Democrats are projected to win control of the United States Senate in the 2026 midterm elections, completing a sweep of Congress after already being projected to win back the House of Representatives earlier on election night.
Decision Desk HQ and NBC News projected the Senate result just before 11:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, November 3, with CNN following minutes later, according to election-night coverage. The call gives Democrats control of both chambers for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s second term.
The result is a projection, not a certified final count. Votes were still being counted in some races, and state officials will certify final tallies in the coming days and weeks.
How Democrats reached a Senate majority
Republicans entered election day with 53 Senate seats, against 45 Democrats and two independents who caucus with the Democrats, a total of 47. Democrats therefore needed a net gain of four seats to reach 51 and take outright control, since a 50-50 Senate would have been broken by Republican Vice President JD Vance.
USA Today reported flips in six states: South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa. The scale of that haul surprised forecasters who had expected a Democratic House win but a much closer Senate fight.
In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Senator Darline Graham. In North Carolina, former Governor Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley to succeed retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis, in a state Trump carried in three consecutive presidential elections.
In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the race to succeed retiring Senator John Cornyn, becoming the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate seat since 1988. In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Senator Roger Marshall, the first Democrat to win a Kansas Senate seat since 1932.
In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted to recapture a seat he had lost two years earlier, according to CNN and NBC News projections reported in election-night coverage. In Iowa, Democrat Josh Turek flipped a Senate seat as part of the state’s wider Democratic surge.
One Senate race remained uncalled in the coverage reviewed: in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed was seeking to keep the seat in Democratic hands.
What the sweep changes
With the House already projected to flip, the Senate call ends the Republican trifecta that held at the start of the year. Democrats will now control the legislative agenda in both chambers, including which bills reach the floor, as well as the Senate’s confirmation and oversight powers.
The result also reshapes the final two years of Trump’s presidency. A Democratic Congress can block the administration’s legislative programme, while the White House retains executive powers and the veto. How far that confrontation goes will depend on the final seat counts once every race is certified, and on whether Democrats can hold together a majority built from states Trump won in 2024.
For voters, the immediate consequence is a divided federal government: a Republican president facing a Democratic House and Senate. That is the backdrop against which the next budget, tax and regulatory fights will now be fought.
What is still unknown
The final Senate margin is not yet settled, because some races remained uncalled and counting continued after the projections. The projections also do not change the certified result in any state: election officials must still complete their counts and certify winners.
The next steps to watch are the certification of the remaining races, the final seat tally in both chambers, and the choice of Senate leadership for the new Congress, which takes office in January.
Frequently asked questions
Have Democrats officially won the Senate?
Not yet in certified terms. Decision Desk HQ and NBC News have projected a Democratic Senate majority, and CNN followed with the same call. Final results depend on certification by state officials.
How many seats did Democrats need to flip?
Four net seats, to move from 47 seats including independents who caucus with them to 51, an outright majority.
Which states flipped?
USA Today reported flips in South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa.
Sources
- USA Today, “Democrats win control of Congress in sharp rebuke of Trump” — https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/11/03/democrats-win-senate-midterm-elections-2026/92461757007/
- TheWrap, “Democrats Projected to Flip House and Senate in 2026 Midterms, Ending GOP Control” — https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/tv/democrats-flip-house-2026-midterm-election-results/
Related on Emadan: Democrats projected to win back control of the US House and Mark Warner wins a fourth term in the Virginia Senate race.
