Democrats win US midterms, taking Senate and House and reshaping Trump's political standing

Democrats take the Senate and head for the House

Democrats took control of the Senate on Wednesday, 4 November, with results still coming in, and were on course to dominate the House of Representatives after the midterms held on Tuesday, 3 November. Hakeem Jeffries is on course to become the first Black Speaker of the House, a role he would have to fill as well as Nancy Pelosi did during her two decades at the helm. The Senate margin is wide enough that Democrats no longer need to worry about the wavering votes of John Fetterman.

Wins across Republican-held states

In Texas, James Talarico became the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the state in almost 40 years, and Gina Hinojosa, a young Hispanic woman, replaced Governor Greg Abbott. Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed won his seat for the Democrats and is the first Arab American Muslim elected to the US Senate. In Georgia, Jon Ossoff held his Senate seat by a wide margin, and Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected governor, becoming the first Black woman to hold the office. Ohio elected a Democratic senator and a Democratic governor. Republican veteran Susan Collins was swept away, and the wave reached Kansas, which had not elected a Democrat since 1932.

What the defeat means for Trump

A POLITICO column argues that Trump's fundamental theory of power is in ruins, because his second term has rested on fear and on foreign governments, companies and institutions submitting to him. The same column says that losing the House and Senate is almost incidental next to that shift, while he still holds expansive authority over foreign policy. Ian Dunt, writing for inews, says Trump has lost control of Congress and of the country, and calls it the beginning of the end.

A Guardian column by Claire Finkelstein urges the 120th Congress to use sustained oversight investigations, subpoenas and public testimony from Trump's inner circle. She cites a September poll finding that 53% of those surveyed believe the president is corrupt, and warns that a Republican filibuster in the Senate and a likely veto will limit legislative change.

Europe welcomes the result, with caution

European leaders welcomed the result on Wednesday, 4 November, as a chance to moderate strained transatlantic relations, while cautioning that Europe should keep reducing its reliance on Washington. Spain's prime minister Pedro Sánchez, Trump's most vocal critic among EU leaders, presented the result as a positive sign for his own re-election fight in November 2026. He wrote on X that the far-right wave was crumbling:

“The far-right wave is no longer growing. It is crumbling.”

Sánchez faces an uphill battle, as polls show the mainstream conservative People's Party and the far-right Vox on course for a right-of-centre majority in parliament. Stefan Löfven, president of the Party of European Socialists, said the vote gave Americans a chance to return their democracy to normal, and added:

“Congress now has a mandate to do its job: to scrutinise, legislate and hold the president to account.”

Germany's defence minister Boris Pistorius congratulated the Democrats and called the result a historic victory, but on Trump's next steps he said:

“What we can expect now remains to be seen.”

Campaign spending before the vote

Ian Dunt writes that Republicans spent $183m on around 217,000 TV spots nationwide in the weeks before the vote, and that Elon Musk spent $446 million on Republican candidates, particularly in Texas. He also cites a rally in Corinth, Mississippi on Monday, where Trump accused Democrats of promoting the transgender mutilisation of children, and says Republicans branded Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a jihadist.

Republican anti-trans TV ad campaign183

Elon Musk, Republican candidates446

Republican anti-trans TV ad campaign

183 $ million

Elon Musk, Republican candidates

446 $ million

Data from the article text