Democrats have won control of the US Senate in the 2026 midterm elections, the Associated Press said, ending two years of Republican control of the chamber. The majority was secured after Democrat Josh Turek won the Senate race in Iowa, bringing Democrats and independents who caucus with them to 51 seats.
The party flipped seats in North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Iowa and Ohio, according to the AP and network projections. Democrats needed to gain at least four seats to take the chamber, and they cleared that bar on election night.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York is set to become majority leader when the new Senate convenes in January. Republicans had held the Senate since the 2024 elections, with Senator John Thune of South Dakota as majority leader.
Two of the flips broke long droughts. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico won the seat, the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate race since 1988. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton defeated Republican incumbent Roger Marshall, the first Democrat to win a Kansas Senate seat since 1932.
Democrats were also projected to win the House of Representatives on election night, according to NBC News and Decision Desk HQ, setting up divided government for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s second term. The House result had not been called by the AP at the time the Senate majority was declared.
Source: USA Today
