The midterm elections produced a historic transfer of power, giving Democrats their largest House gains since 1974 while also handing them control of the Senate.
Yet the sweeping result also featured individual contests shaped by campaign triumphs, spectacular missteps and last-minute twists. Here are some of the biggest winners and losers:
LOSERS
Darline Graham
She was appointed to the Senate following the sudden death of her brother, Lindsey Graham, and was effectively handed the Republican nomination by President Trump over more experienced candidates. But Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) damaged her own campaign when she acknowledged during a debate, “I’m not that informed on national security.” She ultimately lost to Democratic candidate Dr. Annie Andrews in a state that remains heavily Republican.
Your 401(K)
Financial markets have been rattled by the prospect of a Democratic takeover that includes socialist members, along with the possibility of new regulations and proposed tax increases. The $5,000-per-person check Trump promised if Republicans retained the House is also no longer in the cards.
Haley Stevens
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) narrowly held off Abdul El-Sayed in the primary, then hugged him and endorsed him. Seventy-two hours before Election Day, however, she reversed course and backed Republican Rep. Mike Rogers. El-Sayed went on to win comfortably, and Democrats now say the episode could mark the end of Stevens’ career within the party.
Roger Marshall
Ignoring advice from his own campaign team, Sen. Roger Marshall released a clumsy television advertisement defending his medical practice’s efforts to pursue unpaid debts through the courts. The misstep proved costly: Marshall became the first Republican to lose a Senate race in Kansas since 1932.
Vivek Ramaswamy
The former Republican presidential candidate was already trailing in the Ohio governor’s race when he released a controversial advertisement featuring the estranged mother of his opponent, Amy Acton. In the ad, she called the Democrat a “liar.” Republicans and Democrats alike condemned the billionaire for exploiting an abuse survivor. Acton has written that she left home at age 12 after allegedly being sexually abused by her stepfather.
Ken Paxton
Republicans suffered a historic setback in Texas after President Trump intervened in the primary runoff and endorsed scandal-plagued state Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent US Sen. John Cornyn. Paxton was then defeated by 12 points by Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.
North Carolina redistricting gurus
Republican mapmakers in North Carolina redrew the state’s congressional districts in an effort to expand the party’s 10-4 advantage. The strategy backfired. Final results put Democrats on track to secure at least a 9-5 edge, turning the redistricting effort into what critics dubbed a “dummymander.”
Elon Musk
After repairing his relationship with Trump, Musk spent more than $200 million in his home state of Texas in an effort to block Talarico and other Democrats. Republicans nevertheless lost every statewide race, as well as control of the state House.
President Trump
Trump crisscrossed the country and urged voters to act as though he were personally on the ballot, after clearing the field for flawed candidates in several battleground contests. He now faces a hostile Congress as a lame-duck president.
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“Fake” Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.
The decoy campaign was exposed and nearly derailed Democratic nominee Mary Peltola, who was leading in a vote count that could take days to complete. Reports said Peltola’s aides recruited Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.—who shares a name with Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan—to siphon votes from the incumbent. Peltola denied any knowledge of the effort.
WINNERS
Ashley Moody
Republicans were swept aside along the East Coast and in all three states directly north of Florida. But appointed Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) narrowly defeated Democratic Socialist convert and state Rep. Angie Nixon (D-Fla.), winning a full term with a 51%-48% victory.
Anthony Constantino
Anthony Constantino, the CEO of Sticker Mule, put a massive Trump sign atop his warehouse in upstate New York before finding himself in a surprisingly competitive race. He ultimately held on, surviving the Democratic wave in a district Trump carried by 20 points in 2024.
Hakeem Jeffries
Brooklyn-born Hakeem Jeffries is poised to become the first Black speaker of the House and the first speaker from New York in more than a century. With the party’s largest majority since President Obama’s time, he will have room to maneuver if a new generation of socialists attempts to push the caucus in its direction.
Chuck Schumer
Schumer, 75, another New Yorker, stumbled in Maine over the Graham Platner controversy, while his preferred candidate lost the Michigan primary. Still, he recruited strong contenders and helped Democrats sweep a series of toss-up races, including contests in states that had not voted Democratic in years.
AOC
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigned for socialists and left-wing candidates across the country, breaking occasionally for an In-N-Out burger. Her efforts strengthened her ties with activists in Michigan, California and even upstate New York. A growing national profile, expanding fundraising network and rising name recognition could all support a potential 2028 White House bid.
Defense lawyers
Several victorious Democrats openly discussed plans to summon administration officials and Trump allies to testify about a range of grievances. Incoming House Oversight Chair Robert Garcia captured the mood in a two-word post on X: “Lawyer up.”
Vladimir Lenin
Radical Democrats replicated with striking effectiveness several core communist concepts outlined by Lenin in his 1902 work, “What Is to Be Done?,” including the disciplined vanguard and the systemic injection of political ideas. Moderate Democratic leaders may soon be asking the same question as they work to keep socialists from hijacking the party and its agenda.
Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis was not on the ballot, but Florida’s Republican operation survived a Democratic wave that swept away GOP candidates in even more pro-Trump territory. That gives the governor a compelling narrative should his pursuit of the White House regain momentum.
Elise Stefanik
Retiring Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) abandoned her bid for governor but still had the last laugh after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman suffered a heavy defeat. Stefanik said the “low energy” candidate had faced a “political reckoning” and called for the state Republican Party to rebuild its political apparatus.
John Husted
Sen. John Husted (R-Ohio) may have lost the Ohio Senate seat to which he was appointed, but he is no longer the target of President Trump’s jokes.
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