US midterms: Democrats set to win House and Senate, a major blow to Trump

WASHINGTON: In the United States midterm elections held on 3 November, the Democratic Party has taken control of both chambers of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate, from the Republican Party. According to a projection by the US broadcaster CBS News, the Democrats will win a majority in both chambers. The Associated Press (AP) has declared Democratic candidates the winners in several key states.

The results are a major political blow to President Donald Trump in the middle of his second term. Before the elections, the Republicans held a majority in both chambers.

House of Representatives

A majority in the 435-seat House of Representatives requires 218 seats. According to a projection by the election desk of the US channel CNBC, the Democrats will win at least 245 seats, which would be a clear majority. The Democrats have taken seats from the Republicans in several states, including Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Nebraska and Virginia.

Senate

This time, elections were held for one-third of the 100 Senate seats. According to AP projections, the Democrats took seats from the Republicans in Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas. In Maine, Democratic candidate Troy Jackson defeated Republican Susan Collins, a long-serving senator. According to CNBC, the Democrats will win at least 51 seats, the minimum number needed to take control of the Senate.

In Michigan, the AP and CBS News have declared Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed the winner. According to CBS News, he will be the first Muslim member of the US Senate. In Ohio, former senator Sherrod Brown has been elected to the Senate once again.

The contests for Senate seats in Alaska, Mississippi and Nebraska remain very close and the results have not been announced. Voting across the country ended in Alaska at 11am Pakistan time.

Governors’ elections

The Democrats have also won in the governors’ elections. According to projections, in Ohio Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, while the governor’s seat in Michigan and Wisconsin has also gone to the Democrats.

What this means for President Trump

The new Congress will be sworn in on 3 January 2027. With a majority in both chambers, the Democrats will be able to exert far greater influence over President Trump’s legislative agenda, the budget and key appointments, and congressional committees will also be able to investigate government policies. According to the CBS News exit poll, President Trump’s approval rating was 38 per cent, a record low for any president at the time of midterm elections.

The results are based on initial projections. The states will announce official results after the counting of votes is complete.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Architect of the Capitol (public domain)