Democrats’ goal of taking control of both chambers of Congress became reality on Election Night.
Republicans had hoped to preserve their narrow Senate majority after losing the House earlier in the evening. In the end, they couldn’t hold on. NBC News projected that Democrats would win the Senate, and Fox News also reported the outcome.
With both chambers under Democratic control, President Donald Trump is likely to face major obstacles to passing legislation and confirming judges. Democratic lawmakers have also signaled plans to investigate several aspects of his administration.
“Lawyer up,” California Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia wrote on social media. He is set to lead the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Some of the night’s most striking results came in Texas, where James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton for a U.S. Senate seat, and Maine, where longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins lost her seat.
Exit polls indicated that the economy and voters’ worsening financial circumstances were their biggest concerns.
Trump responded to the losses by criticizing the quality of some Republican candidates and arguing that he would have won decisively if he had been on the ballot. A White House official said Trump had done more than many candidates themselves to promote their campaigns.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis warned that the Senate’s new makeup could make it nearly impossible for Trump to confirm a successor to Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas or Samuel Alito during his term. He also suggested Republicans would struggle to regain enough seats in 2028 to confirm a successor under a future Republican administration.
