Democrats take control of US House and Senate in 2026 midterms
Democrats have taken control of both chambers of the US Congress and several key governorships, although many individual races were still being counted when the results were reported. The outcome shifts control of the legislature from Republicans, who held the Senate majority before the election, while Democrats had entered the vote with 212 of the 435 House seats and needed at least 218 to take the chamber.
The Senate contest included 33 regular elections and two special elections, with senators serving six-year terms. The special elections in Florida and Ohio followed the resignations of Marco Rubio and JD Vance, who left their Senate seats to join the executive branch after the 2024 presidential election. Gubernatorial elections were held in 36 states and three territories; before voting, Republicans and Democrats each controlled 18 of those governorships, and three incumbent governors were retiring.
The result was determined by a relatively small number of competitive races, since most congressional seats are reliably held by one party. The Cook Political Report had classified six Senate contests and 18 House contests as genuine toss-ups. The House has 435 voting members elected every two years, while the Senate has 100 members, with one-third of its seats contested in each election cycle. Control of Congress matters because legislation generally must pass both chambers, while the Senate also approves senior presidential appointments, ratifies treaties and tries federal impeachment cases referred by the House.
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