After the Democrats' clear victories in the US midterm elections, Senate faction leader Chuck Schumer expects to continue to represent his party as majority leader in the Senate in the future. “I will be re-elected as majority leader,” Schumer told reporters on Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump has admitted that the Iran war played a role in the midterms. “The Iran thing was something we had to do and we continue to do,” Trump said Wednesday after his Republicans suffered multiple defeats in the midterm elections.
US President Donald Trump spoke about his architectural projects in his first public appearance in front of TV cameras after his Republicans' crushing defeat in the general election. Trump particularly praised the ballroom that he is having built at the White House. It will be the “most beautiful ballroom in the whole world,” said the US President at the construction site. Trump also referred to his plan to build a triumphal arch and renovate an old golf course in the US capital.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz does not expect any major policy changes from US President Donald Trump in response to the results of the US midterms. "In the last two years, Trump has largely ruled bypassing Congress. Why should that be different now?" said Merz on Wednesday at the SPD economic forum. Trump worked most of the time with executive orders and could make decisions very independently of Congress. “What will be different is the budget planning and therefore of course the planning of the armed forces,” added the CDU chairman. But this will take time.
US Vice President JD Vance has attributed the Republican defeats in the midterm elections to the Iran war. “The reason we lost is the war,” President Donald Trump’s deputy wrote in a lengthy online post on Wednesday. “If you want to argue that it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do it,” he wrote. "Argue that it was worth the cost. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest."
House Speaker Mike Johnson is not running for minority leader after losing the Republican majority in the midterm elections, according to an insider. The Louisiana politician informed his staff of his decision that morning, a person familiar with the matter said. It was initially unclear who would become the Republican leader in the House of Representatives in an internal party election expected next week. Conservative Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio was expected to announce his candidacy later today.
Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expects continued close cooperation with the government and parliament in Washington after the congressional elections in the USA. He even assumes that the cooperation will be broader, more extensive and “perhaps also more interesting in some aspects,” said Wadephul in Berlin. “But I don’t see any difficulty in that at all.” He himself has “a completely intact relationship” with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “I am also used to working very intensively with representatives of the Congress and I would be happy if this could be intensified again in the future,” the minister added.
Almost all Senate elections have been counted, but a real election thriller is still to come in the US state of Mississippi later on Thursday. Democratic candidate Scott Colom is 43 votes ahead of Cindy Hyde-Smith, the Republican incumbent. Around 96 percent of the votes have already been counted, and more votes are expected to be added from this morning (local time). None of the television channels or news agencies are currently committing to a likely outcome. This interim result is extremely surprising: the Democratic candidate was given very little chance in the run-up to the election. If he actually wins, it would be one of the biggest surprises of the entire midterms.
The First Parliamentary Managing Director of the AfD parliamentary group, Bernd Baumann, has blamed US President Donald Trump for the Republicans' debacle in the midterm elections. “As president, he made unnecessary mistakes,” Baumann told Handelsblatt. The AfD politician specifically mentioned the import tariffs that had driven up inflation. The “continuing smoldering of the Iran conflict including the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz” has driven up energy prices even further. To combat inflation, the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates. “All in all, an environment that affected and disappointed many voters personally,” said Baumann. The AfD MP is already counting on the time after Trump. Since he cannot run again as president, “we hope for a capable Republican successor who will better serve the anti-woken majorities in the USA politically,” said Baumann. Trump was elected because the majority of US voters wanted “an end to woke establishment supremacy.” “That’s what connects us to him.”
According to projections, for the first time in around 15 years, Democrats will again have the majority of governors in the USA. At least 26 of the country's 50 governorships will be held by Democrats and at least 20 by Republicans. The remaining races had not yet been decided. Before the midterms, 26 states had a Republican governor and 24 states had Democrats. In 36 of the 50 states, the governorship was on the ballot in the general election. Six Democratic and eight Republican governors were not up for election this time. The Democrats won at least four governorships - with Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, Rob Sand in Iowa, Gina Hinojosa in Texas and Amy Acton in Ohio.
In the USA, the midterm elections took place at the midpoint of President Donald Trump's current four-year term in office. The focus was on the House of Representatives and the Senate. There were also numerous votes at the state and local levels.
The race for seats in the Senate also became close in the Republican strongholds in the western United States. On Wednesday morning, however, it was clear: the Republican candidate was able to prevail against an independent candidate in both Montana and Idaho.
According to projections, the Democrats defended their seat in the contested state of Michigan in the election for the US Senate. Its left-wing candidate Abdul El-Sayed won the election and will become the first Muslim senator in the United States, the AP news agency reported based on voter surveys and vote counts.
After the clear defeat in the midterms in the USA, President Donald Trump congratulated the Democrats on their victory. "Well, I'll say this: Congratulations to the Democrats. They've done a good job," Trump told Fox News. The Democrats have been working towards this moment for a long time. However, Trump did not see the defeat in the midterms as a personal defeat. “I wasn’t on the ballot,” he said.
US President Donald Trump has blamed Fox News for the Republicans' bitter defeat in the midterms. The station bears responsibility because it constantly focuses on Democrats “and worse,” he said on his Truth Social platform. The Fox News channel is considered conservative and gives the president significantly more airtime than other major US channels. Before the election, he had reported largely negatively on Democratic candidates in crucial Senate races.
According to projections, Democrat Deb Haaland has become the first indigenous woman in US history to be elected governor. Haaland defeated Republican Gregg Hull in the state of New Mexico, as the AP news agency reported based on voter surveys and vote counts. Her election victory was predicted in polls. Haaland, born in 1960, was previously, among other things, Interior Minister under US President Joe Biden between 2021 and 2025 - making her the first indigenous woman to hold a ministerial post in the USA.
The Democrats were also able to prevail in Maine. Troy Jackson defeated Susan Collins. The Republican started the race as the favorite and incumbent. Maine is the seventh state that the Democrats will take from the Republicans. Four would have been enough for a majority in the Senate.
The defeated Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton has congratulated his Democratic rival James Talarico on his victory in the midterm elections in the US state of Texas. Paxton said shortly after the election results were announced that he would pray for Talarico and hope that he would do a good job for Texas and the USA. At the same time, Paxton acknowledged Republican losses in the midterm elections in other parts of the country. “We have had a difficult evening across the country today, but it is not over yet,” he said.
Democrat David Crowley has won the gubernatorial election in the US state of Wisconsin, making him the first black governor in the state's 178-year history. He defeated Republican Tom Tiffany, who has close ties to US President Donald Trump.
The Democrats have won the majority in the Senate. The Democrats' Josh Turek has won the up-for-election Senate seat in Iowa, taking another post from the Republicans. This gives the Democrats the required majority of 51 seats in the Senate. After the House of Representatives, US President Donald Trump also lost the majority in the second chamber.
The governorships in Republican-held US states Iowa and Texas went to Democrats in the midterm elections. Democrat Rob Sand defeated Republican challenger Zach Lahn in Iowa, according to data from the AP news agency. Democrat Gina Hinojosa won against Greg Abbott in Texas.
Democratic candidate Adam Hamilton has won the Senate race in Kansas. He defeated the Republicans' Roger Marshall. Since 1932, the Republican candidate has always won in Kansas. This means the Democrats have secured 50 seats in the Senate. The next state that falls to the Democrats is equivalent to a majority in the Senate.
US President Donald Trump has announced that he will recognize the results of the congressional elections. "We will work with the Democrats, and we look forward to it. We will probably find a solution," he told the New York Times.
