Key facts
- Democrats needed a net gain of three seats for the House and four for the Senate, and were on course to clear both, USA Today reported.
- Democrat Roy Cooper flipped a Republican-held Senate seat in North Carolina, and James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton in Texas, per USA Today.
- In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews ousted Sen. Darline Graham, a nominee Trump had hand-picked, USA Today reported.
- By 65% to 28%, voters in exit polls said Trump had made economic conditions worse rather than better, USA Today reported.
- Matt Dole, chair of the GOP in Licking County, Ohio, told POLITICO part of the party would advocate a return to normalcy that repudiates Trump's style, not his ideology.
Republicans began pointing fingers at President Donald Trump on November 4, 2026, a day after midterm elections in which Democrats were poised to take control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, according to USA Today. The primary report said it was the first time in 20 years both chambers of Congress changed hands at the same time.
USA Today reported that Democrats, who needed a net gain of three House seats and four Senate seats, were on course to clear both thresholds. It said Democrat Roy Cooper flipped a Republican-held seat in North Carolina, James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton in Texas, and Annie Andrews ousted Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina, a nominee Trump had hand-picked.
Exit polls cited by USA Today found nearly 9 in 10 voters called the cost of living a crucial or major factor, and by 65% to 28% they said Trump had made economic conditions worse, not better. Trump told CBS News as votes were counted: "I have the ultimate power – it's called 'veto.'" House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, expected to become the first Black speaker of the House, told an election night rally in Washington: "Today begins the great American comeback."
POLITICO reported that Trump's allies moved toward blaming the president on November 4, with some citing the Iran war and its effect on gas and grocery prices and others his demeanor. Matt Dole, chair of the GOP in Licking County, Ohio, told POLITICO: "There's a little bit of a reckoning in the Republican Party about where they go."