Democrats win Congress, then face internal leadership fights
The gist
Democrats won both the House and Senate in the 2026 midterms, setting up divided government.
Leadership elections next week will decide who guides the new majorities.
How it unfolded
- Nov 3, 2026Voters head to the polls to decide control of Congress in the midterm election.
- Nov 4, 2026Democrats won both the House and the Senate, setting up two years of divided government with a Republican White House.
- Nov 5, 202626 Illinois House Democrats released a statement calling for new leadership; within hours, Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch stepped out of the running for House leadership.
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.
- divided government
- A situation in which one political party controls the presidency while another party controls one or both houses of Congress.
- caucuses
- A group of legislators who meet to pursue shared legislative goals.
Source: Wikipedia