Democrats Take Control of the Senate
The party won easily in former toss-up states and flipped GOP strongholds
Democrats gained control of the Senate in Tuesday’s midterm election, unofficial results show, flipping seats in at least seven states, including Texas, Ohio, Kansas and South Carolina. It marks the first time Democrats will have a majority in the upper chamber since 2021.
Here are the latest projections as of Wednesday morning (and reminder these are still considered unofficial results until they have been certified):
In a victory that was almost inconceivable a year ago, Texas state legislator James Talarico will be the first Democrat to represent the Lone Star in the Senate for more than three decades, after beating attorney general Ken Paxton. The last time Texas elected a Democrat to the Senate was in 1988 with Lloyd Bentsen’s victory. That was the year before Talarico was born.
“We just proved that all the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas,” Talarico said Tuesday night. “And we just sent a message to every billionaire mega donor, every trillionaire mega donor, every corrupt defender of this broken political system in this state, in this country, that power belongs to the people.”
In Ohio, former senator Sherrod Brown is on track to return to the Senate after a two-year absence, beating Sen. Jon Husted. Husted was appointed to replace JD Vance in the Senate when Vance became Trump’s vice president. During his campaign, Brown painted Husted as the “face of data centers” tying him to big money and big tech.
“Corporations, billionaires, tried to buy this election,” Brown said Tuesday. “But it turns out there are a whole lot more of us than there are of them.”
Democrat Annie Andrews beat Sen. Darline Graham, sister of the late Sen. Lindsay Graham, in South Carolina, to flip the seat blue for the first time since 1998. Another flip, the first one called after polls closed Tuesday, came in North Carolina, as former governor Roy Cooper easily beat hand-picked Trump candidate Michael Whatley.
Another surprise came in Kansas, as Democrat Adam Hamilton beat incumbent Roger Marshall. Iowa state legislator and Paralympic athlete Josh Turek flipped that state’s Senate seat, beating Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (IA-02).
Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, the former Wayne County health director, beat Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan. El-Sayed will be the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Senate after fighting through a bitter primary and widespread Islamophobic attacks, including from President Trump, and massive spending from outside groups against him.
“You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates,” El-Sayed said at a victory party in Detroit early Wednesday. “Thank you. This is all yours.”
Incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff handily beat Mike Collins in Georgia, in one of the nastier battles of the midterms. Ossoff’s name is often on the list of potential Democratic presidential candidates in 2028, but he said during his second debate with Collins that he had “zero interest” in running for president.
“This moment is an opening not for restoration, but for reformation," Ossoff said Tuesday. “So amidst our celebration tonight, we must acknowledge that the underlying crisis gripping our Republic remains, and therefore our most vital work lies ahead."
Democrat Troy Jackson beat five-term Sen. Susan Collins in Maine. Jackson was a last-minute replacement for Democrats on the Maine ballot, after nominee Graham Platner bowed out of the race in July amid multiple allegations of sexual assault (Platner disputed the allegations). Collins frequently frustrated her Democratic colleagues in the Senate, expressing “concern” with Trump’s policies but supporting his agenda most of the time.
In Illinois, Juliana Stratton won the seat being vacated by the retiring Dick Durbin. Stratton becomes the second Black woman elected to serve Illinois in the Senate.
In New Hampshire, former Sen. John Sununu lost to Democratic Congressman Chris Pappas, who will be the first openly gay man in the U.S. Senate.
In Mississippi, the race between incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Scott Colom was too close to call as of Wednesday morning, with fewer than 100 votes separating them, and independent candidate Ty Pinkins garnering nearly 20,000 votes.
Other Democrats who won reelection to the Senate on Tuesday:
Mark Warner was elected to a fourth term in Virginia; Cory Booker won a third term in New Jersey; Jack Reed won a sixth term in Rhode Island; Chris Coons secured a fourth term in Delaware; and Ed Markey won a third term in Massachusetts.
