Democrats poised to take US House majority in midterm blowout

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who will likely become the country’s first Black speaker, celebrated late Tuesday night as early returns in this year’s midterm elections showed the party was poised to flip that chamber of Congress. 

“The American people have spoken and made clear they’ve had enough of the extremism, enough of the corruption,” he said. “They want a Congress that’s going to deliver for the American people, and that is exactly what House Democrats will do as soon as we get into office in January.” 

Democrats, he said, understand voters expect the party to “deliver dramatic change” to help people struggling with the rising cost of living. 

Jeffries also pledged to “bring accountability to those who have visited unprecedented corruption on this country.”

“Because if you have people in high office who are so focused on enriching themselves, their family members, their friends, or their donors, then they’re not focused on making life better for the American people,” he said. 

The Associated Press, which States Newsroom looks to for the projected winner of congressional races, had called 201 House districts for Democrats and 118 for Republicans as of 12:35 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday.

The magic number for House control is 218, but each additional lawmaker beyond that will make passing bills less challenging for Jeffries and other members of his leadership team. 

President Donald Trump, who was watching the returns from the White House, wrote in a social media post that he wasn’t responsible for the Republican losses. 

“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,” he wrote.

Trump later posted a photograph of a red baseball cap with the word “VETO” embroidered into it.

Republicans also lost the Senate late Tuesday, after Democrats picked up seats in Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas, setting up a divided government for the remaining two years of the Trump administration.

Pickups

Democrats have so far picked up 16 House seats held by Republicans.

Here’s a rundown of the flips AP had called:

• Kentucky’s 6th district, where former Assistant U.S. Attorney Zach Dembo, a Democrat, won. 
• Republican Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. lost his reelection bid in New Jersey’s 17th district after he missed more than 100 votes from March to June, which he attributed to depression he was undergoing treatment for. 
• North Carolina Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards lost after he suspended his reelection campaign following an ethics complaint of inappropriate behavior toward female staffers. 
• Ohio’s 15th district, where Democratic candidate Don Leonard defeated Republican incumbent Mike Carey. 
• Three were in Pennsylvania. Incumbents Ryan Mackenzie of district 7 and Rob Bresnahan of district 8, who flipped their districts in 2024 lost. Scott Perry, who was seeking an eighth term, also lost his reelection.
• California’s 1st district, where state Sen. Mike McGuire defeated Republican incumbent James Gallagher.
• Colorado’s 8th district, where former state Rep. Manny Rutinel beat GOP incumbent Gabe Evans. 
• Missouri’s 2nd district went to Democratic candidate Fred Wellman, who defeated Rep. Ann Wagner.
• Nebraska’s 2nd district, where Democratic candidate Denise Powell defeated GOP candidate Brinker Harding. Both were vying for the seat by retiring GOP Rep. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican who is a frequent critic of the president. 
• In Virginia’s 2nd district, GOP incumbent Jen A. Kiggans lost to Democratic candidate Elaine G. Luria.
• Iowa’s 1st district went to Democratic candidate Christina Bohannan, who beat incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller‑Meeks.
• In Iowa’s 2nd district, Democratic candidate Lindsay James beat GOP candidate Joe Mitchell.
• Iowa’s 3rd district went to Democratic candidate Sarah Trone Garriott, who won against GOP incumbent Zach Nunn.
• Utah’s 1st district went to Democratic candidate Ben McAdams who defeated GOP candidate Riley Owen.

Republicans had not picked up any Democratic-held seats.

What will a Democratic House do?

The final margin will have a significant impact on what Democrats can accomplish in the chamber. 

A Democratic-led House will have major implications for the last two years of Trump’s presidency, which so far has benefited from Republican control of Congress. 

Democrats are likely to launch a series of investigations — and possibly impeachment proceedings — into the president and members of his administration.

The simmering tension between the two parties is only projected to grow amid divided government, but Republicans and Democrats will need to work together on issues like government funding if they want to avoid more record-setting shutdowns. 

Early voting for the 2026 midterms eclipsed the 2022 elections’ record early voting turnout of nearly 46 million. More than 61 million voters cast an early ballot either by mail or in person this year, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab. 

Jonathan Shorman contributed to this report.