Three days after Americans voted in the 2026 midterm elections, the national picture has come into focus: Democrats have won control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, ending four years of Republican control of at least one chamber under President Trump's second term.
Heading into Tuesday's vote, Republicans held a narrow 220 to 215 House majority and needed to hold their ground to keep it. Instead, vote counting through the week showed Democrats building a comfortable majority. As of Friday morning, Democrats had secured 253 seats to Republicans' 155, with final tallies expected to leave Democrats with roughly 257 seats once every race is called. In the Senate, several contests that were considered close went Democrats' way, including in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed was projected to win and is set to become the first Muslim member of the U.S. Senate. Two other Senate races remained too close to call early Friday: in Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom held a narrow lead over incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, and in Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola held a similarly narrow edge over incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan.
The results extended beyond Congress. In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass conceded the mayoral race to city councilmember Nithya Raman, who is poised to become the city's 44th mayor. Down the ballot, races in places like New York's 17th district and Florida's 13th district were called for Democratic and Republican candidates respectively, reflecting a mixed but Democratic-leaning night overall.
The shift in Congress matters because it changes who sets the legislative agenda and controls committee gavels for the remainder of President Trump's term, including oversight power and the ability to shape spending bills. It also reshapes the political backdrop for 2028. The results rippled quickly into other arenas: financial markets fell sharply the day after the results solidified, and the president has pointed to the elections as a factor in that market move, a connection explored in our markets story below.
Final certification of the closest Senate races in Mississippi and Alaska, and early jockeying over House and Senate leadership posts as the new Democratic majorities organize for the next Congress.
Did Democrats win both the House and Senate?
Yes, ABC News and other outlets have projected Democrats will control both chambers of Congress starting with the new term.
Which Senate races are still undecided?
As of Friday morning, Mississippi and Alaska remained too close to call, though Democratic candidates held narrow leads in both.