Main Points
- Democrats have regained control of both the House and US Senate with just Alaska and Mississippi to call winners
- A Democratic majority gives the party veto power over Donald Trump’s judicial and administration nominees and power to investigate the US president
- Democrats flipped key red states including Ohio and Kansas, which last elected a Democrat almost a century ago
- US vice president JD Vance has blamed the Iran war for the Republican Party’s disastrous midterm results, he said: “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.”
- Donald Trump said he will accept the results but also blamed the Republican losses on the fact he was “not on the ballot”
Key Reads
- What are the US midterms and what do they mean for Donald Trump?
- What can Democrats do now they have won Congress?
- Keith Duggan: ‘Today begins the great American comeback ... the people have had enough of extremism’
- In pictures: Democrats win control of House and Senate in 2026 US midterms
- Global Briefing: Democrats’ sweeping victory reshapes electoral map for 2028 presidential election
World leaders react to US midterm election results
World leaders have been reacting to the seismic results of the US midterm elections, with British prime minister Andy Burnham earlier saying he hopes the results will give the world an “opportunity” to focus on ending the Iran war and easing cost of living pressures.
In Iran, powerful parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf attributed Republican losses to Trump’s unresolved war against Tehran, which broke his campaign promise to not start new wars, sparked a global energy crisis and exacerbated the cost of living.
He wrote on X: “Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message. If the US govt betrays their public will to serve international paymasters and blackmailers, it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare.”
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez celebrated the results and hailed them as proof of a progressive fightback and of the “crumbling” of what he called the “ultra wave”.
“Yesterday, American society voted against the policies that only impoverish,” Sánchez posted on X.
“Against hate. Against sexism. Against climate denialism and against the privileges of the elites.”
Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, said: “Democracy is amazing; I love democracy, it’s a beautiful thing.”
He then added, “I hope that the result will stabilise the situation also in our region, but then Trump is still the president … My advice would be not to overuse the veto … as a sort of method of governing.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that “US voters have made their choice clear”.
She said she hoped the US Congress would continue to support Ukraine and put more pressure on Russia.
“I hope that the new Congress ... will continue supporting Ukraine and also putting more pressure on Russia,” Kallas said, adding that Europe and the United States “are much stronger together” in pushing Moscow to end its war.
Canada says midterms won’t change trade stance, sees talks with US officials
A senior Canadian cabinet minister said on Wednesday the US midterm results would not change Ottawa’s stance towards trade talks with the US, adding he would speak soon to his American counterparts.
Democrats seized control of both the Senate and House of Representatives, blaming rising costs on the war with Iran and President Donald Trump’s policy of imposing tariffs on goods from major trading partners such as Canada.
Dominic LeBlanc, the minister in charge of US trade ties, said “to a certain extent last night’s results are interesting, but they will not have any significant impact in terms of our government’s focus and work".
LeBlanc told reporters that he planned to speak to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer over the next few days.
JD Vance blames Iran war for Republican defeat
US vice president JD Vance has blamed the Iran war for the Republican Party’s disastrous midterm results.
In a lengthy statement posted on X, he said: “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.”
Vance has expressed reservations about the war in the past, and various US media outlets have reported he actively spoke out against it in meetings with Donald Trump.
He wrote: “Our voters did show up. In Florida, for example, the electorate was 9 points more Republican than Democrat, just a couple points worse than 2024. Undoubtedly there were places we could have done better on turnout. But the main problem is not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026.
“There will be a lot of infighting and arguing over what happened and why that is. One of the pollsters I really respect told me that our economic messaging wasn’t sharp enough down the stretch. I’m sure that’s true.
“But the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone.”
He added: “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.
If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest.
“But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.
“I remain hopeful about our country. To the people who are pissed off and want to say, ‘I told you so’: you’re right, you did tell us so. Take that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview. To the people who are just pissed at the results, you should be. Let’s take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country.”
DeSantis calls Republican losses “an extinction level event”
Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who ran against Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination, has called the losses an “extinction level event” for the party.
DeSantis said: “This is close to an extinction level event for Republicans…out of the ten largest states in this union, only one state will have Republican control of their state, the state of Florida."
Mike Johnson won’t stay on as Republican House leader
US House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson doesn’t intend to lead House Republicans next year following the party’s election defeat, said people familiar with his plans, triggering a struggle over who will guide GOP lawmakers as they confront a diminished role as a legislative minority.
The fight to replace him likely pits the House GOP’s current second-ranking leader, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, an establishment conservative, against Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, a combative hardliner who has long eyed a leadership role. Current third-ranking Republican leader Tom Emmer of Minnesota could also join the race. - Bloomberg
Wall Street rallies after Democrats win Congress; data centre stocks slide
US stocks rose on Wednesday as investors bet a divided Washington after the Democrats’ midterm sweep could limit sharp policy shifts, though data centre stocks were under pressure as concerns over tighter AI regulation weighed.
Democrats seized control of both the Senate and House of Representatives, scoring stunning wins in Republican strongholds for the first time in generations in a broad voter backlash against president Donald Trump.
The prospect of fewer sweeping legislative changes lifted some large technology stocks, but companies tied to the AI infrastructure buildout fell.
“The general view that this is a clearing event, so the uncertainty related to the elections is now behind us,” said Scott Chornert, head of US equity strategy at Citi Research.
Amazon.com jumped 7.1 per cent, while Meta Platforms added 1.6 per cent and Alphabet gained 3.4 per cent.
At 9.46am ET (2.46pm Irish time), the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1,203.07 points, or 2.30 per cent, to 52,989.79, the S&P 500 gained 129.88 points, or 1.72 per cent, to 7,698.80 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 540.38 points, or 2.13 per cent, to 25,912.39.
The dollar weakened against most currencies and yields on long-dated Treasuries moved lower.
Trump acknowledged that the US-Israeli war on Iran played a role in his party’s defeat in the elections.
Elon Musk-led SpaceX and Tesla were among the laggards, down 1.9 per cent and 3.9 per cent, respectively. Musk had spent nearly half a billion dollars backing Republican candidates, including efforts to keep Republicans in control in Texas, the home state of both companies. - Reuters
‘This is redemption time’: celebrities react to Democrats’ historic midterms sweep
Celebrities have been reacting to last night’s historic midterm victory for the Democrats after the party regained control of both the House and the Senate.
Bette Midler, who has been a longtime opposer of Donald Trump, wrote online: “I am OVERJOYED! What a great, great night! Thank you, America! You’ve saved your beloved country!!”
Oscar-winner Viola Davis celebrated the historic victory of Keisha Lance Bottoms who became the first ever Black female governor in US history. “We the people .....THE PEOPLE!!” she wrote on Instagram. “We are the orchestrators of this nation....and we have spoken...through our vote....CONGRATULATIONS, my sistah.”
Henry Winkler also wrote that “dreams do come true” on X.
John Cusack wrote that “impeachment and removal is non negotiable no accountability means it will happens again and again” online also praising Abdul El-Sayed as a “smart progressive Bernie Sanders dem” who beat “every smear machine dirty money can buy”.
Author Stephen King had been posting pre-election that he hoped the “enabling will stop” and after the wins, he simply wrote: “Buyers’ remorse”. - The Guardian
Elon Musk’s business empire braces for Democratic wave
As Republicans suffered a landslide defeat and Texas elected its first Democratic governor in more than three decades, one of the biggest losers of the US midterms was not on the ballot: billionaire Elon Musk.
The world’s richest man spent nearly half a billion dollars to back Republican candidates and keep Texas red - a state home to his automaker Tesla, rocket-to-AI company SpaceX and a planned chipmaking venture between the two.
Those bets unravelled as Democrats seized both chambers of Congress and Gina Hinojosa defeated Greg Abbott in the Texas governor’s race, in a stinging rebuke to US president Donald Trump, a close Musk ally whom the billionaire helped elect.
Musk, who urged his followers on X to vote Republican as recently as Tuesday, now faces a resurgent Democratic Party that he has spent years antagonizing.
The GOP’s largest donor even threatened retaliation last month on his social media platform after a report said Democrats were considering probes into his companies if they won midterms.
Shares of SpaceX fell 5.5 per cent, while Tesla was down 5.1 per cent as both stocks lagged the broader market.
One of Musk’s biggest challenges could be slower approvals for the data centers crucial to tapping the $28.5 trillion addressable market that SpaceX touted to investors ahead of its IPO.
Analysts and experts expect Democrats to tighten scrutiny of data-center projects and push for construction moratoriums as local opposition grows over electricity costs. - Reuters
‘Biggest repudiation of a president and his party’ - Boyle
Philadelphia representative Brendan Boyle, who won 80.5 per cent of the vote to be re-elected ahead of Republican candidate Jessica Arriaga, has called the election results the the “biggest repudiation of a president and his party in my lifetime”.
He wrote: “This election was the biggest repudiation of a president and his party in my lifetime. Millions of Americans, indeed millions around the world, woke this morning with a newfound hope they have not felt in many, many years.
“It is now time to turn the page from this darkness of this Trump decade and look forward to a brighter future.”
‘Trump is still your president’ - White House
‘PSA: Trump is still your president,’ a post on the official White House social media accounts reads.
In the immediate aftermath of the elections, president Donald Trump told news outlets he was surprised, but would be willing to work with Democrats.
He also said he would not question the results of the elections, but that remains to be seen.
Trump also appeared to distance himself from unsuccessful Republican candidates, despite the fact he repeatedly told supporters to vote as if he was on the ballot.
New senators to watch
Abdul El-Sayed will become the first Muslim US senator in American history.
The new Michigan senator has proposed the abolition of Ice and guaranteeing healthcare for all.
Other new senators to watch include James Talarico (Texas), Annie Andrews (South Carolina), Adam Hamilton (Kansas) and Roy Cooper (North Carolina).
Read more here.
US, Europe defence stocks slide after Democrats’ election sweep
Defence stocks slid on both sides of the Atlantic as the Democrats’ landslide win in US midterm elections dented expectations of a further ramp-up in the country’s military spending.
Major contractors such as Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. fell more than 3 per cent before the opening bell.
A Goldman Sachs Group Inc basket of Europe’s defence firms fell as much as 4.1 per cent on Wednesday, its steepest decline in more than four months. The UK’s BAE Systems Plc, which gets nearly half its revenue from the US, declined as much as 5.9 per cent. Asian markets were closed by early morning.
Stocks in both regions were riding high coming into 2026, supported by geopolitical tensions and plans by governments around the world to boost military spending. In the US, president Donald Trump called for a staggering $1.5 trillion in spending for the fiscal year ending in 2027.
But the sector has been volatile since — in part because investors had begun to brace for Democrats to win big in the midterms, leading to tighter oversight and funding delays.
There are now “some more open questions about the path forward for the defense budget,” said Keith Lerner, chief investment officer at Truist Advisory Solutions. “And also the various wars that are outstanding, whether there will be any pullback relative to if there wasn’t a shift in the composition of Congress.”
Trump told the Financial Times on Tuesday that he had no immediate plans to launch strikes on Iran following the midterm elections.
Earlier in the week, Trump and his officials such as vice [resident JD Vance sounded slightly more dovish about the prospects for a peace settlement, sending oil prices down, but tensions between the warring sides are still high. - Bloomberg
Hakeem Jeffries poised to become speaker of US House of Representatives
The Democrats’ midterm election win puts Hakeem Jeffries in line to become the first Black speaker of the US House of Representatives, with the dual challenge of opposing president Donald Trump while bridging the gap between his party’s moderates and its more vocal progressives.
As speaker, Jeffries, representing a New York City congressional district, would preside over a majority that will be sworn in the first week of January, taking the reins from Republicans who controlled the House for the past four years.
‘Americans voted for change, Democrats must deliver’
Reacting to the results, Chuck Schumer, the Democrats Senate minority leader, said: “There is now a generational remake of the Senate map that is going to change America.
“Americans voted for change, and now Democrats must deliver.” - Reuters
Five key takeaways from Democrat landslide
Democrats have swept key US midterm races, flipping long-held Republican seats and securing a majority in Congress as voters rebuked Donald Trump’s policies at the ballot box.
Here are the key takeaways from the results.
US stock index futures rally
US stock index futures rallied on Wednesday after Democrats secured sweeping victories in the midterm elections.
The prospect of fewer sweeping legislative changes as a result of divided government in Washington provided a lift to large technology companies, though investors were still assessing what Democratic control of Congress could mean for AI regulation.
“Investors could conclude that Washington remains structurally constrained, limiting the prospects for dramatic shifts in the economic outlook,” said Michael Krautzberger, CIO, for public markets, and Liam Wash, senior US economist at Allianz Global Investors.
Amazon.com jumped about 3 per cent, while Meta Platforms, Nvidia and Alphabet gained over 1 per cent each.
Elon Musk-led SpaceX and Tesla lagged, down over 4 per cent each. The world’s richest man spent nearly half a billion dollars to back Republican candidates in a bid to keep Texas, where his businesses are based, red. - Reuters
US Senate: Seven new faces to watch
Democrats won control of the US Senate by taking states in traditional Republican strongholds in a string of victories that brings new blood to Washington.
The next generation of Democratic leaders – which many see as a field for potential presidential candidates – includes a pastor of a Methodist megachurch, a Paralympic gold medallist, a logger, a paediatrician, a state health official and a former sixth-grade teacher.
After years in which the party was dominated by older grandees such as former president Joe Biden and senator Bernie Sanders, the new intake brings a younger generation into view.
Seven new senators to watch are Abdul El-Sayed (Michigan); James Talarico (Texas); Annie Andrews (South Carolina); Adam Hamilton (Kansas); Roy Cooper (North Carolina); Josh Turek (Iowa) and Troy Jackson (Maine).
Read the full article here.
Democrats secure majorities in both House and Senate
The Democrats have secured 228 seats in the House of Representatives (with 218 needed for a majority) and 54 seats in the Senate (with 51 needed for control).
The party has flipped at least seven Senate seats in red states and battlegrounds, including Kansas – which hasn’t elected a Democratic senator in nearly a century – Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina.
In the House, the Democrats have flipped more than two dozen districts. - The Guardian
‘Governing in the US will be almost impossible,’ says Belgian defence minister
Belgian defence minister Theo Francken has warned that “governing in the US will be almost impossible in the coming years given the level of internal division and polarisation”.
In a post on X, Francken said: “As a European politician I will mainly look of course to trade policies, support to Ukraine and Nato.”
Kremlin hopes midterm results do not affect Trump’s ‘peacemaking efforts’
The Kremlin said it hopes the results of the US midterm elections will not impact what it said were president Donald Trump’s “peacemaking efforts”.
In comments broadcast by Russian state media, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We are sincerely counting on [Trump] continuing his peacemaking efforts.” – Reuters
EU official hopes for ‘fresh start for co-operation’ between US and Europe
Brando Benifei, chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the US, said Europe is ready to relaunch dialogue with the new Congress.
In a statement, Benifei said: “The shift in control of Congress from Republicans to Democrats sends an unequivocal political message: the American people want to turn the page on Donald Trump’s agenda.
“From the rising cost of living to the war in Iran, from repressive policies on civil rights and citizenship to Ice operations, the message is clear: voters are calling for a change of course, and the new Congress must translate this into action.
“It is essential that Congress fully reassert its constitutional prerogatives, following years of repeated executive overreach, including in matters of international law.”
Benifei said he hoped the new legislature “will mark a fresh start for dialogue and co-operation between our institutions”.
“The transatlantic relationship remains indispensable to European security, the competitiveness of our economies, and the wellbeing of our citizens and businesses,” he added.
Hannity says ‘hatred’ towards Trump is ‘unprecedented’
Fox News host Sean Hannity, a prominent Trump supporter, described the scale of “hatred” towards the US president as “unprecedented”.
“I think the hatred for this man is unprecedented. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Hannity said while discussing the election results on Fox News.
Netanyahu’s rivals lambast him over loss of bipartisan American support
Binyamin Netanyahu’s political rivals seized on Democrats’ capture of the US Congress as proof that he had squandered generations of bipartisan American support for Israel, as they seek a chance to form a government without him.
Yair Golan, head of Israel’s centre-left opposition Democrats party, said on X that the US midterm election results “reveal just how toxic Netanyahu is among both Democrats and Republicans”.
Centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid said the results showed “Israel cannot afford” for Netanyahu to remain in office.
“It endangers our security, it jeopardises our democracy, and it will ruin our standing on the global stage,” Lapid said in a social media post.
The US vote took place just a week after an Israeli election, when Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition lost its parliamentary majority but performed well enough to deny his main opponent Gadi Eisenkot a clear path to unseat him.
Israeli president Yitzhak Herzog is due to hold talks on Wednesday and Thursday with party representatives before tasking one of the two men with forming the next government. Meanwhile Netanyahu remains prime minister as a caretaker. – Reuters
Iran’s supreme leader says election results will not stop hostilities
Washington’s hostility towards Tehran will not change through partisan shifts or any concessions to the US, and those who believe otherwise are “greatly mistaken”, Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Wednesday, following the Republican Party’s defeats in the US midterm elections.
Khamenei warned that Iran’s response to any renewed US aggression would be on a much greater scale, adding that Tehran’s destruction of US bases in the region and its management of the Strait of Hormuz had been part of a campaign against US hegemony.
“The US sees the end of its hegemony as distant; we see it as near,” he said. – Reuters
Mississippi and Alaska final elections to be called
Competitive Senate races in Mississippi and Alaska have yet to be called.
Mississippi is incredibly close, as the Democrats’ Scott Colom is leading his Republican rival and incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by fewer than 50 votes.
In Alaska, former Democratic congresswoman Mary Peltola has led Republican incumbent Dan S Sullivan in recent polls.
The race has drawn criticism from the Trump administration, which has accused Democrats of recruiting a namesake candidate to siphon votes from Sullivan. The justice department sought to delay certification if the Trump-backed Sullivan lost, though a federal judge recently rejected that effort.
Peltola’s campaign has denied recruiting Dan J Sullivan, but a recent New York Times report suggested otherwise.
Democrats celebrate several firsts
Democrats are celebrating a number of firsts after sweeping victories across the United States.
Abdul El-Sayed won the Senate race in Michigan, defeating former Republican congressman Mike Rogers to become the US’s first Muslim senator.
Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, won the governor’s race in Georgia, becoming the first black governor and first woman to be elected to the state’s highest office. Bottoms is also the first Democrat-elected governor in Georgia in more than 25 years.
Nevada elected Democrat Aaron Ford as its next governor, making him the first black person to hold the office in the state’s history.
Gina Hinojosa made history to become Texas’s first Latina governor, and the first Democrat to occupy the governor’s mansion since 1990. She bet the Republican incumbent Greg Abbott.
Representative Chris Pappas, Democrat of New Hampshire, will be the Senate’s first openly gay male senator with his victory over Republican John E Sununu.
Allison Montgomery is Alabama’s first transgender legislator after defeating Republican incumbent Phillip Rigsby in the state’s House District 25 race.
Americans say ‘no to war’ – Iran’s chief negotiator
Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the US has said Americans have “said NO TO WAR”, after Donald Trump’s Republican Party suffered a stunning defeat in the midterm elections.
“We endorse this message,” parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X.
“If the US [government] betrays their public will to serve international paymasters and blackmailers, it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare,” he warned.
Democrats flip key red states
The Democrats have flipped several red states including Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Maine, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Democrat Aaron Ford makes history as Nevada elects its first Black governor
Nevada has elected Democrat Aaron Ford as its next governor, making him the first black person to hold the office in the state’s history.
His win toppled Republican incumbent Joe Lombardo in a closely watched race, and delivered an important victory for the Democrats in one of the country’s key battleground states.
From Texas to Kansas, Republicans have lost on home turf
Need to catch up on everything that happened overnight? The Inside Politics team has you covered.
Washington Correspondent Keith Duggan, who is in Texas, speaks to Hugh Linehan about where and how Democratic candidates have pulled off victories and what the result means for the remaining two years of Trump’s term in office.
Listen here.
America wants ‘a politics that brings people together’ – Obama
Former US president Barack Obama said the American people have “sent a clear message – they want a politics that brings people together rather than divides them, and leaders who offer concrete solutions to the challenges they face”.
In a post on X, he said: “These results were only possible because outstanding candidates stepped forward in every region of the country – including in areas once considered long shots.
“They came from different backgrounds and represented a range of political perspectives, but were united by shared values, a belief in public service and a commitment to putting the people of their districts and states first.”
Trump’s midterm rebuke gives trading partners room to resist
A backlash against US president Donald Trump’s Republican Party over rising living costs in the midterm elections could embolden countries around the world to resist his combative trade policies, which have raised prices for American consumers.
Democrats captured majorities in both the Senate and House on Tuesday, as US voters delivered a stinging rebuke for Trump’s policies, specifically tariffs and the Iran war, which they blame for persistent inflation.
That could give countries more reason to slow-walk investment pledges they made to stave off tariffs, and hand economic rival China a perceived upper hand in ongoing trade talks, political analysts and economists said.
Trump’s next major international outing will be a trip to Asia later this month, where he is due to meet southeast Asian leaders in the Philippines and then join the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen, China.
Japan and South Korea, America’s closest allies in Asia, promised $550 billion (about €485bn) and $350 billion (€308bn) respectively in US investments last year under deals with Trump.
“Democrats seem to perceive that the investment commitments were forced on allies,” said Heo Yoon, economics professor at Sogang University in Seoul, adding that countries might now feel less pressure to fulfil such commitments.
But others cautioned that Trump, criticised at home, could squeeze allies harder abroad, pushing them to deliver pledged investments to show his policies are working.
“The tariff issue is not over. If Japan’s response is slow, calls for additional tariffs could resurface,” said Kazuhiro Maeshima, a professor of US politics at Sophia University in Tokyo. – Reuters
America voted ‘against hate and sexism’ – Pedro Sánchez
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez – a vocal Trump critic – said the American people “voted against policies that only serve to impoverish. Against hate. Against sexism. Against climate denialism and against the privileges of the elites.”
In a post on X, Sánchez, who faces an uphill battle to secure another term in office in Spain’s general election later this month, added: “It happened in Brazil. It just happened in the US. And it will happen soon in Spain.”
Senate race in Mississippi on knife’s edge as voting stops for night
The Mississippi US Senate race is neck and neck, with 97 per cent of votes counted. Democrat Scott Colom is currently leading Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 28 votes.
Colom would be Mississippi’s first black senator since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. While Hyde-Smith, a staunch ally of Donald Trump, is vying for her second full term.
Local media is reporting that, shortly after midnight local time (6am Irish time), Hinds County election officials announced they had paused the count for the night, meaning the results will have to wait until the morning. Thousands of affidavit ballots also remain to be counted across the state to determine the outcome of the race.
Republican Pete Ricketts wins re-election in Nebraska
Republican Pete Ricketts has won his re-election bid in Nebraska, defeating independent candidate Dan Osborn.
Ricketts, a former Nebraska governor, was appointed to the Senate in 2023 to replace Republican senator Ben Sasse and won a special election in 2024 to serve the final two years of his predecessor’s term.
El-Sayed ‘proud and honoured’ to be first Muslim senator
After winning the US Senate race in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed will become the country’s first Muslim senator.
In his victory speech, El-Sayed told a jubilant crowd: “Michigan, we did it ... I am so proud and honoured to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan.
“Up until right about now, you might have noticed I always say inshallah, or God willing, whenever the outcome of this race was mentioned. But today, tonight, we can turn that inshallah into an alhamdulillah (praise be to God).”
El-Sayed (42), a former public health official, focused on lowering costs for working families and reducing corporate influence in politics. His platform included Medicare for All, a government-funded universal healthcare programme championed by progressives in his party.
US stock futures turn positive
US stock futures have turned positive ahead of Wall Street opening later, as investors continue to assess the implications of the blue wave across the US, with the Democrats winning control of Congress.
Dow Jones futures are up 0.4 per cent, while S&P 500 and futures for the tech-heavy Nasdaq have both edged about 0.15 per cent higher. Earlier, Nasdaq futures fell 2.4 per cent while S&P 500 futures dropped 1.4 per cent. – The Guardian
Europeans bracing for possible Trump backlash after midterm drubbing
The bloody nose American voters delivered to Trump may provoke a volatile response from the White House abroad, Europe Correspondent Jack Power writes.
Officials who cover trade policy in the European Commission had been privately cautioning for weeks that big Republican losses could leave the US president bruised and angling for a fight elsewhere. That might manifest itself in Trump’s war in Iran, impact on already waning US support for Ukraine or see the US president wade into a fresh row with the European Union (EU).
After fears Trump’s tariffs would drag the EU into a destabilising trade war during his first year in office, things had been quiet on that front this year. The political heat had been taken out of the tariff question by the Europeans agreeing to a 15 per cent tariff rate on goods sold into the US.
Back-to-back summits in Dublin next week, organised as part of Ireland’s EU presidency, will be a good opportunity for European leaders to compare notes on how they think these midterm results might influence transatlantic relations for the second half of Trump’s presidency.
‘What’s happening in Washington is not okay’ – Hamilton
Adam Hamilton, the first Democrat to win a US Senate seat in Kansas in almost a century, said his victory shows that people are unhappy with the Trump administration.
“I think the people in Kansas – Republicans, Independents and Democrats – are saying what’s happening in Washington is not okay”
Hamilton, a Methodist pastor, beat the Republican incumbent, Roger Marshall, in a stunning victory that saw Kansas elect its first Democratic senator since 1932.
What can Democrats do now they have won Congress?
Democrats have flipped the US Senate and House of Representatives in a massive rebuke of Republicans and Donald Trump’s agenda.
With Democrat majorities in both chambers, the final two years of Trump’s presidency will look markedly different from the first half.
But what can Democrats actually do with congressional power? With majorities in both chambers, the party can launch investigations and block Trump appointments.
Read the full article here.
‘The Maga movement took an unholy caning’
Analysing the sweeping victories for Democrats, Washington Correspondent Keith Duggan says: “The polls had been right – and if anything, they had been conservative in their forecasts.
“Donald Trump and his Maga Republican movement took an unholy caning in the 2026 midterms. Texas. Iowa. Kansas. South Carolina. Ohio. All returned Democrat senators as the opposition party reclaimed both House and Senate.
“Just like that, the Trump era looked enfeebled, even if the president remains a volatile leader and less readable now that his power wanes.”
Read his full analysis here.
Elon Musk jokes about ‘election interfering’
Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, has joked that his “election interfering” didn’t work. He spent an estimated $445 million (about €395 million) to support Republican candidates in various races.
“Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time,” Musk posted to X. The billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX was the biggest donor in these elections, dwarfing any outside spending to support Democrats.
Many Democrats have vowed to investigate Musk and his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), which hollowed out several federal agencies, when they take control of Congress.
Musk also joked that data centres – a hot-button issue facing public backlash – in space look “pretty appealing right now”.
Abdul El-Sayed wins historic US Senate race in Michigan
Abdul El-Sayed has won the US Senate race in Michigan, defending a Democratic seat, in one of the most closely-watched competitions this midterm cycle.
El-Sayed beat former Republican congressman Mike Rogers to become the US’s first Muslim senator.
Rogers sought to cast El-Sayed, a public health official, as too extreme for Michigan.
Trump described El-Sayed in racist terms, saying the US Congress would have to “get a special metal detector for Abdul” if he were elected.
The race has drawn national attention in recent days, as Hayley Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed in the August primary election, declined to campaign with him, while demanding that he publicly disavow an outside group’s political ad that posited a link between rising prices and US military support for Israel’s war on Gaza.
El-Sayed responded by telling Stevens to stay away from a campaign event at which they were supposed to appear together on Sunday.
Stevens then endorsed Rogers.
Dollar slides as stunning victories for Democrats jolt AI bets
Global stocks slumped and the dollar hit a one-month low on Wednesday as Democrats gained control of both the Senate and the House in the US midterm elections, fuelling fears that rapid AI sector growth could be hamstrung by regulatory scrutiny.
In a major setback to US president Donald Trump, Democrats notched up victories in the South Carolina, Texas and Ohio Senate races, capturing majorities in both the Senate and House that reached deep into Republican strongholds.
The breadth of the party’s success was underscored by gains in districts long considered safely conservative, highlighting a political shift that caught many investors off guard.
AI stocks were quick to slide. That in turn put the dollar under pressure, while cryptocurrencies also fell at the prospect of stronger regulations. Bonds, though, found favour as investors sought safer assets.
“Tighter regulatory scrutiny of technology and AI companies along with the higher likelihood of political gridlock beckon with a Democrat sweep,” said Prashant Newnaha, senior rates strategist at TD Securities in Singapore.
The AI boom has helped propel global markets in recent years, driven by heavy spending from tech giants racing to build data centres and expand computing capacity. That has left investors acutely sensitive to anything that could derail the technology’s rapid expansion. – Reuters
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass hopeful of win
Supporters of Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass appeared hopeful the incumbent could pull off a victory over challenger Nithya Raman.
Close to 11pm local time, a group of attendees at a Democratic Party event at Loews Hollywood Hotel were dancing as they waited for more results and chanting “four more years”.
Early returns showed Bass with a narrow lead in the polls. Bass had addressed supporters earlier in the evening, praising what she described as a critical day for the city and the country as Democrats saw huge wins across the US.
“Our country has spoken. The city is speaking,” Bass said. “Let me just say from the bottom of my heart, thank you Angelenos.”
Bass faced a tough fight for re-election given her low approval ratings and Angelenos’ broad dissatisfaction with the state of the city. While her opponent Raman, an LA city councillor and one time ally, was leading the polls for weeks, Bass made gains in recent weeks.
Democrat Melissa Gonzalo said people were feeling ecstatic about the blue wave across the US, and “cautiously optimistic” about the mayor’s race. “This is a very unique situation,” she said.
As an LA county resident she can’t vote for Bass, but has convinced friends to back the mayor. Bass cares about the city and has rectified past errors, Gonzalo said. “I don’t feel like it’s time for someone new at this moment,” she said, particularly with the upcoming Olympics.
Kevin Garrity, another Bass supporter, was hopeful given Bass’s momentum in recent weeks. “It’s too close to call, but if I were betting on it I would vote on Karen. She’s the best candidate. She has experience. She loves this city.” – The Guardian
Democrat flips Nebraska’s House district
Democrat Denise Powell has won the House race for Nebraska’s second congressional district, flipping the open seat after the moderate Republican incumbent – Don Bacon – announced that he would retire.
Powell beat Republican Brinker Harding in the contest, which includes Omaha – the “blue dot” of the state. The district is the only one in Nebraska that Kamala Harris won in the 2024 presidential election.
Acton wins Ohio governor’s race
Democrat Amy Acton has won the Ohio governor’s race, beating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.
It’s a major blow to Republicans, after the gubernatorial race turned particularly toxic when Ramaswamy released an ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother – who hasn’t seen her daughter since she was removed from her custody as a child after years of physical and sexual abuse by her stepfather.
‘We shocked the world tonight’ – Gina Hinojosa wins in Texas
Reacting to winning the gubernatorial race in Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa told supporters: “We shocked the world tonight. We showed that anything is possible.”
Hinojosa has made history as the first Latina governor of Texas, and the first Democrat to occupy the governor’s mansion since 1990. She defeated Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, who is serving his third term as governor.
Her win was the second stunning upset of the night in the Lone Star State, after James Talarico made history as the first Democrat to win a US Senate seat there in nearly 40 years.
Wind of change sweeps America
Denis Staunton, who writes our daily Global Briefing newsletter, says the midterm result marks the end of a culture-wars era in US politics and the return of economic issues to the centre of the political contest.
“The transfer of power in Washington after elections like this is swift and brutal, as Republican committee chairs and their staff lose influence and patronage powers,” he writes.
“Republican-supporting lobbyists and legal firms will lose government contracts overnight to Democratic-backing rivals who have been out in the cold until now,” he writes.
“The contest to become the next Democratic presidential nomination begins immediately, and Tuesday’s success will encourage more candidates to fancy their chances. The long primary campaign tends to reveal the qualities of each candidate as it tests their endurance but it will also see an ideological debate playing out within the party,” he writes.
You can read his full analysis here.
Democrats officially clinch 219 House seats, securing control of Congress
Democrats have officially clinched 219 seats in the House of Representatives, which means they will now have control of the lower chamber.
Along with the US Senate, the upper chamber, they will now have full control of Congress.
We will continue to report on the latest race calls and results as they come through.
James Talarico: ‘Tonight we defeated Goliath’
Democrat James Talarico has won the US Senate race in Texas, breaking a 38-year drought for his party in the Republican stronghold and delivering a stunning blow to Donald Trump.
Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, the state attorney general and a staunch ally of the US president, in one of the most closely watched contests of the midterm elections to decide control of Congress.
“Tonight we defeated Goliath,” Talarico said to a jubilant crowd at his election night party in Austin. “All the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas.”
The result has significant implications for control of the US Senate, where Republicans were defending a narrow majority, and complicate Trump’s efforts to advance his agenda during the final two years of his presidency.
The Democrat’s victory signifies a rupture in the political landscape in Texas, the country’s second biggest state, which Trump carried by nearly 14 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
Talarico (37) will become the Senate’s youngest member and replace John Cornyn (74) who lost a bruising Republican primary to the scandal-plagued Paxton, whose nomination bolstered Talarico’s appeal to Republican and independent voters.
Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, former middle school teacher and state representative, built his campaign around economic concerns, Christian faith and a message of political unity.
‘A nightmare scenario for Donald Trump’
Keith Duggan, our Washington Correspondent, and video journalist Chris Maddaloni are in Austin, Texas, where James Talarico has become the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in decades.
“What’s happened here is emblematic of a night that’s gone beyond the wildest dreams of the Democratic Party,” says Duggan.
“They have flipped states in Kansas - the first Democratic senator since 1932; they won in Ohio; they have won in south Carolina, where Annie Andrews has taken the seat formerly held by the late Lindsey Graham.
“It’s been a nightmare scenario for Donald Trump and the Republican Party. He asked voters to make this a referendum on himself, to pretend that he was on the ballot, and really, it’s been a repudiation of many of his policies, and maybe of Trump himself, as a force of nature in US political life.”
We’ll publish Keith Duggan’s analysis on the results shortly.
Republican senator Susan Collins concedes defeat in Maine race
Veteran Republican senator Susan Collins has conceded defeat in Maine’s Senate race.
Collins, who has represented Maine in the US Senate since 1997, was seeking another term in office.
Her defeat marks another significant setback for Republicans as they face a wider battle to retain their influence in Congress.
Maine has been a closely watched state in the fight for control of the US Senate.
Troy Jackson’s near certain victory adds to the series of Democratic gains in this year’s midterm elections.
Donald Trump: ‘I’m a little surprised. I thought they’d do better.’
Donald Trump called in live to talk to Fox News about the results a few minutes ago.
“I’m a little surprised,” he said. “I thought they’d do better.”
Trump spoke as if what just happened was not a major rebuke of the majority of his agenda and reissued lines from his rallies and his media appearances.
Of Democrats, he said: “They’re in control, but they’re not in control”. He emphasised that he will veto whatever legislation gets passed.
Trump told the Fox News interview, Bret Baier, that he doesn’t intend to make changes to his Cabinet. “It’s just a point in time, Bret,” he said. “There was a mood in the air.”
How will Democratic control of Congress affect Trump?
Democratic control of Congress will give the party veto power over US president Donald Trump’s judicial and administration nominees as well as greater weight in fights over spending.
Democrats have said they will not approve additional funding for the war in Iran or Trump’s immigration crackdown.
With leadership of committees, Democrats will also have the authority to subpoena administration officials and others to follow through on investigations they have promised to pursue.
The loss could prompt Republicans to try to push through some of their priorities in the coming weeks.
Josh Turek flips US Senate seat in Iowa in another seismic victory for Democrats
Josh Turek, a Paralympian and Democratic state representative, flipped Iowa’s open Senate seat on Tuesday, according to projections.
He overcame Ashley Hinson, a third-term Republican, in one of this year’s most high-profile battleground races.
Turek’s victory came in a state that US president Donald Trump won three times, including by 13 percentage points in 2024.
It delivers Democrats a seat which was seen as crucial to the party’s fight for control of the Senate and signals a backlash to president Trump’s policies.
Trump says he will accept election result
US president Donald Trump said he was “absolutely willing” to accept the results of the midterm elections, and was prepared to work with Democrats.
“We’ll, you know, look forward to working with them,” he said in a phone interview with The New York Times. “We’ll probably work something out.”
However, in a social media post later, he posted a picture of a red hat with the word “Veto” emblazoned across it.
Trump blamed Republican losses on the fact that he was not on the ballot, and called his decision to go to war with Iran a “very wise decision.”
The US president spent much of the midterm campaign asking supporters to vote “as if he were on the ballot”.
Trump also said he had no regrets about endorsing candidates such as senator Darline Graham in South Carolina and Ken Paxton, the Republican attorney general of Texas, who both lost their US Senate bids.
Democrats set to regain control of US Senate and House
The Democrats are set to win a majority in the US Senate, according to a projections from TV networks and AP.
The party needed to defend all of its seats make a net gain of four seats from the 35 seats up for re-election to reach a majority of 51 seats.
It means the Democrats are now projected to control both parts of Congress - the US Senate and the House of Representatives.
This shift could have a significant impact on Donald Trump’s presidency, with a Democratic majority making it more difficult for the US president to advance his policies through Congress.
“Democrats have taken back control of Congress,” said Hakeem Jeffries, who is likely to be the new speaker of the House in January. “We’re going to end this national nightmare.”
Sherrod Brown reclaims Senate seat in Ohio, a key victory for Democrats
Sherrod Brown, a former Democratic senator from Ohio, will represent his state again after unseating senator Jon Husted on Tuesday, according to the latest projections.
Brown’s victory in one of the midterms’ key races flips a seat central to the Democrats’ quest to retake control of the US Senate.
Brown (73) will return to Washington two years after he was defeated by senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio. His comeback reflects just how much the political environment has changed since the Republican Party swept into power in 2024.
Talarico wins Texas for Democrats in seismic upset
Democrat James Talarico has defeated Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race. It gives Democrats their first statewide victory in “ruby red” Texas since 1994.
It is a seismic upset and a sensational win for the Democrats in what was billed as the most expensive US senate race in history. It also provides a big boost to the party’s chances of taking control of the US senate.
Ken Paxton’s loss is a dramatic political failure for Elon Musk, who spent over $200 million to boost Paxton. Musk financed a barrage of anti-Talarico adverts, and spent at least $44 million on a voter-contact campaign in the state.
Paxton, a staunch conservative with US president Donald Trump’s backing, has faced controversy over his impeachment on bribery and corruption charges in 2023, though the state Senate acquitted him.
Our photographer and video journalist Chris Maddaloni has sent these images from Austin, Texas, where Talarico supporters are celebrating.
Trump’s reaction to the early results
US president Donald Trump has been railing against TV coverage of the results during the night, including Fox News.
His latest comment on the Truth Social Network is the first to focus on the results.
“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP”.
The US president spent the campaign asking supporters to vote “as if he were on the ballot”, telling a rally crowd this summer and TV viewers on Monday night to “pretend I’m on the ballot.”
Ossoff calls Democratic wins a rebuke of ‘incompetent’ Trump
Speaking to a raucous crowd in Atlanta, Democratic senator Jon Ossoff described the midterm results as a defeat for the term-limited president, entering his final two years in office.
“In sweeping and decisive victories, the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of a failed lame duck president Donald J Trump,” Ossoff said.
He added that the country’s politics have been “small and selfish, bought by big money, unmoored from fixed moral principles, and resigned to intractable division.”
He called for healing “brokenness” in the country, not just pushing back on the president.
In sweeping language, he said the wealthy had benefited from inside information and favors while families suffered with “higher and higher” bills.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms is first Black female governor in US history
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms has won the race for Georgia governor, defeating Republican Rick Jackson and flipping control of the battleground state office for the first time in 24 years.
Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta and a former Biden administration official, overcame a huge spending disadvantage against Jackson, a wealthy executive who pumped more than $100 million of his own money into his campaign.
She is the first woman and the first Black person to be elected governor of Georgia. She is also the first Black female governor in the country’s history.
Democrats on track to win House and need net gain of three more seats to win US senate majority
All eyes are US senate contests in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas. The Democrats need a net gain of three more seats to control the senate.
Democrats have picked up one seat in the House and held on to several battleground districts. They need a net gain of just two more seats to take the House majority.
Overall, Democrats are on track to win the national House popular vote by 12 per centage points, according to estimates from the New York Times.
That would be the largest popular victory in the national congressional vote for either party since 1982 — back when Democrats ran up the score nationwide with overwhelming support in the south of the country.
James Talarico on course to take first senate seat for Democrats in Texas since 1994
James Talarico is hoping to give Democrats their first statewide victory in Texas since 1994.
While Texas has been considered a toss-up state by analysts, TV networks are recategorising it as “leaning” towards Talarico.
If the trend holds true, it would be a sensational win for the Democrats and a big boost to their chances of taking control of the US senate.
As things stand, Talarico’s rival Ken Paxton would need to win 61 per cent of the remaining vote to catch or overtake James Talarico, who leads.
Paxton, a staunch conservative with US president Donald Trump’s backing, has faced controversy over his impeachment on bribery and corruption charges in 2023, though the state Senate acquitted him.
Democrats gain momentum in battle for control of Congress
Democrats have secured a series of early victories and strong showings in states and districts where Republicans have won by large margins for years.
As of 2.30am Irish time, Democrats flipped the US Senate seat in North Carolina and retained control of seats in Georgia and New Hampshire, according to projections
Florida has provided an fascinating insight into the Democrats’ resilience: two Democratic incumbents retained their House seats even after their districts were redrawn to favour Republicans.
In addition, Democrats flipped their first House seat of the night in western North Carolina.
It is early and analysts caution about a “blue mirage”. But there are hopeful signs for Democrats that a lpolitical earthquake may be on the way.
In Texas and South Carolina, Democrats have fielded strong and well-funded senate candidates against Republicans considered their party’s weakest nominees. In each, the Democratic candidates are posting margins unthinkable for their party in counties that have reported the vast majorities of their votes.
Trump, meanwhile, is watching the election results from the White House and posting criticism of the Fox News coverage on his social media site. He celebrated a Republican victory in Guam but has yet to speak at length about results in the 50 states.
Full results won’t be known until well into the morning -- and possibly not for days, especially if many of the races are close.
Trump braces for ‘bad night’
Donald Trump is preparing to dampen expectations for the Republicans, White House officials have told NBC News.
Officials are trying to lower expectations about the party’s performance nationwide, based on early results. One official said the president was bracing for the idea it “might be a really bad night” for his party.
First ‘flip’ for Democrats as Roy Cooper wins senate seat in North Carolina
Democrat Roy Cooper has won election to the US senate representing North Carolina, defeating Republican Michael Whatley.
Cooper’s victory gives Democrats a key pickup in their quest to wrest senate control from Republicans.
The seat was open because Republican senator Thom Tillis opted not to seek another term.
Cooper is a former governor and state attorney general.
Whatley is a former state and national Republican Party chairman who ran with US president Donald Trump’s support.
Is Florida a sign of things to come for Trump?
Florida’s 4th congressional district was a race on few people’s radar; it was rated as likely Republican by the non-partisan Cook Political Report.
But, with over 90 per cent of the vote counted, the race is unexpectedly close with the Democratic candidate, LaShonda “LJ” Holloway leading by one percentage point.
Many other Democrats in the state look set to retain seats, or are projected to win marginal contests, despite redistricting efforts by Republicans.
Democrat Jon Ossoff projected to win re-election in Georgia senate race
Democrat Jon Ossoff is projected to win re-election in the Georgia Senate race, according to NBC News.
Georgia was rated by analysts as a Democrat-leaning state, so it’s not a big surprise. It was one of the few states where Democrats had a money advantage in the final stretch and had moved off the board for Republicans.
Our Washington Correspondent Keith Duggan recently profiled Ossoff, an emerging Democrat star who has become a chief thorn in Trump’s side.
Polls close in six states
Polls have closed in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia
These are the first states to finish voting. The next batch of poll closures will take place at 12:30am Irish time in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.
Meanwhile, some of the TV networks are making their first projections.
NBC projects Democrat Mark Warner will defeat Republican Bert Mizusawa to win another term in the Virginia senate race. Virginia is a solidly Democratic state, so no big surprise there.
NBC also projects Republican politician Hal Rogers will win re-election in Kentucky’s 5th congressional district, rated as a solidly Republican district by analysts.
Meanwhile, Democrat Morgan McGarvey is projected to win Kentucky’s 3rd congressional district, rated as solidly Democratic district by analysts.
These results offer an early snapshot of the contests shaping the battle for control of Congress.
What does turnout typically look like in US midterm elections?
Turnout tends to be lower in US midterm elections than in the presidential elections.
Turnout in the last two midterms was 52 per cent in 2022 and 53 per cent in 2018, according to the US Census Bureau.
But with the presidency on the ballot, 65 per cent of eligible voters turned out in 2024 and 67 per cent in 2020.
Latest opinion polls indicate that Democratic voters are more likely to turn out than Republicans this year.
Election analysts have cautioned that such Democratic constituencies as young, Black and Hispanic voters have historically turned out at lower rates in midterm elections.
And surveys show persistent skepticism among these groups towards both parties, especially over the cost of living.
If turnout among those groups falls short of expectations, Democrats could underperform on election day.
Was Trump’s election day announcement on cutting aid to Israel a sign of desperation?
Earlier on Tuesday, US president Trump made a surprise election day announcement on US aid to Israel, a topic that has been raised in some midterm campaigns.
He said he had made a deal with Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu that Washington would stop $4 billion in funding to Israel after the end of this year, though it would still sell Israel weapons.
The announcement comes as US public support for Israel has fallen, particularly among Democrats, since Israel’s harsh response in Gaza to a deadly Hamas-led cross-border attack in October 2023.
Trump did not say why he chose to announce the deal on Tuesday, but a number of candidates critical of Israel won Democratic primaries over the past year, and even moderate candidates have been increasingly willing to challenge longtime US support.
In a key battleground race, Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed is seeking to represent Michigan in the US senate. El-Sayed, who would become the first Muslim to serve as a US senator, has opposed unconditional military aid to Israel.
First polls close in Indiana and Kentucky
The first polls in the 2026 US midterms have closed now in Indiana and Kentucky.
Kentucky’s 6th district, an open seat rated by many as a toss-up, is being treated by analysts as an early test of whether a large Democratic wave is building.
At midnight, polls in Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina and most of Florida will close. Virginia’s 2nd district will be the first genuine swing seat to report.
My colleague Hugh Linehan has provided this guide on when to expect the key calls.
How will the TV networks project results?
Most TV networks and web outlets rely on two providers for vote counts: the Associated Press (AP) or election data firm Decision Desk HQ.
Some news outlets like Fox News and CBS News make their own projections based on the AP vote count, exit polls, early-vote totals and their own statistical modeling.
The first projections will start soon after polls begin to close, first with Indiana and Kentucky at 11pm Irish time.
Then, polls close in Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia at midnight Irish time.
When making calls, the AP says it uses vote totals and estimates how many votes remain uncounted based on past voting patterns and early-vote data.
It calls a race only when the trailing candidate cannot catch up.
Decision Desk HQ collects vote counts from official state sources. The firm says it uses statistical analysis, modeling and expert review to project election winners.
Most voters ‘angry’ or ‘dissatisfied’ with direction of US
Voters are in the mood for change, according to the AP Voter Poll, which found that roughly three-quarters of voters say they feel “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the way things are going in the country today.
The poll finds most appear to blame the Trump administration for high costs. About six in 10 say higher-than-usual prices are “more because of Trump’s policies” rather than “more because of factors outside Trump’s control.”
Additionally, about 70 per cent of voters want the US Congress to provide more checks and balances on the presidency.
The AP poll suggests most are deeply unhappy with Trump, with roughly six in 10 saying they disapprove of how he’s handling the presidency.
About four in 10 say the economy is the most important issue facing the country, while three in 10 say the most important issue is democracy, according to the poll, well above the number who said the same about crime, health care and immigration.
US midterm polls show a blue surge. Can we trust them?
Democrats are leading in all key states that will decide senate control, according to the latest polls.
However, surveys have underestimated Trump and Republican support before.
There’s precedent in the Trump era for polls to overestimate Democrats, and it’s reasonable to wonder whether the polls might be overestimating Democratic strength yet again. Statistically, Republicans more likely not to respond to polls, which introduces the ever-present risk of a polling misfire.
The political analyst Nate Cohn says the latest New York Times/Siena polls have been weighted to take account of this.
In addition, he argues Democrats lead by enough that they could win the Senate even if the polls underestimate Republicans by as much as they did in 2016 or 2020.
Minnesota voters remember US citizens killed by federal immigration officials
Minnesota voters left “I Voted” stickers on memorial sites for Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, the two US citizens killed by federal immigration officials earlier this year.
Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse at the Veterans Affairs medical center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Good, a writer and mother of three, were killed during a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in the Minneapolis region in January.
Republican voters outnumber Democrats in all votes cast
In voting on Tuesday, Republican voters outnumbered Democrats by almost half, 856,000 to 445,000, according to Florida Vote Tracker.
In all votes cast, Republicans led 3.06 million to 2.5 million, with another 1.6 million independent or no party affiliated votes cast.
The figures, of course, reflect only the number of returned votes by affiliation so far, not who voters actually voted for.
Technical issues reported in several areas
In New York state, Westchester county executive Kenneth Jenkins told a news conference that voting machines have been unable to scan as many as 250,000 ballots in 332 polling locations across more than 40 of the county’s municipalities.
Jenkins stressed that people will still be able to vote, and would be directed to cast their vote on emergency ballots.
Technical issues were reported across several Mississippi counties.
People have experienced issues with voting, according to Mississippi Voters Action Fund, which supports voting in the state.
Election officials in Florida’s Broward county, the largest Democratic party stronghold in the state, say they have resolved issues with voting machines in a number of precincts that prevented early election day voters from casting their ballots.
Joe Scott, the county’s supervisor of elections, said in a statement that the technical problems, which became evident as soon as polling opened, were quickly ironed out.
Voter turnout surges past 2022 levels
Voter turnout has surged in the lead up to this year’s midterm election, with the number of early ballots cast significantly outstripping the totals from the 2022 midterm.
By the afternoon, Florida’s Division of Elections reported more than 1,860,000 votes had been cast on election day.
Georgia’s secretary of state Brad Raffensperger said 775,000 votes had been cast, with an expected total turnout of 1.4 million votes by the close of polling.
Guam elects Republican governor in first unofficial results
The first election results of the 2026 midterms have come in from Guam, the Pacific island territory.
The unofficial results published by the Guam Election Commission show that Republican candidate Vicente Ada (also known as Tony) was elected as governor of Guam.
Voters opted to send Democratic candidate Alicia Anne Garrido Limtiaco to Washington as the delegate to congress.
President Donald Trump took to his personal social media platform to remark on the results, which he considered a strong showing for the Republicans.
“Guam, which has always been considered strongly Democrat, just had an early call for a REPUBLICAN victory in the top spot, Governor — Congratulations to Tony Ada.
“Also, the Republicans have the majority in the State Senate. Wow, hopefully that’s an indication for things to come.”
Officials in some states report strong turnout in opening hours
Voter turnout has surged in the lead up to this year’s midterm election, with the number of early ballots cast significantly outstripping the totals from the 2022 midterm.
Elections workers across the country were expecting that trend to continue into election day.
Officials in states including North Carolina, Georgia, and Michigan reported strong turnout in the opening hours of voting.
When can Irish viewers expect the key calls?
With Ireland five hours ahead of the east coast, the first US midterm polls will close at 11pm our time. But that’s only half the story, writes Hugh Linehan.
Florida and North Carolina usually count most of their vote within hours. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin can’t process postal ballots until polling day, and California accepts postal ballots arriving up to a week late.
A candidate leading at 2am may be trailing by breakfast, and that is normal rather than sinister. If Democrats run ahead of their polls in Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio before 1am, Republicans face a very bad night.
If they don’t, the US Senate may come down to Maine and Alaska, where ranked choice voting slows everything down, and we might not have a definitive result for days or even weeks.
Read the full article here.
US to cut $4 billion in aid to Israel this year, says Trump
President Donald Trump said he had an agreement with Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu to cut off $4 billion in annual US aid.
“Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal,” Trump said in an interview on Tuesday on Fox News.
“We give Israel $4 billion a year and we made a deal months ago that we’re stopping — and they’re fine with it.”
“They’ve become a very successful country. They don’t need it. And we won’t be paying anymore,” he added.
Astronauts For America write open letter to US voters
Astronauts For America, an alliance of more than 100 former Nasa explorers, has written an election day open letter to US voters reminding them of the importance of their vote in defending constitutional principles against threats to democracy.
“Federal authority is not a license for any president or federal agency to take over state election administration,” the letter, also signed by ther non-partisan, pro-democracy groups National Security Leaders for America and Leadership Now, said.
“Regardless of political party or personal beliefs, every American should be able to trust that elections are conducted according to the law, every lawful vote is counted, and the results are determined through established legal procedures - not political pressure or the arbitrary exercise of power.”
The letter is a thinly-veiled attack on Donald Trump’s efforts to interfere in election machinery, such as his failed attempts to segregate ballots in California and block certification in the Alaska US senate race. - Guardian
Republicans return more ballots than Democrats in Florida so far
Florida election officials released early voting figures on Tuesday showing registered Republicans in the state returned over 250,000 more ballots than Democrats - 1.49 million to 1.21m.
Gas climbs to election day high of over $4 in bad timing for Republicans
Americans driving to the polls will pay gas prices averaging over $4 a gallon for the first time on record on an election day, the latest milestone in an energy crisis that has taken center stage in the US midterms.
US gas prices averaged $4.13 a gallon as of 10am EST, according to GasBuddy, a fuel savings app.
That’s the most expensive price ever recorded on November 3rd of any year. It’s also more expensive than any prior election day, including 2022, the year US gas prices set an all-time record, according to Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis.
The prices today are below the highs set this year of over $4.56 a gallon in May, and they’re down from a national average near $4.50 in late September, according to AAA.
But the $4 price tag has never stuck on gas station marquees so late into the year, the result of snarled global energy shipments and a refining crisis spurred by the US-Iran war, continued Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries and limited exports from China.
In the hours before polls opened, federal judges issued a series of rulings restricting the Trump administration’s unprecedented efforts to pressure state election officials over alleged noncitizen voting.
The administration’s legal losing streak continued last night. In Washington, one federal judge blocked the administration from demanding officials in California not count any ballots received from people on a list of alleged noncitizens, while another judge prevented the administration from sending such lists to officials in any state.
In San Francisco, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court order for the administration to stop threatening election officials with prosecution if they did not comply with its demands over alleged noncitizen voters.
Those rulings all came after the US Supreme Court swiftly rejected the administration’s request that it intervene in a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to order California election officials not to count any mail ballots received from more than 20,000 people it says may be noncitizens.
The people have the power, says Kamala Harris.
Now, for the sake of balance, we should probably post something from a Republican perspective and who better to choose but the man who leads that party?
The eight Senate seats to watch tonight
While there are hundreds of races reaching their climax this evening, the outcome may well depend on just eight Senate seats.
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democrat, is running against Trump-backed Republican Mike Rogers, in Michigan while in Maine, Republican incumbent Susan Collins is battlind hard for her seat.
In Alaska, former Democratic congresswoman Mary Peltola will hope to take Republican Dan Sullivan’s seat. In Ohio Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, is hoping to return to the Senate having lost his seat in 2024 while in Texas, James Talarico, is trying to flip a red seat blue with a triumph over Ken Paxton.
Kansas is closer than might have been expected with Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton ahead in the polls against Republican incumbent Roger Marshall while in South Carolina, Darline Graham, the sister of late Senator Lindsey Graham, is running for a full term with polls showing a potentially close contest between her and Democratic nominee Annie Andrews.
And then there is Iowa: With Republican Senator Joni Ernst having vacated her seat, her party’s nominee, congresswoman Ashley Hinson, the GOP in nominee, is running to replace her. She’s up against Democrat Josh Turek, a state lawmaker, in a toss-up contest.
America decides... but when will we know what it’s saying?
While Irish polling booths close at 10pm on the day of voting with the full results not becoming clear for days, they do things differently in the US and many of the polls wil be closing at 6pm local time – or 11pm Irish time - and by early tomorrow morning we should have a good idea what happened. Hugh Linehan has a good breakdown of what we can expect and when we can expect it.
Justice department deploying 1,000 election monitors and observers to all 50 states
The US justice department has said it is deploying 1,000 election monitors and observers to all 50 states in what it called the largest election day monitoring effort in history.
A department statement identified which jurisdictions within the states would receive monitors and observers, and said priorities include areas with a history of voter access issues and places with competitive races that could be targets of voter intimidation.
The Trump administration has taken an increasingly aggressive approach to election oversight, pressing states for voter-registration data and arguing that stricter measures are needed to ensure public confidence in the vote. Critics view the moves as federal overreach.
Odds on Democrats to come out on top
Many of the polls are pointing to heavy losses for the Republicans, but what about the betting markets?
There has been a staggering $1.48 billion (€1.32 billion) wagered on the midterms on prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket.
The platforms rose to prominence in 2024 when they bucked traditional opinion polls in signalling that Donald Trump would win the presidency, and have since amassed a global following among media outlets and investors.
On Monday, prediction market prices aggregated by analytics firm BetInt implied Democrats had a 95 per cent chance of taking the House of Representatives and a 76 cent chance of taking the Senate.
What is occupying the minds of US voters as they go to the polls?
The rising cost of living will be top of mind for Americans but it is not the only thing concerning them, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that was conducted between last Thursday and Monday.
THE COST OF LIVING
Some 48 per cent of registered voters in the poll say the cost of living is the top issue for deciding how they will vote, compared with 26 per cent who say democratic norms and 13 per cent who point to immigration. US fuel prices have surged since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran in February.
DONALD TRUMP
Trump has urged supporters to pretend he is on the ballot in an effort to energize his Republican Party. The Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that 48 per cent of people who planned to vote – or already had done so – said they thought of their ballots as a vote against Trump, compared with 25 per cent who said they were voting for him. Some 25 per cent said Trump was not a factor in their vote.
IRAN
Trump has argued that war was necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Some 25 per cent of voters think military action has been worth the cost, and 55 per cent say it has not been worth it with 18 per cent unsure.
ELECTION INTEGRITY
Voters overall trust the US electoral process, with 77 per cent saying they are confident their ballots will be counted but 45 per cent saying they think voter fraud is a widespread problem. Trump has falsely claimed that massive numbers of non-citizens vote illegally and election officials worry the administration could disrupt the election or certification of results it views unfavourably. The White House says its goal is to safeguard election integrity and voting security.
HOUSEHOLD FINANCES
All told 49 per cent of Americans think their household finances have gotten worse since January 2025, when Trump returned to power, compared with 13 per cent who said their finances have gotten better and 37 per cent who say things are about the same. Trump campaigned ahead of the November 2024 presidential election with a promise to turbocharge the economy, but his presidential approval has fallen in recent months to the lowest levels of his political career, including among Hispanic Americans who swung in his direction in 2024. The latest poll showed 54 per cent of Hispanics said their household finances have suffered, while 10 per cent said they had improved.
TRANSGENDER SPORTS
Some 38 per cent of voters ahead of the election said keeping transgender girls and women out of women’s sports was a very important issue or the most important issue, compared to 25 per cent who said that about protecting the rights of transgender people.
What is on the table in today’s election?
So, with all the talk of midterms and a blue wave and a Democratic sweep seeing power seep away from Trump’s White House, it might be worth recapping just what is up for grabs today.
First things first. Congress has two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The lower chamber, the House of Representatives, has 435 voting seats, each representing a district of roughly similar size. There are elections for each of these seats every two years.
The House has several exclusive powers, such as the power to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials and elect the president in the case of an electoral college tie.
The upper chamber, the Senate, has 100 members, who sit for six-year terms. A third of the seats come up for election in each two-year cycle. Each state has two senators, regardless of its population.
Most legislation needs to pass both chambers to become law, but the Senate has some important other functions, notably approving senior presidential appointments, for instance to the supreme court.
In most states, the candidate with the most votes on election day wins the seat.
However, Georgia and Louisiana require the winning candidate to garner 50 per cent of votes cast; if no one does, they hold a runoff election between the top two candidates.
Maine and Alaska use ranked-choice voting as opposed to the first past the post voting system in congressional elections.
Florida and Ohio are having ‘special elections’ for the Senate because the previous holders of their seats – Marco Rubio and JD Vance – resigned to join the executive branch following the 2024 presidential election.
And then there are governors.
They are elected by direct vote in their states. The candidate with the highest number of votes is declared the winner.
In every state, the executive branch is led by a governor. They serve for four years in office, with the exception of Vermont and New Hampshire where tenures are two years long.
Governors are responsible for implementing state laws, and have a range of powers available to them such as executive orders, executive budgets and legislative proposals and vetoes.
US voters go to the polls in election which could weaken Trump’s hold on power
Americans are heading to the polls today in US midterm elections widely seen as a referendum on Donald Trump’s second presidency and a chance for opponents to rein in his power.
The party holding the White House typically loses congressional seats at midterm elections and Democrats are hoping the president’s nose-diving popularity can be exploited.
Meanwhile, the US department of justice in California has charged six more people with alleged voter fraud crimes, an escalation of the administration’s campaign against election integrity.
However, in a blow to Trump, the supreme court has ruled against attempts to force California election officials to segregate and not count ballots from people the department claims are non-citizens.
