A Democratic wave swept across the country Wednesday, costing Republicans control of both chambers of Congress in a powerful rejection of President Trump and his administration.
Democrats are projected to win as many as 258 seats in the House of Representatives, compared with 177 for Republicans, NBC reported. The result would give House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries a potentially commanding majority and put him on course to become the first Black speaker of the House.
The party also captured seven Republican-held Senate seats, giving Democrats control of the upper chamber with 54 seats. Their majority could grow to 56 if Democrats prevail in the two outstanding contests in Alaska and Mississippi.
The outcome ranks among the most consequential midterm election victories in modern political history. Republicans lost both chambers just two years after sweeping to power in 2024.
Jeffries quickly celebrated the Democratic victory, telling supporters Wednesday that voters had rejected the Republican agenda.
“The American people have spoken and made clear they’ve had enough of the extremism, enough of the corruption,” Jeffries said. “They want a Congress that’s going to deliver for the American people, and that is exactly what House Democrats will do.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer likewise hailed the party’s historic win, declaring: “Against all odds, we Democrats have won the Senate. And we have five words for the American people: relief is on the way.”
Democrats flipped Senate seats in Maine, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina. Their victories in several traditionally Republican states helped drive the party’s sweeping comeback.
The House results were just as damaging for Republicans. Democrats made major gains across battleground states, including Iowa, Missouri, Indiana and Michigan, while also picking up seats in Texas, Pennsylvania and California despite Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps to their advantage.
Although Democrats have secured control of Congress, two Senate races remain too close to call and could determine the size of their majority.
Attention is now focused on Alaska and Mississippi, where Democrats are mounting two of the election’s biggest upset bids against Republican incumbents Dan Sullivan and Cindy Hyde-Smith.
In Alaska, Democratic nominee Mary Peltola held a lead of just 626 votes over Sullivan — roughly 0.3 percentage points — with 74% of ballots counted Wednesday afternoon, according to the Associated Press.
The race has also been clouded by allegations that Democrats recruited an independent candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to appear on the ballot alongside Sen. Sullivan in an effort to confuse voters. The candidate was dubbed “Decoy Dan,” and state and federal investigations into the alleged scheme are underway.
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One voter said he left the polling place before realizing he had mistakenly voted for the wrong candidate, Dan Sullivan.
Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system remains the biggest barrier to declaring a winner.
Peltola leads the initial tally but has not reached the majority needed for an outright victory. If no candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated and those voters’ ranked preferences will be redistributed until one contender secures a majority.
Alaska’s ranked-choice tabulation is scheduled for Nov. 18, while eligible absentee ballots continue to arrive. The state is aiming to certify the results on Nov. 25, meaning the winner may not be known for several weeks.
Mississippi is witnessing an even closer contest.
As of 3:15 p.m. EST Wednesday, Democrat Scott Colom led Hyde-Smith by only 65 votes, with approximately 96% of ballots counted. The candidates were each receiving about 48.9% of the vote, according to the AP.
Colom’s late momentum was driven partly by strong Democratic support in Hinds County and several majority-Black counties in the Mississippi Delta and the southwestern part of the state.
A Colom victory would represent a major political breakthrough in Mississippi, where a Democrat has not won a Senate race since 1982.
Democrats have cited increased Black voter turnout as one possible explanation for Hyde-Smith’s unexpectedly competitive race. They have also pointed to controversy surrounding the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which upended majority-Black congressional districts.
Hyde-Smith, however, still has reason to remain optimistic about her reelection prospects. President Trump carried Mississippi by nearly 23 percentage points in 2024, highlighting the state’s strong Republican tilt.
Outstanding absentee and affidavit ballots could delay a final result for several days.
With Democrats already celebrating their takeover in Washington, the remaining Senate contests will determine whether the party finishes with a 54-, 55- or 56-seat majority.