Democrats will win back control of the US House of Representatives, CNN and Decision Desk HQ projected on Tuesday night, November 3, ending Republican control of the chamber and setting up divided government for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term.
USA TODAY’s live election coverage reported the projection at 10:08 p.m. ET on November 3. Newsmax had separately projected a Democratic House win earlier in the evening, at 9:09 p.m. ET. A projection is a call by an election desk based on counted votes and statistical modelling — it is not an official or certified result, and the final seat count will only be confirmed once counting and certification are complete.
A party needs 218 of the House’s 435 seats to hold a majority. Before the election, Republicans held 218 seats to the Democrats’ 214, with two vacancies and one independent, so Democrats needed a net gain of three seats to take control.
The night’s decisive results
Several results helped deliver the projected majority. In South Carolina, Democratic challenger Annie Andrews defeated Republican Senator Darline Graham in what USA TODAY called arguably the biggest upset of the 2026 midterms, although that was a Senate race rather than a House contest.
In the House itself, Democrat Jamie Ager captured North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, defeating Republican Jennifer Balkcom and flipping a Republican-held seat. In Florida, Democrats won at least three House seats that Republicans had targeted through redistricting, according to CNN, while Representative Jared Moskowitz held on in Florida’s 25th District despite a redraw designed to favour Republicans.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York is positioned to become speaker when the new Congress convenes in January, Newsmax reported, if the projection holds through certification.
What about the Senate?
Senate control had not been projected at the time of the House call. USA TODAY reported Democrats were “closing in on the Senate” after the Andrews upset, but the party needed a net gain of four seats to erase the Republicans’ 53-47 advantage, and several Senate races remained uncalled late on election night.
That distinction matters: a projected House majority does not settle control of Congress as a whole. If Democrats hold the House but fall short in the Senate, the result is still divided government, but with the Senate remaining in Republican hands.
What divided government means
A Democratic House majority would sharply increase congressional oversight of the Trump administration in 2027 and 2028, including through committee investigations and subpoena power. It would also make it far harder for the White House to pass its legislative agenda without Democratic support, since bills must clear both chambers.
The new Congress convenes in January. Until then, the outgoing Republican House majority remains in place, and the projected result changes nothing about the current balance of power in Washington.
What is still unknown
The final House seat count, the size of the Democratic majority, and the outcome of the Senate battle were all still to be settled as counting continued after election night. Vote totals in many districts were incomplete when the projections were made, and certified results will take days or longer in some states.
Readers should therefore treat the House outcome as projected, not final, until official results confirm it — even though two major election desks reached the same call on the night.
Frequently asked questions
Have Democrats officially won the House?
No — not yet. CNN and Decision Desk HQ have projected a Democratic win, and Newsmax made the same projection, but official certified results are still to come.
How many seats does a party need to control the House?
218 out of 435. Before the election, Republicans held 218 seats and Democrats 214, so Democrats needed a net gain of three seats.
Who would become speaker?
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York is positioned to become speaker in January if the Democratic projection holds.
Is Senate control decided?
No. Senate control had not been projected when the House was called, and Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to overcome the Republicans’ 53-47 edge.
Related coverage: Mark Warner’s Virginia Senate win; Maura Healey’s Massachusetts win
Sources
- USA TODAY, “Democrats win House control in a rebuke of Trump: Live election results”, November 3, 2026: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/11/03/midterm-elections-results-updates-2026–live/91892413007/
- Newsmax, “Democrats Projected to Gain Control of the House”, November 3, 2026: https://www.newsmax.com/politics/democrats-house-midterms/2026/11/03/id/1275042
- USA TODAY, “How many seats do Dems need to overcome the veto? A guide to results”, November 3, 2026: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/11/03/majority-supermajority-winning-midterms/92463708007/
