
Democrats win key Senate and governor races across multiple states as exit polls show widespread disapproval of President Donald Trump.
AI-generated summary
The article covers the US midterm elections held on November 3, 2026. Both chambers of Congress were previously controlled by Republicans. The party holding the White House typically sees losses in the midterms. Polls suggested Democrats had a good chance of taking control of the House, while the battle for the Senate was tighter. Trump carried Texas by 14 percentage points in 2024.
The Democratic Party is on course for major gains in both the House and Senate, delivering a stinging rebuke to US President Donald Trump and his Republican Party. Follow DW's live updates.
What you need to know
Democrat James Talarico wins Texas Senate seat
North Carolina is first state to 'flip' from Republican to Democrat after Roy Cooper's win
Polling stations in eastern and central states closing
Exit polls show widespread discontent and disapproval of US President Donald Trump
Both chambers of Congress are currently controlled by the Republicans
Polls suggest the Democrats have a good chance of taking control of the House, but the battle for the Senate is tighter
The party holding the White House typically sees losses in the midterms
Follow the latest developments from the US midterm elections on November 3, 2026:
Democrat James Talarico wins Texas Senate seat
Democrat James Talarico won the Texas US Senate race, defeating President Donald Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton, according to AP data.
The win was monumental for Democrats who had not won statewide for 32 years. Talarico's win also moves Democrats closer to clinching control of the Senate.
Trump carried Texas by 14% points in 2024. He endorsed Paxton, the Texas attorney general, despite the fact that he was at the center of many controversies, including a 2023 impeachment and a securities fraud case.
Talarico, a four-term state legislator, overcame a flood of heavy outside spending, in what became the most expensive Senate race of the cycle.
Democrat Amy Acton beats Ramaswamy for Ohio governor
Amy Acton became the first Democrat to become Ohio Governor after defeating Donald Trump-backed Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.
Acton's stunning win also means she is the first-ever woman to hold the Midwestern state's top post.
Acton, a public health physician and former state health director during the COVID-19 pandemic, beat biotech billionaire Ramaswamy, who had run for the 2024 presidential election.
Trump reacts to Democratic gains, says he was 'not on the ballot'
US President Donald Trump spoke for the first time about the ongoing election results, as sweeping Democratic victories continued.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that the Republican Party would have won in a "landslide" if he had been running, appearing to distance himself from the results, implying that the election was not related to his performance as president.
"I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter," Trump said.
Democrats stun Republicans with Senate win in South Carolina
Democrat Annie Andrews has narrowly beaten Republican Darline Graham, in one of the biggest upsets of election night so far, according to AP projections.
Graham, who was hand-picked by US President Donald Trump, was seeking to take over from her brother, Lindsey Graham, after he suddenly died this year.
Andrews' victory is particularly notable because Graham had prevailed by nearly 18 percentage points two years ago.
Andrews' win and that of Roy Cooper in neighboring North Carolina mean the Democratic Party has secured two of the four seats it needs to gain a majority in the Senate.
Keisha Lance Bottoms becomes first Black woman governor
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms made history by capturing the governorship in the state of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman elected to the top office in any US state, according to Associated Press election projections.
A former Atlanta mayor, Bottoms defeated billionaire health care executive Republican Rick Jackson. The two were contesting the outgoing Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who was term-limited.
"What we do in this moment will echo through history," Bottoms said ahead of election day.
The win is consequential, as Kemp himself fended off two challenges from Stacey Abrams, a prominent voting rights advocate and Democratic fundraiser. Abrams opted against a third run for governor, paving the way for Bottoms' candidacy.
Bottoms is a descendant of enslaved Georgians, but she did not lean on the historic nature of her candidacy during the campaign, but did recount her family's history.
"I am at least a fifth-generation Georgian," she said. "I say 'at least' because we can only trace our family back five generations â to a plantation in Crawfordville."
Bottoms said that her grandfather moved to Atlanta from rural Georgia and had to "walk through these back doors" of downtown buildings she would later enter through the front as mayor.
The Georgia governor's office had been held by Republicans for over two decades, and the result represents a major setback for President Donald Trump, who endorsed Jackson in July and campaigned with him in the Atlanta area in the closing weeks of the race.
Bottoms focused her campaign on promises to expand Medicaid health benefits for those of lower income, to lower costs for families and to protect voting rights.
Meanwhile, Jackson presented himself as a political outsider who had grown up in Georgia's foster care system. He spent more than $100 million (âŦ88 million) of his own fortune on the gubernatorial campaign.
Republicans hold Marco Rubio's Florida Senate seat
Secretary of State Marco Rubio's old Senate seat in Florida was also up for grabs in this election, with Republican Ashley Moody having been appointed to the seat after Rubio took his job in Donald Trump's cabinet.
Moody, who has previously served as Florida's attorney general, was the favorite to win the seat in Florida, where Trump is a resident. The state voted for him by double digits in 2024.
Despite a heavy advantage, Moody had to fend off an unusual challenge from Democrat Angie Nixon and in the end prevailed 51% to 48%, with 99% of ballots reporting, according to Associated Press data.
Trump ally Byron Donalds also succeeded outgoing Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, fighting off a surprisingly strong challenge from Democrat David Jolly. With the win, Donalds became Florida's first African American governor.
Jolly, a former Republican congressman who switched parties and ran a centrist campaign, fell short of a win, with Donalds defeating him by roughly 1.5 percentage points with 99% of ballots reporting.
Ultimately, Republicans held a roughly 1.5 million voter registration advantage over Democrats and both Nixon and Jolly were vastly outspent.
Ossoff: Voters reject Trump's 'depravity, corruption and incompetence'
Jon Ossoff, the 39-year-old Democrat who has won reelection in the southern state of Georgia, has said that his party's "sweeping and decisive" victories in several midterm races on Tuesday show that American voters reject US President Donald Trump.
"The American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of the failed lame duck President Donald J. Trump," Ossoff told supporters after retaining his seat against Republican challenger Mike Collins.
WATCH: What matters most to Texan voters?
As Texans head to the polls in a closely watched Senate race, what matters most to them?
The economy, political division, and domestic issues have dominated the conversation ahead of the vote, which is pitting Republican Ken Paxton against Democrat James Talarico.
But where do Europe, NATO and Ukraine fit into the picture? I put those questions to voters in Texas.
Polls close in Michigan, Texas Senate races
Polls have now closed in a swath of central states, including in the closely watched Senate races in Michigan and Texas.
Young voters move away from Republicans
According to the AP Voter Poll, young voters were among those demographics that swung away from Republicans in this election.
Young voters only make up about 10% of the electorate, according to the poll.
In 2024, Trump had managed to make inroads with voters under 30, who ended up evenly split between him and Kamala Harris.
But in this election, about 7 in 10 of voters under 30 nationally said they supported the Democratic House candidate in their area.
US midterms in charts: What the data tells us
Results are starting to come in from across the US, where people voted for their next Congress.
DW takes a look at who voted Republican, who voted Democrat and what it all means.
Democratic Senator Jon Ossof wins, retains seat
US Senator Jon Ossoff, a rising star in the Democratic Party, won his reelection in Georgia, according to Associated Press data. It is the first major race to be called of the midterm elections.
Ossoff, who has been speculated as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, defeated US Representative Mike Collins in a contest that was once considered competitive, as Georgia has traditionally been a Republican leaning state.
But the rave moved out of reach for Republicans amid Trump's declining approval ratings and Jon Ossoff's popularity in the state.
AI outlook â possibilities, not facts
Democrats will clinch control of the Senate
Likely ¡ Within days
Democrats will take control of the House
Likely ¡ Within days

Democrats won majorities in both the US House and Senate in the 2026 midterms, flipping six Republican Senate seats and crossing the 218-seat threshold in the House. Voter data shows Democrats led among younger, urban, college-educated voters and Black women, while Republicans led among white men and voters aged 65 and up. The economy, immigration, and democracy were key issues, with Trump's approval ratings at under 30%.

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Democrats scored sweeping victories in the U.S. midterm elections, flipping key Republican-held seats in Congress and securing historic wins in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, and Ohio, delivering a setback to President Donald Trump and threatening to constrain his legislative agenda.

Troy Jackson, 58, defeated incumbent Senator Susan Collins in Maine's U.S. Senate race after replacing oysterman Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee. Jackson ran on tying Collins to Republican policies and President Donald Trump, emphasizing his working-class roots and labor advocacy. Collins, Maine's longest-serving member of Congress, had previously won re-election by nine points in 2020.

Democrats have regained control of the US Senate with historic victories across multiple states, giving them leverage over Donald Trump's agenda and appointments for the remainder of his presidency, with full congressional control expected beginning next year.

Democrat Josh Turek has been elected to the US Senate, defeating Republican Representative Ashley Hinson and flipping a Republican-held Iowa seat. Turek, a state representative since 2023 and four-time Paralympian, ends more than a decade without a Democratic senator from Iowa.