Democrats win House as Senate gains put Congress under their control

Democrats have won control of the US House of Representatives in the midterm elections, the Associated Press reported on 4 November 2026, while BBC and Axios reports also put the Senate in Democratic hands. The results place Congress under Democratic control for the remaining two years of Donald Trump’s presidency.²³⁴

From forecasts to a majority

The reports of victory followed an earlier Guardian account that described Democrats as likely to capture the House. That report put the existing balance at 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats and said Democrats needed to flip three seats to reach the 218 required for a majority.¹

The Guardian cited a Cook Political Report forecast of Democratic gains of 15 to 25 seats, with a possible total of 230 to 240. It also reported that the Center for Politics placed 239 seats in the Democratic column. Those figures were forecasts, rather than a final count of seats won.¹

Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become speaker following the Democratic victory, according to AP. He would be the first Black person to hold the post. According to AP, Democrats plan to confront the Trump administration throughout the remaining two years of his term.³

Oversight and district results

A House majority would give Democrats control of committees and the ability to issue subpoenas, the Guardian reported. According to the Guardian, Democrats have indicated that their inquiries could examine the Trump family business, enforcement of immigration laws, issues connected with Jeffrey Epstein, and Robert F Kennedy Jr’s approach to vaccine protocols and guidance.¹

The Guardian reported that Republicans had redrawn congressional districts in several states at Trump’s request. Among the Democratic winners it identified was Kathy Castor in a redrawn Florida district including Tampa, which the newspaper said Trump would have carried by 11 percentage points in 2024.¹

Other House results reported by the Guardian included victories for Jared Moskowitz in Florida’s 25th district and Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the state’s 20th. In North Carolina, Jamie Ager won the 11th district, turning the seat from Republican to Democratic control.¹

Senate gains and Georgia projection

In North Carolina’s Senate contest, former Democratic governor Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley, the BBC reported. It described the result as the Democrats’ first Senate-seat gain of the night and their first Senate election victory in the state since 2008.²

The BBC also projected a second Senate term for Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff and a victory for Chris Pappas over former Republican senator John Sununu in New Hampshire. The BBC said Pappas would be the Senate’s first elected member who is an openly gay man.²

In Georgia’s governor’s race, the BBC projected that former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms would win. She would become Georgia’s first Black governor and the first woman elected to its highest office, ending more than 20 years without a Democratic governor, according to the broadcaster.²