Democrats win control of both US House and Senate in midterms, as Trump faces limits at home

Democrats take both chambers

Democrats won control of the Senate and the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections, a result that LBC commentary described as a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump. The margin was larger than Democrats had hoped for and larger than opinion polls had suggested, according to the same LBC analysis, published on 4 November. The Financial Times reported that Democrats won closely watched Senate races in Michigan and Maine, as well as contests in conservative strongholds including Texas and Kansas. The FT added that the results were mostly in at the time of its report.

Oversight at home

Since Trump won the 2024 election alongside Republican majorities in both chambers, Republicans on Capitol Hill largely backed his agenda, according to a New York Times analysis that said the executive branch had acted with little check on spending, tariffs and war powers. Democrats now say they will investigate the administration and push back against it. Hakeem Jeffries, the New York Democrat in line to become speaker, said the party would hold to account those he accused of corruption.

“We are going to bring accountability to those who have visited unprecedented corruption on this country.”

LBC noted that the new majorities could examine Pete Hegseth, Todd Blanche, Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem and Elon Musk, along with the business interests that have benefited from their closeness to the White House. Sky News said Trump would face a two-year ordeal of investigations, budget constraints and gridlock in a hostile Congress.

Limits abroad and the Iran war

Several commentaries drew a sharper line between home and abroad. LBC argued that Democrats could pass resolutions demanding an end to the war in Iran, but Trump could ignore them or veto any such legislation, and Democrats would lack the two-thirds majorities needed to override vetoes. BBC analysis said Trump still holds broad powers as commander-in-chief to use America's military. Sky News's Dominic Waghorn wrote that unilateral presidential powers are wider overseas than at home. The BBC reported a limited US air attack on an Iranian island in the Gulf on the eve of the midterm elections. Before he was hospitalised with a stroke, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy attended a classified briefing on potential military options for a renewed war with Iran, calling the plans 'insane' and warning of a 'devastating escalation'.

What comes next

The BBC said Tehran is watching the American debate closely and has made no secret of its satisfaction that its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has become a domestic political issue in the US. The BBC linked rising prices of petrol, diesel and agricultural fertilisers to the war, saying they had damaged Trump and the Republicans. Sky News expected Trump to seek more peace deals and summit photo opportunities with leaders such as Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, or else to escalate the war with Iran. The Telegraph argued that JD Vance was wrong to blame the Iran war alone for the Republican defeat. A New York Times opinion column said Trump may relish a two-year fight with a Democratic Congress, and Bloomberg Business said his foreign policy agenda is set to become less restrained now that Democrats control Congress.