Democrats Seize House Control and Advance on Senate in Midterm Sweep

Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham to claim an open Senate seat in South Carolina, securing the first major Senate victory for Democrats in the 2026 midterms. Andrews beat Graham, who had been appointed to the position following the death of her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham. Few analysts predicted this race was competitive just months ago. With South Carolina secured, Democrats now hold two of the four Senate pickups required to take control of the chamber.

The party also won a majority in the House of Representatives for the first time since 2022. In Georgia, Jon Ossoff successfully ran for re-election. In North Carolina, former Governor Roy Cooper won the open Republican-held seat against Michael Whatley. These two contests were considered battlegrounds a year prior but ended as decisive wins for the Democratic Party.

Election officials are currently counting votes in Republican-held Senate races in Texas, Kansas, and Ohio. CBS News, the US partner for this coverage, rates the Texas and Kansas Senate races as leaning Democrat. The Texas governor's race, where incumbent Greg Abbott was a heavy favorite just one year ago, is now considered a toss-up.

Democrats benefited from high turnout, particularly among Black voters in the South and Hispanic voters in Florida. In Florida, Republicans redrew boundaries for three Democratic-held House seats to favor their party. Democrats won all three. Other House races in the state that Republicans expected to win easily turned into close contests. Democratic candidates also flipped open seats in western North Carolina and Kentucky, with strong results emerging in Virginia and Indiana.

In majority-Black counties in South Carolina, Andrews outperformed Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential numbers. In Miami-Dade County, a place President Donald Trump carried in 2024, Democratic candidates led in the midterms. Republican Senator Ashley Moody narrowly won re-election in Florida, and Congressman Byron Donalds won the governor’s race. Florida still appears to lean right, but the state may be an exception to the national trend.

The electorate appears to have shifted away from President Trump and Republicans nationwide. Early results from the American heartland follow the trend seen on the East Coast. The next major developments will depend on final counts in Texas, Kansas, and Ohio.