Democrats took control of both the House and Senate after the 2026 midterm elections, giving them UIC control of Capitol Hill and putting President Donald Trump into a new governing fight. Chad Pergram reported the shift as Republicans lost ground in Trump-favored districts.
The gains reached 23 of the 35 seats favored Republicans heading into the cycle, a margin that turned several close contests into control-changing wins. Don Leonard upset Republican Rep. Mike Carey in central Ohio, one of the races that helped Democrats build a working edge in the House and Senate.
House and Senate flip
Democrats also overcame redistricting in Texas and Florida, while winning in South Carolina and Kansas. Rep.-elect Rebecca Cooke defeated Republican Derrick Van Orden, Rep.-elect Christina Bohannan defeated Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Rep.-elect Fred Wellman toppled Rep. Ann Wagner. Those losses added to the broader seat transfer that changed control of Congress and widened the party's leverage on Capitol Hill.
Political observers are set to rank the 2026 midterm elections alongside the 1994, 2010 and 2018 elections. The comparison reaches back to the 1994 midterm, when Newt Gingrich was propelled to the House speakership after Republicans had not controlled the House in 40 years.
Trump and incoming Democrats
The new majority comes with an internal split. Democrats made extraordinary gains with moderates, but incoming DSA-affiliated members including Abdul El-Sayed, Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, Melat Kiros, Donavan McKinney and Chris Rabb are expected to push Medicare for All, efforts to defund ICE and opposition to money and aid to Israel.
Donald Trump has signaled he would veto extreme measures from a Democratic-controlled Congress, while also offering to work together with Congress on certain issues. Democrats are threatening administration officials with investigations into alleged corruption and influence peddling, and some hard-left members may push bills to pack the Supreme Court or convert Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico into states.
Capitol Hill next steps
For voters, the practical question is how much of the party's agenda can move while Trump is still in office for a little over two years. Democrats won on affordability, and they now have to show they can move the meter on gas prices and the cost of groceries while they try to turn control of the House and Senate into legislation.
