Democrats take both US congressional chambers as Republicans search for answers after midterms

Democrats take both chambers

Democrats won majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, ending the Republican control that existed in both chambers until now. SRF reported that all 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats were up for election. Le Monde.fr reported that Democrats had secured at least 229 House seats, against 139 for Republicans, with 67 seats still undecided when its analysis was published on 4 November. Le Monde.fr described the outcome as a Democratic wave that has shifted Congress toward the party and called Trump's defeat clear.

Democrats (at least)229

Republicans139

Undecided67

Democrats (at least)

229 seats

Republicans

139 seats

Undecided

67 seats

Data from the article text

Record number of Democratic women and Latino leaders

Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that more Democratic women won seats in these midterms than ever before. Trump had tried to portray them as radicals, but the newspaper said women such as Gina Hinojosa stand for pragmatic politics. Hinojosa is the governor-designate of Texas and will become the state's first female governor. Süddeutsche Zeitung also reported that Hinojosa and Xavier Becerra in California, both of Latin American descent, will govern the two most important states. The paper framed the vote of Latino Americans as a constituency more important than ever.

Republicans look for explanations

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas wrote on X that too many Republican politicians either did not understand or did not care about the economic worries and hardship of many Americans. He cited high gasoline prices, a growing number of foreclosure auctions and vehicle repossessions, and a record number of people donating blood plasma every week. Cruz said the economic strain had been a key reason for the Republican defeat and compared the rebuke to the Watergate era. N-tv reported that US expert Peter Kleim compared the Republican defeat to the Nixon era, noting that the Washington Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal were unusually united in their assessment.

Trump, Vance and the next phase

Le Monde.fr analysed that the Democratic takeover of Congress ushers in a period of power-sharing, but that Trump still retains considerable freedom of action in matters of war, appointments and veto power. SRF's live coverage reported that Trump defended the Iran war despite the election loss, and that Vice President JD Vance said the Iran war was responsible for the defeat. According to media reports cited by SRF, House Republican Mike Johnson does not want to become minority leader. Bernie Sanders described the result as a vote against Trump, and the German chancellor said he does not expect a change in Trump's policy. SRF also reported that Elon Musk was among the biggest losers and that the Swiss market index SMI rose as the midterm results came in.