There are signs of some important successes for the Democrats in the US midterm elections. This is unanimously reported by US media based on post-election surveys and initial counting results.
Democrats can count on a majority in the House of Representatives
Before the election, it was expected that the Democrats would be able to take the majority in the House of Representatives from the Republicans. There are now concrete indications that this could actually happen.
According to forecasts by the AP news agency, several seats that were previously held by the Republicans will go to the Democrats. Accordingly, in a constituency in the state of North Carolina, Democrat Jamie Ager won a seat that was previously held by a Republican.
In the US state of New Jersey, Democrat Rebecca Bennett will replace Republican Congressman Tom Kean. The former soldier prevailed against the representative, who had already served two terms in the House of Representatives. The constituency changed parties in the previous two midterm elections and was therefore considered contested this time too.
In the state of Florida, Democrats Kathy Castor and Jared Moskowitz defended their seats. Democrat Pia Dandiya defended her district in South Florida. This is notable because Republicans redrew the boundaries of all three constituencies in their favor this year. They wanted to capture several seats that had previously been held by Democrats in order to compensate for expected losses in other parts of the country.
So far, the Republicans have a narrow majority in the House of Representatives - they currently hold 218 of the 435 seats. In the midterms, all seats in the House of Representatives will be reassigned. In 2024, the Republicans won 220 seats and the Democrats 215.
Important Senate positions for Democrats
Before the election, it was questionable whether the Democrats could also win a majority in the second chamber of Congress, the Senate. Now there are signs of a change - Democrats defeated their Republican competition in three states.
In North Carolina, Republicans lost a Senate seat to Democrat Roy Cooper, according to AP calculations. He defeated Republican Michael Whatley.
In neighboring South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Darline Graham Nordone, according to the AP. Graham Nordone is the sister of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died this summer.
There are signs of a surprise in Texas: According to AP calculations, Democrat James Talarico will prevail there and win a Senate seat for his party there for the first time in more than 30 years. He defeated President Trump-backed candidate Ken Paxton.
The Democrats also won ten other states that were considered safe. These include Delaware, Colorado, Illinois and Massachusetts. Incumbent Jon Ossoff also won in Georgia. Republicans defended their Senate positions in Wyoming, Florida, Kentucky and West Virginia.
There are numerous races open where Republicans have a higher chance of winning. In order to gain control of the Senate, the Democrats must gain a total of four additional seats.
First black female governor in the USA?
Governors are also elected in 36 states. According to US media calculations, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won in Georgia. The former adviser to President Joe Biden would be the first black woman in US history to become head of government in a state.
In addition, according to calculations, the Democrats were able to defend their governorships in at least seven states. Among those re-elected were the Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, and the Governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro. Republicans defended at least two governorships. In Florida, according to forecasts from at least two broadcasters, the Republican Byron Donald will be the new governor, succeeding his party colleague Ron DeSantis.
Governors are usually elected for four-year terms. In their states, they have similar powers to those of the US President for the country: They head the executive branch, can approve or veto laws and appoint judges.
