The Democratic Party took control of both the House and the Senate in a midterm election tsunami on Tuesday, heralding the end of the Trump era.
As of reporting, with ballots still being counted, the Democratic Party gained seven seats in the Senate and 25 in the House, flipping several Republican strongholds the GOP had controlled for decades.
President Donald J. Trump speaks with members of the media alongside outgoing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Friday, August 21, 2026, en route to South Carolina. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)
President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks at the David S. Mack Center for Training and Intelligence in Garden City, New York, Friday, August 14, 2026. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)
In the Senate, Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Maine all flipped from Republican to Democrat.
Kansas had been represented by the Republican Party in the Senate since 1939 — with Tuesday’s election ending nearly 100 years of Republican rule in the state — while Iowa and Texas had been firmly Republican since 1980 and 1993, respectively.
A Republican candidate had also represented South Carolina and Maine for several decades until Tuesday’s flip.
Abdul El-Sayed Elected First Muslim Senator in U.S. History While the Late Lindsey Graham’s Seat Flips Blue
Abdul El-Sayed defeated the Trump-endorsed former congressman Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race, becoming the first Muslim senator in American history, despite Democratic Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens’ controversial last-minute endorsement of his Republican opponent.
Republican Senator Susan Collins, who has held her seat since 1997, was also defeated by her Democratic challenger Troy Jackson.
Democratic candidate Annie Andrews won the South Carolina Senate seat, which, until his death in July, had belonged to the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
The Republican candidate — Graham’s sister, Darline Graham — lost by nearly 100,000 votes.
Long-Term Republican Members of Congress Booted After Years In Power
In the House, Democratic candidates gained an additional 25 seats from Republicans, with several long-term Republican members of Congress losing their seats.
Republican Congressman Rob Wittman was defeated in Virginia’s 1st District — a seat he has controlled for nearly 20 years — by Democratic candidate Shannon Taylor.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson was also defeated in North Carolina’s 9th District, ending 14 years in Congress.
In contrast, Republican Congressman Scott Perry was defeated in Pennsylvania’s 10th District, also ending 14 years in Congress.
Other Republican members of Congress defeated include Ohio Rep. Max Miller, Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz, New Jersey Rep. Thomas Kean Jr., Virginia Rep. Jen Kiggans, Missouri Rep. Ann Wagner, and Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.
Republicans also lost big in several major gubernatorial races.
Vivek Ramaswamy Defeated in Gubernatorial Race After Controversial Attack Ad
Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa defeated Texas Governor Greg Abbott, while Democrat Amy Acton defeated former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio.
Ramaswamy’s campaign had been plagued by several controversies, most notably his decision to run an attack ad against Acton featuring her estranged mother, Donna Arthur.
Acton has been estranged from her mother since childhood after a court ordered that the governor-elect be removed from Arthur’s custody following accusations of neglect and sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather.
Ramaswamy initially doubled down on the ad, which featured Arthur calling her daughter a liar, before it was ultimately pulled following bipartisan backlash.
Trump Blames Candidates He Endorsed Following Brutal Defeat
While many Republicans blamed Trump and his disastrous Iran war for the results of the midterms, the president blamed Fox News and his own candidates.
“Fox News bears responsibility for these losses by constantly and consistently putting on the Democrat opposition, and worse,” ranted Trump in a Truth Social post, before suggesting that many of the candidates he endorsed lost their races for not being MAGA enough.
The president specifically singled out Texas Governor Greg Abbott, accusing the candidate he endorsed in the election of being a “RINO,” or “Republican in Name Only.”
Far from contesting the results of the elections, as he has been known to do previously, Trump praised the Democratic Party and its candidates for doing a “good job.”
“I think the Democrats did a good job. I really do. I think they did a good job. They fought hard,” he said, adding that he did not consider the results to be a personal defeat because “I wasn’t on the ballot.”
Former Governor of New Jersey and Trump appointee Chris Christie, meanwhile, declared simply that the “Trump era” was “over.”
About the Author: Charlie Nash
Charlie Nash is a journalist and author whose work has appeared in The Spectator, Mediaite, New Statesman, and the American Conservative, among other major publications. The Washington Post, Fox News, the Daily Beast, MS NOW, NewsNation, Hannity, and more have featured his reporting. You can follow Charlie on X at @CharlieNash and on LinkedIn.
