Today in One Sentence. Democrats won control of both the House and Senate in the midterm elections to take full control of Congress after flipping seven Republican-held seats in the Senate and more than two dozen Republican-held seats in the House, as well as five Republican-held governorships; Trump spent nearly 20 minutes showing off his White House ballroom the day after Republicans lost control of Congress in the midterms; when Trump eventually addressed questions from reporters about the election results, he congratulated Democrats and said he was “absolutely willing” to accept the election results, but insisted that “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE”; JD Vance blamed the Iran war for Republicans’ midterm losses; and House Speaker Mike Johnson doesn’t plan to stay on as the Republican leader after Democrats won the House.

1/ Democrats won control of both the House and Senate in the midterm elections to take full control of Congress. When the new Congress convenes in January, Democrats will gain control of congressional committees and subpoena powers, allowing them to investigate Trump and his administration during the final two years of his presidency.

2/ Democrats flipped seven Republican-held seats in the Senate – Texas, Iowa, Kansas, South Carolina, Ohio, Maine, and North Carolina – including several states Trump had won by double digits in 2024. Democrats also held on to competitive seats in Georgia, Michigan, and New Hampshire.

3/ In the House, Democrats flipped more than two dozen Republican-held seats across Pennsylvania, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana, and North Carolina. They’re projected to have their largest majority since 2009 with at least 258 seats.

4/ Democrats also flipped five Republican-held governorships, giving the party control of a majority of governors’ offices for the first time since 2010. They won in Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, and Nevada – all states that Trump won in 2024 – while defending their governorships in Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, and Maine.

  • Sources: Associated Press / NPR / New York Times / NBC News / Politico / Washington Post / CNN / CNBC / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CBS News
  • Takeaways from the midterm elections: Reuters / Associated Press / Axios / Washington Post / New York Times / NPR / CNN / CNBC / Bloomberg
  • Missouri voters rejected a Republican-backed amendment that would have restored a near-total abortion ban. The Republican legislature put the measure on the ballot two years after voters approved a constitutional right to abortion. (NPR / New York Times)

  • SENATE

  • Texas: Democratic state Rep. James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Talarico is the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate race since 1988, becoming the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas since 1994. (New York Times / Washington Post / NPR / Associated Press / Axios / Reuters / Bloomberg / NBC News)
  • Kansas: Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton unseated Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, becoming the first Democrat to win a Kansas Senate seat since 1932. Trump carried Kansas by 16 points in 2024. (New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press)
  • South Carolina: Democratic pediatrician Annie Andrews defeated Republican Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed to replace her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham. Andrews is the first woman elected to represent the state in the Senate and the first Democrat to win a Senate race there since 1998. Trump won South Carolina by more than 17 points in 2024. (NPR / Associated Press / New York Times)
  • Maine: Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican Sen. Susan Collins, ending her nearly 30-year Senate career. Jackson will become Maine’s first Democratic senator since 1995. (CBS News / NPR / Axios)
  • Ohio: Former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown unseated Republican Sen. Jon Husted, returning to the Senate two years after losing re-election. Husted was appointed in 2025 to replace JD Vance after Vance became vice president. (New York Times / NBC News / NPR)
  • North Carolina: Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley, Trump’s handpicked candidate and former Republican National Committee chairman. Cooper will succeed retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis to become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from North Carolina since 2008. (New York Times / Associated Press)
  • Iowa: Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek defeated Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson to flip the seat held by retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. Iowa last elected a Democratic senator in 2008. (NBC News / New York Times / Axios)
  • Georgia: Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff defeated Republican Rep. Mike Collins. Ossoff was the only incumbent Senate Democrat seeking re-election in a state Trump won in 2024. (New York Times / NPR / NBC News)
  • Michigan: Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers, becoming the first Muslim American elected to the U.S. Senate. El-Sayed overcame attacks on his religion from Trump and other Republicans, as well as a last-minute endorsement of Rogers by his former Democratic primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens. (Axios / NPR / NBC News)
  • New Hampshire: Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas defeated former Republican Sen. John Sununu to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Pappas will become the first openly gay man to serve in the U.S. Senate. (New York Times / Axios)
  • Florida: Republican Sen. Ashley Moody defeated Democrat Angie Nixon in a special election for the seat vacated by Marco Rubio, who became Trump’s secretary of state. (NBC News)

  • GOVERNORSHIPS

  • Texas: Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, ending more than three decades of Republican control of the governorship. Hinojosa will become Texas’ first Latina governor and its first Democrat to hold the office since 1995. (NBC News / NPR)
  • Georgia: Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican billionaire Rick Jackson, becoming the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history and the first woman to serve as Georgia’s governor. Bottoms is also the first Democrat elected governor of Georgia since 1998. (Reuters / Associated Press / New York Times / Washington Post)
  • Ohio: Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, becoming the first woman elected governor of Ohio and the first Democrat to win the office since 2006. (NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times)
  • Iowa: Democrat Rob Sand defeated Republican businessman Zach Lahn, becoming the first Democrat elected governor of Iowa since 2006. Trump carried Iowa by more than 13 points in 2024. (NBC News / NPR)
  • Nevada: Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford defeated Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, becoming the state’s first Black governor. (New York Times)
  • Wisconsin: Democrat David Crowley defeated Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, becoming Wisconsin’s first Black governor. (NBC News / NPR)
  • Michigan: Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson defeated Republican Rep. John James to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Benson defended Michigan’s 2020 election results against Trump’s false claims of voter fraud. (Michigan Public)
  • Arizona: Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs won re-election against Trump-backed Republican Rep. Andy Biggs, holding the governorship in a state Trump carried in 2024.
  • Minnesota: Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar defeated Republican Lisa Demuth, becoming Minnesota’s first female governor. (Axios)
  • New Mexico: Democrat Deb Haaland defeated Republican Gregg Hull to become the first Native American woman elected governor in U.S. history. (New York Times)
  • California: Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra defeated Trump-backed Republican Steve Hilton to succeed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Becerra will become California’s first elected Latino governor. (KQED / NBC News / New York Times)
  • Florida: Republican Rep. Byron Donalds defeated Democrat David Jolly to become Florida’s first Black governor. (NPR)
  • Tennessee: Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn defeated Democrat Jerri Green, becoming Tennessee’s first female governor. (Axios)
  • Pennsylvania: Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro defeated Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity to win a second term. (WESA / Spotlight PA)
  • Maine: Democrat Hannah Pingree defeated Republican Bobby Charles and independent Rick Bennett to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. (Maine Public)

5/ Trump spent nearly 20 minutes showing off his White House ballroom the day after Republicans lost control of Congress in the midterms. Standing at the construction site where he demolished the East Wing, Trump detailed the ballroom’s underground kitchen, marble, and security features, saying it would be “the most beautiful ballroom, I think, anywhere in the world” and the “safest place in Washington.” He also explained why the kitchen would be underground, saying “If I put the kitchen on top, you would lose three walls, because a kitchen takes about 30% of the space.” Trump then wrote “Love!” on the final steel beam, signed his name, and watched workers hoist it into place. About two-thirds of voters have said Trump doesn’t have the right priorities. Meanwhile, when Trump eventually addressed questions from reporters about the election results, he congratulated Democrats and said he was “absolutely willing” to accept the election results, but insisted that “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” He blamed Republican candidates for the losses, saying some “could have been better” and that “some of them had a lot of flaws,” even though he had endorsed several who lost. Trump, however, conceded that higher oil prices caused by his war with “Iran was a piece of it,“but defended his decision to start the war, saying: “I did the right thing. I would have done it again.” Trump nevertheless offered to work with Democrats’ new congressional majorities, but warned that “I have total veto power, so they have to come to us.” He later posted a picture of a red hat with “VETO” on it. (Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / New York Times / Washington Post / Axios / Reuters / Wall Street Journal / PBS News / CBS News / CNN)

  • EARLIER: Trump spent election night blaming Fox News for Republican midterm losses, claiming that the network “bears responsibility for these losses by constantly and consistently putting on the Dumocrat opposition.” Throughout election night, Trump attacked the network’s coverage, polling, and personalities, called co-host Jessica Tarlov “DUMB AS A ROCK,” and texted her colleague Greg Gutfeld to complain about her. Trump called Fox’s polls “the worst,” claiming “Every question is a hit job,” and blamed the network’s 27% ratings decline on its coverage of Democrats. “It’s them, not me,” Trump insisted. Minutes later, he called into Fox for a live interview where he complained that “The Fox polls are terrible. You ought to get yourself a good pollster,” before acknowledging that the election had been “an evening that was not that pleasant.” (Axios / New York Times / Washington Post / CNBC)

6/ JD Vance blamed the Iran war for Republicans’ midterm losses. “The reason we lost is the war,” he said, arguing that Republicans should acknowledge the political cost of the conflict. “If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so.” Citing an unnamed pollster, Vance claimed that voters who supported him and Trump in 2024 instead voted for Democrats in 2026 for four reasons: to end the war, focus on the cost of living and inflation, put America first, and change the U.S. relationship with Israel. Trump, meanwhile, called Vance’s assessment “largely true,” but downplayed the war’s impact, saying it drove gasoline prices up “a little bit short term.” (New York Times / NBC News / CBS News / Politico / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Axios)

7/ House Speaker Mike Johnson doesn’t plan to stay on as the Republican leader after Democrats won the House. Johnson said that the demands of leadership had required sacrifices from his family and that “the time has come” to give them more attention. Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan both said that they plan to run for minority leader. Trump said he would stay out of the race. (NPR / Washington Post / Politico / Axios / NBC News / CBS News / Bloomberg)

The 2028 presidential election is in 734 days.