Democrats Win Control of Congress

Republicans are projected to lose their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, putting Democrats on track for majorities in both chambers of Congress.

At 1:26 am ET, The Associated Press projected that Democrats had cleared the 218-seat threshold to take control of the House. The party had already reclaimed control of the Senate earlier Tuesday evening.

“Today begins the great American comeback,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the heir apparent to the speaker’s gavel, with Democrats’ victory in the House.

“The American people … have had enough of the corruption. They want a Congress that’s going to deliver for the American people and that’s exactly what House Democrats will do as soon as we get into office in January.”

President Donald Trump, speaking to Fox News after Democrats won Senate Control, congratulated Democrats on their win. “You worked very hard,” he said.

The president also said he would work with Democrats on certain issues, but not others like the border or transgender issues.

House Gains

So far, they’ve won in a slate of critical races, including flips in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District and New Jersey’s Seventh Congressional District.

Around 9:15 p.m. ET, The Associated Press projected that Democrat Jamie Ager would defeat state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom in the open race to replace Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District. Ager is a farmer and business cofounder.

At the time, Democrats led in every North Carolina congressional election aside from the Fifth Congressional District, currently held by incumbent Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican.

Democrats have flipped a second seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, taking New Jersey’s Seventh Congressional District.

At the time of publication, Democrat Rebecca Bennett led incumbent Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) by more than 20 percentage points with 70 percent of the vote counted.

Kean has drawn intense scrutiny for missing 100 days of Congress without providing a reason. He later disclosed that he was receiving treatment for depression.

The seat had been a top target for Democrats.

Democrats also survived in districts that had been redrawn to benefit Republicans.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), and Pia Dandiya won their races in Florida’s Districts 25, 14, and 22, respectively, after Republicans redrew these districts to favor the GOP.

Moskowitz defeated former Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer, Dandiya defeated Casey Askar, and Castor beat Mike Beltran.

Democrats have also flipped three seats in Pennsylvania, a seat in southern Virginia, a Kentucky seat, an Ohio seat, a New York seat, among others. They lead in other critical races, including in the states of South Carolina and New York.

Senate Flips Blue

Democrats have already won key victories in the Senate, becoming the winners in critical battlegrounds such as South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, New Hampshire, Texas, Kansas, Iowa, and Ohio.

The victories in South Carolina, Texas, and Kansas are particularly indicative of the national mood, as these states were seen as safely Republican at the start of the cycle.

Hundreds of attendees at Sen. Jon Ossoff’s (D-Ga.) watch party in downtown Atlanta erupted in cheers as The Associated Press called his victory over Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) around 8 p.m. ET.

As of this writing, Ossoff led Collins by nearly 18 percentage points.

The newly reelected senator is not set to speak at his watch party for another couple of hours. Other Democratic lawmakers, including Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, are scheduled to speak before him.

In North Carolina, Sen.-elect Roy Cooper prevailed over former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley by nearly 20 points.

Both North Carolina and Georgia backed President Donald Trump by more than two percentage points in 2024.

With a majority, Democrats will gain control of the House and Senate congressional committees—including the all-important subpoena power, which will allow the party to carry out sweeping investigations into the Trump administration. Democrats have vowed to carry out such investigations, though the party is divided about the prospect of pursuing another impeachment.

The Democratic victory also sets the stage for protracted showdowns with the White House over government spending and other key areas of federal policy, as was the case when Democrats swept the House midway through Trump’s first term.

It now remains to be seen how much the party can expand its majority beyond the 218-seat threshold.

A larger majority will be essential for Jeffries, who now faces the prospect of overseeing an ideologically fractious caucus divided between progressive and moderate Democrats.