Democrats are projected to take control of the House of Representatives in a crushing setback for President Trump—one that could signal the beginning of the end for the MAGA era.
Though Trump’s name was not on the ballot, the midterm elections became an effective nationwide verdict on his presidency. Republicans endured sweeping defeats in a result that struck at the heart of the White House.
Exit polls suggested voters delivered a harsh judgment on Trump’s failure to reduce the cost of living for ordinary Americans.
The results point to a major shift among Trump’s once formidable MAGA base and are likely to cast doubt on Vice President JD Vance’s prospects of mounting a 2028 presidential campaign.
CNN and CNBC projected that Democrats would secure a majority in the House. Control of the Senate, which is currently held by Republicans, remained uncertain as votes continued to be counted.
However, the projected Democratic wave in the House will push Trump into lame-duck territory for the final two years of his presidency.
After the House was called for Democrats, Trump responded on Truth Social: “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!”
Although he was not on the ballot, the midterm elections effectively became a referendum on President Trump
Earlier in the evening, Trump displayed his frustration when the first polls closed, attacking Fox News on Truth Social and dismissing its exit poll questions as “BULLS***.”
The Fox News poll found that 87 percent of voters were worried about gas prices, while 62 percent held Trump responsible.
Trump later texted Fox News host Greg Gutfeld during a live broadcast, telling him: “I inherited the worst prices and inflation in history from Sleepy Joe. Prices are heading down FAST!”
A Republican defeat in the House would open the door to Democrat-led investigations into Trump, his family and his allies. It could also raise the prospect of Trump facing impeachment for a third time.
Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia is expected to lead some of those inquiries as chair of the Oversight Committee.
He issued a terse warning in response: “Lawyer up.”
The Democratic House majority would also make it far more difficult for Trump to pass key elements of his legislative agenda through Congress.
Trump would instead have to depend on executive orders in areas where he retains authority, including tariffs, immigration, foreign policy and military action. He could also use his veto power to block Democratic legislation from becoming law.
Among the first major race calls, Trump suffered a significant defeat when Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff decisively beat the president’s hand-picked Republican challenger, Mike Collins, in Georgia.
That result was followed soon afterward by the Republican Party’s first loss of a Senate seat it previously held. In North Carolina, Democrat Roy Cooper secured a swift victory over Trump-backed candidate Michael Whatley.
Democrats then delivered another stunning upset by capturing a Senate seat in deeply Republican South Carolina.
Pediatrician Dr. Annie Andrews narrowly defeated Republican Darline Graham, who had been personally selected by Trump and was seeking to permanently take over the seat previously held by her late brother, Lindsey Graham.
Trump had won South Carolina by 17 points in the 2024 presidential election. It had not elected a Democrat to the US Senate since 1998.
Democrat Dr Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, pulled off a shock victory in the Senate race in South Carolina over President Trump’s personally chosen candidate Darline Graham, the sister of the late Lindsey Graham
Democrat Jon Ossoff dealt an early election night blow to Trump by winning his Senate seat in Georgia
Celebrations among Jon Ossoff supporters in Atlanta, Georgia
Meanwhile, Ashley Moody, the Trump-backed Republican senator in Florida clung on against democratic socialist Angie Nixon.
The President’s candidate for Florida governor, Byron Donalds, also squeaked home.
Democrats picked up their first Republican-held House seat of the night in western North Carolina.
Jamie Ager, a candidate with a farming background, defeated Republican Jennifer Balkcom, a state legislator.
An expansive AP Voter Poll found the electorate was in the mood for change, with 75 percent saying they felt ‘angry’ or ‘dissatisfied’ with the way things are going in the country.
Roughly six in 10 blamed high prices on Trump’s policies, and 71 percent wanted Congress to provide more checks and balances on the presidency.
About four in 10 said the economy was the most important issue, while three in 10 said it was ‘democracy,’ according to the poll, both well above crime, healthcare and immigration.
On the eve of the election, Trump’s approval rating was just 32 percent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, with 64 percent disapproving of his job performance.
Some 78 percent of voters said the cost of living was the most important, or a very important, factor in their decision.
And 49 percent of Democrats were ‘very enthusiastic’ about voting compared with just 33 percent of Republicans.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate were up for grabs on November 3
Democratic congressman Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become the first black Speaker of the House
The Daily Mail spoke with voters around the country who said affordability – including high gas and diesel prices due to the Iran war – was the overwhelming issue of concern.
In a CNN exit poll, 65 percent said Trump had worsened economic conditions.
That poll found 16 percent of people were casting their vote to support Trump, 43 percent to oppose Trump, and for 41 percent he was not a factor.
Evidence suggests many Latino voters who backed Trump in 2024 also returned to the Democratic fold amid frustration over the economy and roundups by ICE.
The new Speaker is expected to be Hakeem Jeffries, the New York congressman and current Democratic leader in the House. He will replace Republican Mike Johnson.
Jeffries, 56, formerly a corporate lawyer, will be the first black Speaker of the House, and the position will make him second in line to the presidency after the Vice President.
In addition to overseeing investigations into the Trump family he plans to lead a legislative agenda aimed at reversing Medicaid cuts, restoring Obamacare subsidies, and reducing the costs of groceries, housing and energy.
Going into the midterms Republicans had a slim 218-214 majority in the 435-seat House. One independent member caucused with Republicans and two seats were vacant.
The Republicans held a comfortable majority of 53-47 in the 100-seat Senate.
All seats in the House, and 35 Senate seats were up for election this time. Of the 35 Senate seats 22 were held by Republicans, and 13 by Democrats.
A total of 36 of the 50 states were also holding elections for governor.
Food and gas prices were very much on voters’ minds as they went to the polls
A woman leaves a polling station after voting in Georgia
Early voting had been underway for weeks and, in the end, over 100 million people are believed to have cast ballots, around two thirds the number in a presidential election.
A record-breaking $12 billion has been spent on adverts, according to advertising intelligence agency AdImpact.
Some $4 billion of that was spent in October alone as TV viewers were bombarded with incessant ads, many of them negative attacks on opponents.
In the final month, Republicans slightly outspent Democrats, with Elon Musk alone pouring in over $300 million.
The states where most was spent were Texas, Ohio and Michigan.
Held in the middle of each four-year presidential term, midterm elections do not involve the President, but they are generally a setback for his party.
The results of the midterms could cast a cloud over any upcoming 2028 White House bid by JD Vance
Mike Johnson, the Republican House Speaker, will have to hand over the gavel to Democrats
They are a chance for voters to make their feelings known about the first two years of an administration, and to call for a change in direction.
In 2006, during the Republican presidency of George W Bush, Democrats achieved a so-called ‘blue wave’ of gains amid a backlash to the war on terror.
Four years later, in 2010, Republicans won 63 extra House seats in what the incumbent Democratic president Barack Obama described as a ‘shellacking’ for his party.
In 2018, during Trump’s first term, Democrats gained 40 House seats.