Democrats Take Control of US Congress in Midterm Rebuke to Trump

Democrats have won control of both chambers of the US Congress in the November 3 midterm elections, marking a significant political setback for President Donald Trump and ending two years of Republican dominance on Capitol Hill, according to results reported by the Associated Press.

Figures cited by the AP show Democrats holding 228 House seats against 139 for Republicans, comfortably above the 218 needed for a majority. In the Senate, Democrats have secured 54 seats to the Republicans' 44, clearing the 51-seat threshold. The new Congress is due to be sworn in in January.

The outcome represents a broad reversal for the president. Democrats picked up at least seven Senate seats, winning in Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina. The Kansas result drew particular attention, as the state had not sent a Democrat to the Senate in nearly a century. In South Carolina, voters rejected a Republican candidate backed by Trump. Democrats also captured more than two dozen Republican-held House districts, including several that had backed Trump by comfortable margins in the 2024 presidential election, and won all 20 of the most closely watched House races decided at the time of reporting. Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps largely failed to stem the losses.

The party's gains extended beyond Washington, with Democrats winning several governorships previously held by Republicans, reflecting a wider shift in states that had supported Trump in the last presidential vote.

Voters cited high living costs, the war with Iran and concerns about corruption and the administration's performance as key factors in their decisions. Reuters reported that about half of those surveyed described their vote as a chance to rebuke the president, while 70 percent said they wanted Congress to impose stronger checks and balances on executive power. The election was widely seen as a referendum on Trump's presidency, coming shortly after he signaled an end to the Iran conflict and announced the conclusion of military aid to Israel.

With both chambers under Democratic control, the president faces a far more difficult legislative environment over his final two years in office. Democrats will be able to block legislation, reject presidential nominees and open investigations into the administration, the president's family and his political allies.