Results for “democrats midterm”

Despite wins, Democrats lack the two-thirds majority needed to overturn a presidential veto and push through a law.

The 2026 midterm elections were the most expensive on record, with nearly 12 billion dollars spent during the campaign. Tech tycoon Elon Musk was by far the largest individual donor ever, injecting over 440 million dollars of his money to support the GOP. Tuesday's resounding Democratic victory showed the limits of his money, power and influence.

US Democrats are promising to leverage their landslide election win to bring down living costs and hold President Donald Trump's administration to account. They are set to take control of both chambers of Congress in January, but delivering on their agenda could mean striking deals with the very president they have pledged to rein in.

Ten-year high shows sterling’s strength against other currencies following fall of dollar after US midterm elections Business live – latest updates The pound has hit its highest level since its crash in the wake of the Brexit referendum a decade ago. Data released by the Bank of England on Thursday showed that the pound reached its strongest level against a basket of other currencies since 23 June 2016 – the day of the EU vote – on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Who voted, which seats flipped and who made history? A look at the numbers behind the 2026 US midterm elections.

As he takes stock of his Republican Party's midterm drubbing, US President Donald Trump now faces the difficult question of what to do about his unpopular war against Iran. Trump acknowledged the war affected the midterms, suggesting voters were frustrated by surging gas prices that have been a byproduct of the more than 8-month-old conflict. FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor Philip Turle tells us more.

US Vice President JD Vance blames the war for the midterm rout as Democrats prepare to use Congress to rein it in.

Democrats gain hundreds of seats in historic victories – and party set to embark on aggressive legislative spree The blue wave that swept Republicans out of power across the United States didn’t just strike Congress. In Tuesday’s midterm elections, Democrats gained hundreds of seats in state legislatures across the country, under-the-radar victories that may have major implications for life in America. Though ballots are still being counted, the party’s success appear to be historic – Democrats haven’t won full control of government in Arizona in 60 years, in Pennsylvania since the 1990s, and Wisconsin since their wipeout in 2010. In Michigan and Minnesota, they regained trifectas they lost after the 2024 election, while in Texas, they will control the state house for the first time since 2002. Continue reading...

Voters in Nevada, Virginia, Missouri and Idaho passed or strengthened protections for women’s reproductive freedom Reproductive rights were on the ballot on Tuesday night as voters weighed in on several abortion -related measures, delivering a largely successful night for reproductive rights advocates encompassed by a historic blue wave . In Nevada , voters approved an amendment enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution, permanently protecting access to abortion through the second trimester after a second referendum on the measure. Continue reading...

Democrats’ success was helped by popular anger over tech, AI and the super rich – life for billionaires could become much more difficult The photo of Silicon Valley centi-billionaires at Donald Trump’s inauguration – Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg, front row and side by side – now looks like a hitlist for a blue Congress hellbent on making life difficult for billionaires. The picture symbolized at the time the bending of the knee by the richest men in the world to its most powerful, a symbiosis of the ultra-rich. Already unfathomably wealthy, Silicon Valley tycoons believed a Maga-sized public shift to the right would enrich them even more. It did. For several years, while Trump seemed an everlasting kingmaker and AI’s expansion seemed unstoppable, their fortunes ballooned to values beyond comprehension. Elon Musk’s surpassed $1tn. Continue reading...

Administration had waged aggressive bid to sow doubt about midterms results but worst fears were not realized In the months leading up to the midterm elections, Donald Trump’s administration waged an aggressive effort to sow doubt about the results, intimidate voters and election officials, and signal they would use the power of the federal government to challenge the electoral process. But when the results came in Tuesday night, revealing a massive blowout for the GOP, Trump did something almost unprecedented: he accepted the results. Trump said he was “absolutely willing” to accept the outcome and looked forward to working with Democrats . With the exception of the 2024 election, which he won and Republicans performed well in, Trump has raised doubt about every presidential race and midterm since his first election in 2016. Continue reading...

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expects US President Donald Trump to keep bypassing Congress despite midterm losses.

But the president still has veto power, which he can wield to dictate policy over tariffs, the war in Iran or aid for Ukraine In a rare occurrence, a US election may have actually been decided by foreign policy. Donald Trump ’s war in Iran and international tariffs are seen as playing a key role in the inflationary pressures that drove so many Americans to vote against his party on Tuesday in what has been described as a “generational wipeout” for the Republicans . And in the coming months, the president is going to face severe headwinds on those policies as Democrats storm back into control of Congress, threatening investigations of some of his top envoys and Pentagon contractors, big fights over budgets linked to the Iran war, and greater scrutiny of US relationships with allies such as Israel. Continue reading...

Netanyahu's rivals say US midterm results show Israel 'cannot afford' to have the prime minister remain in office.

Democrat Scott Colom is leading Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in the southern state; JD Vance pointed to the war in Iran as the ‘obvious’ culprit for Republicans’ loss Live results | How do you feel about the results? Sign up for Breaking News US email Welcome to our continuing coverage of the 2026 midterms where almost 24 hours after Democrats secured their historic sweep of the US Congress, two Senate seats remain in play. Counting in Alaska is expected to continue into Thursday, while in deep red Mississippi , Democrats could be close to pulling off another almighty upset. Currently, Democrat Scott Colom is leading his Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 1,138 votes with almost 96% of the vote counted. Donald Trump claimed Republicans fared poorly because he was not on the ballot – after repeatedly urging voters to pretend he was on the ballot. JD Vance pointed to Trump’s ongoing war in Iran as the “obvious” culprit for the loss. Pete Hegseth’ s role leading the unpopular war could lead to him taking the fall – despite Trump publicly backing him. Republicans including Trump foe Thomas Massie have criticized the defense secretary. Ron DeSantis , Florida’s governor, said the “close to an extinction-level event for Republicans” was caused in part by his party failing to target their ad spending on issues that would motivate voters. Continue reading...

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged fellow Democrats to ‘fulfill promises’ after sweeping wins.

Journalist Molly Ball reports from Washington DC after the Republicans’ resounding midterms defeat. Will the party finally distance itself from Donald Trump? And what will the Democrats do with the power they’ve just gained? Send your comments and questions to [email protected] How will Donald Trump react to the Republicans’ midterm drubbing? And do the Democrats have a plan beyond being the anti-Trump party? The veteran political journalist Molly Ball talks through the ramifications of a historic set of midterm results as Trump oversaw a string of losses in red states from Kansas to Texas to South Carolina. Continue reading...

The tech billionaire set spending record as he poured $446m into campaigns for failed Republican candidates Elon Musk set a record for election spending this year after pouring nearly half a billion dollars into backing Republicans in the US midterm elections . It turned out to be a poor investment. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO contributed at least $446m to Republican-aligned Super Pacs and groups over the course of the elections, specifically targeting several key Senate races in an effort to help the Trump administration retain Republican control of Congress. He outdid his own 2024 spending of nearly $290m. Yet as Democrats swept to power across the country on Tuesday night, it became clear that Musk would get nearly nothing in return for his hundreds of millions in spending. Continue reading...

Voters approved nearly every datacenter moratorium that was on the ballot, dozens in total in Tuesday’s elections Track live results from all 50 states Send us your questions about the US midterms results and Democrats’ ‘blue wave’ There were three big losers in Tuesday’s midterm elections in the US: Donald Trump, Elon Musk and datacenters. Datacenters, the facilities full of semiconductor chips that power artificial intelligence and a host of other online products, were on the ballot in elections in at least 40 jurisdictions across 10 states. Voters responded with a strong rebuke of the giant buildings, which have has become a symbol of the tech industry and AI. Continue reading...

JD Vance calls Iran war into question as Thomas Massie files eight articles of impeachment Send us your questions about the US midterms results and Democrats’ ‘blue wave’ Pete Hegseth is increasingly looking like he may take the fall for Republicans’ midterm losses, despite Donald Trump’s vocal support for his defense secretary, even calling him a champion of war. The war in Iran, which voters and Trump have named as a key reason for Republicans’ midterm losses, “has been primarily a Department of War-led effort because you chose to take military action to resolve a foreign policy matter”, a former senior Pentagon official told CNN . Continue reading...

Democrats flipped a Senate seat and recaptured the governor’s mansion in Ohio.

Despite their midterm election victories, Democrats face major obstacles to reining in Trump on Iran, tariffs and more.

The 2026 US midterms delivered a wave of historic firsts for women, Black, Muslim, gay and Native American politicians.

President Donald Trump said the war in Iran likely contributed to Republican setbacks in the midterm elections

Democrats will control both chambers of Congress after flipping seats in Republican strongholds across the US in an election seen as a repudiation of President Donald Trump.

The left-wing movement has won support for its views on issues like the war in Gaza and universal healthcare.

Palestinians and Israelis are divided in their opinion following the win by Democrats in the US midterm elections.

Social media is awash with reactions to Democrats’ sweeping midterm gains.

Shares of Tesla and SpaceX dropped after the Democratic party swept to power in America's midterm elections. Their founder, tech titan Elon Musk, poured over $440 million into Republican candidates and causes, the single biggest campaign donor in the election cycle. But his investment fell flat, as his preferred candidates lost races in Texas, where he has put down roots. 

A Democratic romp has rocked the US political landscape, but several closely contested races remain too close to call.

The top Democrats in the two chambers of US Congress have been hailing their party’s resounding victory in the midterms.

US president rhapsodized about ballroom features for more than 20 minutes, with no mention of Democrats’ ‘blue wave’ Less than 24 hours after suffering historic party losses in the US midterm elections , Donald Trump gathered reporters and network TV cameras at the White House to congratulate his team. “The whole thing is a miracle, and it’s all because of you,” the US president said into a microphone on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...

Trump Media stock and WLFI coin saw declines but he is still $2.7bn wealthier than when he won election in 2024 Trump’s wealth is falling along with his political fortunes. Tradeable investment assets that helped make Donald Trump over $2bn during his first year in office are collapsing in value the day after the Democrats trounced the Republicans in the midterm elections. Trump Media and Technology Group stock, which trades on the Nasdaq exchange, was priced at just over five dollars Tuesday morning – its lowest mark ever, and down from an all-time high of $101. It lost 11% overnight, dropping from $5.90 once the election returns started coming in. Trump has reported he owns 114m shares of DJT. Continue reading...

Donald Trump's Republicans suffered a crushing defeat in Tuesday's midterm elections, with the Democrats wresting control of Congress. What does this mean for US politics and the world?

The results from the U.S. midterm elections could be the beginning of the end of the Trump era.

In early, preliminary figures, the news channel trailed several other networks in prime-time viewership On a midterm election night that was a huge disappointment for Republicans , with Democrats taking control of the US House and Senate, the country’s most prominent conservative television network felt the brunt of viewer disillusionment with Donald Trump and his party, according to preliminary audience numbers. The Fox News Channel, which often leads in viewership on election night, appears to have come out far behind the competition. According to preliminary “Fast Nationals” ratings dating from the Nielsen firm, the network averaged 3.882 million total viewers between 8 and 11pm, far behind broadcast networks NBC (6.519 million viewers) and ABC (4.906 million viewers), and even trailing fellow cable networks CNN (3.927 million viewers) and MS Now (3.922 million viewers). Fox News did, however, defeat CBS News, which attracted just 2.629 million viewers. Continue reading...

He asked voters to pretend he was on the ballot and they did. Voters across the United States chasing Donald Trump's Republican majorities from both houses of Congress. How big a landslide for the Democrats?

Democratic leader says party expects at least 255 House seats and promises to deliver on affordability.

Even Trump seems to recognize that the relationship has become a political liability, and may never be the same On the eve of a midterm election that ended in an unequivocal rejection of his brand of politics, even Donald Trump seemed to recognize that the US-Israel relationship has become a political liability. Trump’s 11th-hour suggestion, on election morning, that he would cut military aid to Israel at the end of the year because, as he put it, “they don’t need it”, was condemned across the board – with pro-Palestinian advocates dismissing it as “desperate” and pro-Israel ones as “unserious”. Continue reading...

US midterm results could reshape Trump’s political landscape and increase congressional scrutiny of his foreign policy.

State representative Rosenthal’s win comes after national backlash to French’s social media remarks targeting south Asian Americans Jon Rosenthal has won a seat on the Texas railroad commission, a powerful state regulatory agency, beating out two challengers including the controversial Republican nominee Bo French whose campaign ignited a firestorm over his bigoted remarks . Rosenthal, a Democrat, will join the three-member body that Democrats have been shut out of for decades. The state agency is charged with regulating Texas’s multibillion oil and gas industry, and has not had railroad oversight since 2005. Continue reading...

Historic firsts, surprise victories and expensive defeats as Democrats take control of Congress.

Community college professor unseats incumbent Republican David Valdao in seat redrawn under Prop 50 Democrat Randy Villegas, a community college professor with major progressive endorsements, has won the race for California’s 22nd congressional district. He unseats the six-term, incumbent Republican congressman, David Valadao, in a district that was considered the only true toss-up across the state of California after being redrawn under Proposition 50. Valadao and Villegas are both Central Valley natives from immigrant families with working class or agricultural ties, roots that reflect many of the constituents in California’s 22nd district, which stretches from Bakersfield to just west of Fresno. Continue reading...

Israel once had bipartisan support in the United States, but a strong showing for Democrats, some of whom are deeply critical of the war in Gaza, has left the country with fewer friends in Congress.

As Democrats celebrate major gains, false claims about election fraud have spread. Viral posts alleging illegal voting and election rigging are intended to fuel doubt about the integrity of the vote. DW checks the facts.

Democrats have been celebrating across the US after a series of victories saw them take control of both chambers.

Democrats can vote legislation through. But Trump still has veto power.

Corruption in government was high on the minds of US voters as they dealt US President Donald Trump’s party a chastening defeat in midterm elections, toppling Republican strongholds like dominoes and flipping both chambers of Congress. Triumphant Democrats have warned the Trump administration to “lawyer up”; how they go about tackling alleged graft and abuse of power could shape both their own fortunes and the country’s politics.

Erin Ogunkeye is pleased to welcome Adam Jentleson, President of the Searchlight Institute and author of Supermajority: How Democrats Can Build Lasting Power, For Jentleson, the Democrats' sweeping midterm victory represents far more than the familiar backlash against an incumbent president. "This is a once-in-a-generation event." But electoral breadth presents a governing dilemma. Can a coalition stretching from progressive reformers to culturally conservative Democrats translate its diversity into legislative action? "Pluralism is not just a political strategy. It is actually a moral good in a democracy," he insists. But electoral breadth presents a governing dilemma. Can a coalition stretching from progressive reformers to culturally conservative Democrats translate its diversity into legislative action? And can a party united by opposition to Trump sustain that unity when confronted with difficult choices over healthcare, immigration, economic inequality and climate change?

Vance cited trusted pollster saying Iran war, Israel ties were top of mind for Trump voters swinging to Democrats.