Democrats win House and Senate, flipping Texas and other red states
The gist
Democrats won both chambers of Congress and at least 28 governorships, flipping Texas in the Senate.
The results reshape Washington and set up a fight over the party's direction.
How it unfolded
- Oct 8, 2026A Pew survey conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 4 found Democrats leading House vote preferences 44% to 36% among registered voters, with 15% unsure.
- Nov 3, 2026Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate by considerable margins; Senate result shown as Democrats 54, Republicans 50, with 7 flips.
- Nov 3, 2026In Texas, Democrat James Talarico won by roughly 12 points, the first Democrat sent to the Senate from Texas since 1988; Democrats also flipped two congressional districts Trump won in 2024 and swept lieutenant governor, attorney general and railroad commissioner.
Key terms
- midterms
- US general elections held near the midpoint of a president's four-year term, when all House seats and about a third of Senate seats are contested.
- affidavit ballots
- A ballot used to record a vote whose voter eligibility must be resolved before it counts.
- absentee-by-mail ballots
- A vote cast by mail by someone unable to attend their assigned polling station.
Source: Wikipedia