation. I think it is always encouraging to see real people on the ground making change and doing their civic duty."
“Republican Party policies have set our country back.”
As for Skylar Schmidt, he told DW: "The Republican Party's policies have really set our country backwards. I think the international community sees that, and we see it here as well. I think the Democrats, or at least some members of the party, basically want to return to respecting human rights, and return to serving the people of Michigan and the people of the United States, instead of spending our money elsewhere in the world."
“The economy is a big issue. This is not what we were promised.”
In Texas, many voters DW spoke to focused on the economic situation and how it affects their lives.
"The economy is a big issue," said Wilson Ehonfebere, who supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election. "You know, things are getting very expensive now. This is not what we were promised." He added, "I came here on foot because I cannot drive my car. I walked here. I am 67 years old."
Criticism of the dominance of money in politics
Others seemed more frustrated and disappointed. Steve Schafer told DW that he would not vote for either Democrat James Talarico or Republican Ken Paxton. He also criticized billionaire and technology man Elon Musk for his donations to the Republican Party, most of which he poured into the electoral race in Texas, where many of his companies are headquartered.
He added: "It is very difficult to have an effective democracy when there is such a clear imbalance in economic power, which in turn turns into political power."
The Senate elections in Michigan are witnessing a competition between Democratic candidate Abdul Rahman (Abdul) Al-Sayed and Republican candidate Mike Rogers.
Abdel-Rahman El-Sayed is an Egyptian-American, Muslim, and Rhodes Scholar with experience in public health. He previously served as Director of the Department of Health, Human Services and Veterans Affairs for Wayne County, which includes metropolitan Detroit.
As for Mike Rogers, he represented the Eighth District of Michigan in the US House of Representatives between 2001 and 2015, and he had previously been a member of the Michigan State Senate from 1995 to 2000.
Al-Sayed is known for his frequent criticism of the American relationship with Israel. Both Donald Trump and Rogers have attacked him, accusing him of anti-Semitism.
Al-Sayed beat out Representative Haley Stevens to become the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat.
In a surprise move over the weekend, Stevens, a Democrat, announced her support for Republican Rogers, against the gentleman who had defeated her in the Democratic primary, in a move welcomed by Trump. She justified this by objecting to Al-Sayed's criticism of Israel.
US President Donald Trump once again expressed his confidence in his Republican Party achieving victory in the US midterm elections taking place on Tuesday, at a time when recent opinion polls tend in favor of the Democrats.
Trump said in statements to Fox News, "I think the results will be better than you expect." He added that he is convinced that his party, the Republican Party, will maintain its majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Millions of Americans participate in the elections to determine the composition of the two legislative chambers that make up the US Congress.
Recent opinion polls were not in favor of the Republican Party.
Although Trump himself is not a candidate in these elections, the vote is viewed as a referendum on his policies, as the results of the midterm elections will determine the features of the remaining two years of the Trump administration’s term.
Opinion polls expect the Democrats to win a majority in the House of Representatives, and may seize control of the Senate as well, taking advantage of voter dissatisfaction with a president whose popularity level is severely low, rising energy costs, and the continuing conflict with Iran.
Republicans losing control of the House of Representatives would give Democrats the ability to disrupt Trump's legislative agenda and launch wide-ranging investigations into his administration.
Their defeat in the Senate will undermine his ability to appoint Supreme Court judges and senior officials.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (November 3, 2026) that he had reached an agreement with outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stipulating that Washington would stop funding amounting to about four billion dollars to Israel after the end of this year.
Trump's statement coincides with the US midterm elections.
Trump said in an interview with the “Fox & Friends” program on Fox News Channel that Israel no longer needs this funding, and that some Democrats and left-wing politicians are using this American financial support for Israel as an excuse to criticize Republicans, and he mentioned by name Abdul Rahman (Abdul) Al-Sayyed.
The Republican added, "Israel is a very prosperous country. They do not need it," before adding, "We will help Israel if it needs that."
It is not yet clear what specific funding Trump intends or how the funding will be halted by the end of the year, as the memorandum of understanding that provides annual US military aid to Israel worth $3.8 billion does not expire before 2028. Talks are underway regarding how US aid to Israel will proceed after that date.
Preliminary results from the US midterm elections will likely begin to appear on Tuesday evening as polls begin to close, but it may take hours or even days before the results of some close election races become clear.
The first polls in Indiana and Kentucky will close at 6pm local time (23:00 GMT), followed by Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia an hour later.
Votes cast on Election Day are often counted before mail-in votes, which means the overall result may see a noticeable change as the count progresses.
Results will roll in throughout Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, with states announcing their vote tallies.
American media may begin to announce their expectations and results based on exit polls, as well as on preliminary data issued by state election officials.
In 2022, the results of the Senate elections were not decided until four days after Election Day, while the results of the House elections took eight days. As for the midterm elections that preceded it, the results were already clear on election night.
US President Donald Trump indicated, in a podcast interview broadcast on Monday, the possibility of granting a preemptive pardon to his allies, on the eve of the midterm elections that could lead to him losing his majority in Congress.
Asked about taking action of this kind on behalf of “those who worked for him,” he replied in an interview with the New York Post: “I wouldn’t just think about it, I would do it.”
He added: “I did so regarding the events of January 6, 2021, when hundreds of his supporters attacked the Capitol building in Washington, and Trump granted them pardon on the first day of his second term, in January 2025.”
Elon Musk, the largest donor to the Republican campaign and an ally of Donald Trump, issued threats in mid-October, following press reports that the Democrats intended to intensify parliamentary investigations against him if they won the midterm elections.
In response to a suggestion from New York Post journalist Miranda Devine regarding the possibility of the billionaire’s arrest, Donald Trump said: “This is just talk, but if it becomes a reality, we will have to protect them.”
According to an article published by Politico last month, “prominent members (of the Democratic Party) are studying how various committees could target Elon Musk and a wide range of his companies,” if they win Tuesday’s elections.
Likewise, the Democratic camp accuses Donald Trump and those close to him of achieving huge wealth in the first two years of his second term, through several cases involving conflicts of interest.
In the interview with the New York Post, the Republican president referred to the proactive pardon decisions issued by his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, in favor of those close to him, a few hours before the end of his term.
