Democrats seize House and Senate as voters deliver sweeping midterm rebuke of Trump

Democrats swept control of both chambers of Congress on Tuesday night, flipping at least seven Senate seats and winning well over the 218 House seats needed for a majority — a result driven by voter anger over inflation, record fuel prices, an unpopular war with Iran, and a direct verdict on President Donald Trump, who had spent weeks urging Americans to treat the midterms as a referendum on himself.

NBC News projects Democrats will hold at least 258 House seats and a 54-44 Senate majority. ABC News projects Democrats flipped at least six Senate seats, including in Republican strongholds Kansas and South Carolina, and flipped at least a dozen House seats as well as several governorships in traditionally red states.

The results leave Trump's presidency in lame-duck territory for its final two years, with a Democratic Congress positioned to block his legislative agenda and conduct oversight of his administration. The shift in the balance of power could have meaningful implications for domestic and foreign policy, according to ABC News.

Trump, who had told rally crowds to 'pretend I'm on the ballot,' reversed course on election night, posting on social media that he was not on the ballot — and claiming that if he had been, he would have won in a landslide. In a phone interview with The New York Times, he said he would accept the results and was willing to work with Democrats. He also posted a photo of a hat bearing the word 'VETO.'

I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!— Donald Trump, President of the United States

I am absolutely willing to accept those results. We'll work with the Democrats, and we'll, you know, look forward to working with them. We'll probably work something out.— Donald Trump, President of the United States

The most symbolically charged result of the night came from Texas, a state that had not sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1988. James Talarico, a former state representative and Presbyterian seminarian who centered his campaign on the economy, defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton — a Trump-backed candidate who had faced a series of political scandals. Republicans poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the race, including funds from Elon Musk, according to The Guardian.

Against big money and big odds we took our power back.— James Talarico, Democrat, Texas Senate race winner

Texas delivered a second blow to Republicans: Gina Hinojosa defeated incumbent Governor Greg Abbott, a close Trump ally, denying him a fourth term and becoming the first Democratic governor of Texas in 36 years and the state's first Latina governor, according to ABC News and The Guardian. NBC News projects Democrats also flipped governorships in Georgia, Nevada, Ohio, and Iowa.

In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, a doctor and progressive candidate, defeated Republican Mike Rogers to become the country's first Muslim senator, according to The Guardian. Trump and El-Sayed's opponents had run what The Guardian described as a largely Islamophobic campaign against him, with Trump alleging El-Sayed was a 'jihadist.'

They want an America that is too small for some of us. We know that America is big enough for all of us.— Abdul El-Sayed, Democrat, Michigan Senate race winner

In Kansas — a state The Guardian described as lying well beyond even the most optimistic Democrats' recent projections — Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor, became the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat there in 94 years, defeating incumbent Roger Marshall.

South Carolina, which had not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1998, fell too: pediatrician Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, the sister of the late Trump loyalist Lindsey Graham. Trump had personally persuaded Graham to run for her brother's seat, according to The Guardian.

In Maine, Senator Susan Collins conceded to Democrat Troy Jackson just before 1 a.m., ending a Senate tenure of nearly 30 years, according to The Guardian. NBC News also lists Iowa, Ohio, and North Carolina among the seven flipped Senate seats.

Exit poll data collected by NBC News pointed to a combination of factors: concerns about the economy, key voting blocs shifting away from the GOP, and a direct rejection of Trump. Two weeks before the election, Trump's approval rating had fallen to 37% — the lowest of his current term — while 65% of Americans disapproved of his handling of the economy, a record high across both of his presidential terms, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll.

With Democrats controlling the House, Hakeem Jeffries is poised to become the first Black Speaker of the House in U.S. history, according to The Guardian.

America is back. Today begins the great American comeback. The American people have spoken all across the land, from sea to shining sea, and made clear they have had enough of the extremism and corruption.— Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat, incoming House Speaker

A small number of races, including Senate contests in Alaska and Mississippi, remained too close to call as of early Wednesday morning, according to the multi-source web summary. The projected Democratic majorities in both chambers are not affected by those outstanding results.

Why it matters — Democratic control of both chambers ends Trump's legislative majority for the rest of his term, reshaping the trajectory of U.S. economic, immigration, and foreign policy — including the ongoing war with Iran.

Sources differ on Number of Senate seats Democrats flipped: At least six (abcnews.com) vs Seven (Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas) (nbcnews.com)

Reported by theguardian.com, abcnews.com, usatoday.com, nbcnews.com