Democrats gain Senate control amid Maine ballot-assistance fraud claims
On November 3, 2026, Democrats took control of the U.S. Senate in the midterm elections, a major rebuke to President Donald Trump and Republicans that would hand both houses of Congress to Trump’s opponents. They were projected to flip Senate seats in at least six states, including shock wins in Texas, Kansas and South Carolina; many statewide races were still outstanding as the balance of power in Washington shifted.
A right-wing outlet’s X post, viewed more than 600,000 times, claimed a live “highly coordinated scheme to steal an election,” attaching CCTV of a man helping people who appear to be Somali-American voters at a polling booth, flipping papers, marking ballots and speaking as they write. If authentic, nothing shown appears illegal: Maine law expressly allows assistance in reading or marking a ballot for physical disability, illiteracy or religious faith. The Maine Secretary of State’s office told Snopes it had received no credible reports of interpreters committing election fraud. Users still called the practice a blatant violation of state law or claimed Somalis were rigging the election; the Maine Wire, which shared the video, has previously been accused of harassing Somali voters at the polls.
In Kansas, Democrat and Methodist megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton upset Republican Senator Roger Marshall—the first Democratic Senate win there in 94 years—running as a centrist on living costs and unhappiness with Trump’s economy and the war with Iran. He outraised Marshall with money from Kansas residents and Democratic groups that poured tens of millions into the state; Trump held two October rallies to rescue Marshall. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico, a four-term state legislator, defeated Trump-backed Attorney General Ken Paxton, who had a 2023 impeachment and a securities fraud case; Democrats had not won a Texas Senate race in 38 years. Trump carried Texas by 14% in 2024. The race was the cycle’s most expensive; Elon Musk poured over $200 million behind Paxton. Democrat Gina Hinojosa, a 52-year-old attorney and state lawmaker, unseated Governor Greg Abbott. Texas has 40 electoral votes. In Ohio, Amy Acton defeated Trump-backed Republican Vivek Ramaswamy to become the first Democrat—and first woman—to serve as governor.
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