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Democrats inflicted a series of historic defeats on Republicans to take control of both houses of Congress.
The fate of Donald Trump’s final years in the White House will be largely influenced by midterm results, as his political opponents gain critical power over policymaking.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives were up for grabs, as well as 35 seats in the 100-member Senate.
With the majority of preliminary results declared, Democrats lived up to high expectations, winning the Senate after a string of victories in former Republican strongholds, including Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, Ohio, Maine and Iowa.
The party also regained control of the House of Representatives, which it last held in 2023, after flipping numerous seats in states including Kentucky, New Jersey, Indiana and North Carolina.
Historic results were seen in Texas, where James Talarico won, alongside Annie Andrews in South Carolina and Sherrod Brown in Ohio. It has been several decades since Democrats last held the Senate for any of these seats.
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff retained his seat in Georgia, dashing Republican hopes of victory in the state.
The 2026 midterm elections have been seen as a referendum on Trump’s second presidency, with Democratic candidates blaming the administration for the growing cost of living crisis and the economic fallout from the war in Iran, among other issues that are driving voters to the polls in record numbers.
Defensive Republicans, meanwhile, have sought to portray their opponents as too extreme.
During his victory speech in Georgia, Senator Ossoff said, “Together we affirmed that our task is not only to contain the malice of a president, but to heal the fractures beneath it.”
“The American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of failed lame-duck President Donald J. Trump,” he added.
Speaking to Fox News as the results came in, Trump said he thought Democrats “did a good job.”
“They fought hard. You know, they’ve been fighting for a long time. They’ve been fighting me for a long time,” he said.
The president has indicated a willingness to work with Democrats in the final two years of his term, but has ruled out compromise on immigration and transgender rights.
He added: “The veto power is one of the most powerful powers a president has, and they will send things that are insane, and I will veto them. »
Full results are not expected within hours of polling stations closing; Polls will not close in Alaska until 1 a.m. Eastern Time, and election officials will continue to process received ballots through Election Day.
Potential Republican-led challenges and legal intervention by the Trump administration could delay the results in the days and weeks to come.
Preliminary results from the Associated Press will inform The IndependentGraphs and maps of election results and the country’s changing political landscape.
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