Democrats are projected to win enough seats to take control of the U.S. House, according to ABC News projections and Voter Polls, as voter frustration over the economy and President Donald Trump fueled a powerful midterm backlash.
The party also flipped at least six Senate seats, including in traditionally Republican states such as Kansas and South Carolina. Democrats captured at least a dozen House districts and several governor’s offices, with some victories marking historic firsts in states that have long leaned red.
In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott, one of Trump’s closest allies, denying him a fourth term.
The new balance of power could limit Trump’s influence over the executive branch and reshape the direction of domestic and foreign policy. The results come as Americans contend with rising inflation, record fuel prices and broad public dissatisfaction with the U.S. war in Iran.
Two weeks before the midterm elections, Trump’s approval rating fell to 37%, the lowest point of his current presidency. His 62% disapproval rating was the highest recorded across both of his presidential terms, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted through Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel.
Roughly two-thirds of Americans — 65% — said they disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy. That marked the worst economic rating of either Trump presidency and was comparable to Joe Biden’s lowest economy rating in ABC/Post polling, recorded at 64% in September 2023.
Trump had urged supporters at rallies around the country to “pretend I’m on the ballot” when casting their midterm votes. On Tuesday night, however, he posted on X that he was not a candidate in the election.
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“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” Trump wrote.
In a phone interview with The New York Times on Tuesday, Trump said he would accept the election results and indicated that he was prepared to work with Democrats.
“I am absolutely willing to accept those results,” Trump said.
“We’ll work with the Democrats, and we’ll, you know, look forward to working with them. We’ll probably work something out,” he added.
At the same time, Trump shared an image of a hat emblazoned with the word “VETO,” signaling that cooperation could have clear limits.
Key Senate victories
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