Key facts
- Democrats were projected to hold at least 235 House seats, above the 218 needed for a majority, per an MS NOW estimate.
- Democrats flipped at least four Republican-held Senate seats in red states to reach 51, according to the Associated Press.
- Democrats will gain committee subpoena power and leverage over federal spending, but the filibuster still requires 60 Senate votes.
- Trump's veto authority and Senate procedural rules limit what Democrats can enact without Republican support, per MS NOW.
- Trump wrote on social media that he was not on the ballot and that Republicans would have won in a landslide if he had been.
Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections, according to projections, ending the Republican majorities that President Donald Trump had held through the first two years of his second term. MS NOW reported the result, citing an MS NOW estimate for the House and the Associated Press for the Senate.
Democrats were projected to secure at least 235 House seats, above the 218 needed for a majority, according to the MS NOW estimate. In the Senate, they flipped at least four Republican-held seats in red states to reach 51 and erase the GOP's 53-47 advantage, the Associated Press reported.
The result removes Republican control of congressional committees, which MS NOW reported had largely insulated Trump and his administration from tough scrutiny. Democrats will gain subpoena power and greater leverage over federal spending, though Trump's veto authority and Senate procedural rules will limit their ability to enact legislation without Republican support. Democrats still need 60 Senate votes to overcome the filibuster, MS NOW reported.
Economic concerns dominated the campaign, with Democrats capitalizing on dissatisfaction over grocery prices, health-care costs and Trump's handling of the economy, MS NOW reported. Trump campaigned in the closing weeks in South Carolina, Mississippi, Ohio and Kansas, where Republicans faced unexpectedly competitive races.
As early results showed Democratic gains, Trump wrote on social media: "I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter."