US midterm results 2026: Democrats win Congress, Talarico flips Texas
Democrats are projected to take both the House and Senate. Texas, Kansas and Ohio flipped, and Trump says he will accept the result, with a veto warning.
Democrats are projected to win control of both chambers of the US Congress after Tuesday’s midterm elections, the biggest political setback of Donald Trump’s second term. US networks projected the Senate takeover after Democrats gained the six seats they needed on top of the 47 they held, and the House also changed hands as Republican-held districts fell in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Kentucky, Arizona and North Carolina.
Some races were still being counted on Wednesday morning, Pakistan time, so exact seat totals will move. The direction will not.
The races everyone is searching
Texas. James Talarico, a Democratic state lawmaker and former teacher, beat Republican attorney general Ken Paxton for a Senate seat. Trump had campaigned for Paxton four times in the final month, and federal filings show Elon Musk spent more than $200 million backing him. Gina Hinojosa also unseated Governor Greg Abbott. They are the first Democrats to win statewide in Texas since 1994. “We defeated Goliath,” Talarico told supporters in Austin.
Kansas and Iowa. Methodist minister Adam Hamilton defeated Republican senator Roger Marshall, the first Democrat Kansas has sent to the Senate since 1932. Iowa elected its first Democratic senator since 2008.
Ohio. Democrat Amy Acton beat Vivek Ramaswamy for governor. Ramaswamy conceded, calling it “a tough night for us here in Ohio”.
Georgia and California. Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor of any US state, and Jon Ossoff held his Senate seat. In California, Xavier Becerra beat Trump-backed Steve Hilton and becomes the state’s first elected Latino governor.
Republicans had bright spots. In Florida, Senator Ashley Moody held her seat and Byron Donalds won the governorship.
Why voters turned
Exit polls for a media consortium found half of voters saw the election as a chance to rebuke the president, and 70 percent wanted more checks on him. Analysts pointed to prices, tariffs and the war with Iran, which pushed up fuel costs in the US just as it has in Pakistan.
What Trump said
Trump told The New York Times he was “absolutely willing to accept those results” and would “work with the Democrats”. Minutes later he posted an image of a red cap reading “VETO”, a clear signal of how he plans to treat Democratic bills.
Why it matters in Pakistan
A Democratic Congress can block funding, open investigations and push back on war powers, so the Iran conflict, oil prices and US aid decisions now face a tougher Congress. The Pakistan Stock Exchange opened Wednesday nearly 1,000 points higher, with traders linking the move to the US results and hopes for Middle East talks.
The new Congress takes its seats in January. If his colleagues back him, Hakeem Jeffries will become the first Black Speaker of the House.
