US midterm elections 2026 live updates: Democrats win Senate control and edge toward House victory

US midterm elections 2026 live updates: Democrats win Senate control and edge toward House victory Democrats flip seats in Texas, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Ohio; Trump says he will accept results in a dire night for Republicans Democrats win control of US Senate with historic wins in key battlegrounds Democrats have now won control of the US Senate, according to the Associated Press. With historic wins in Texas, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina, the party now has 51 seats – the magic number needed to win the upper chamber of Congress. Democrats are also poised to take control of the House, and we’ll keep you updated as we learn more. Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott wins Iowa House race, flipping seat Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott has won Iowa’s third congressional district, beating Republican incumbent Zach Nunn, who was running for a third term. Trone Garriott is a state senator, and flipped a seat in the Hawkeye state after a winning for evening for Democrats in a number of state races: including for US Senate and the governor’s mansion. Cheers echo across the room at Scott Colom’s campaign watch party as Mississippi, four hours after polling precincts closed, is still too early to call. Even as it nears midnight, supporters are jubilant. Colom, a Democrat, challenged Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican, for a seat in the US Senate. And, in a shock to many, the race is competitive. Colom just told supporters, hundreds of whom are still at the campaign watch party, that the race will not be called tonight. He promised to fight for everyone’s vote to count. Mississippi had long been written off as a potential win for Democrats, but it was clear that the race was tight by late October, when Trump stumped for Hyde-Smith in the state. If he wins, Colom, who ran on the promise that “Mississippi Matters,” would be the first Democrat to secure the position since 1982 and the first Black man to do so since Reconstruction. Hundreds of supporters are still crowding Colom, clamoring for a photo or video with the candidate as he makes his way through the building. In the weeks leading up to the election, Donald Trump made clear that he would place some blame on Fox News if his party did poorly in the midterm elections. Even before the results were in on Tuesday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to criticize the network for featuring a prominent Democratic commentator and re-stated his long-held criticisms of the network’s polling operation. At 7 pm, Trump mocked Fox News for some recent ratings softness, and alleged that the network was “AGAINST” him because it regularly featured Democratic candidates in interviews. Just before midnight, he directly blamed the network, writing: “Fox News bears responsibility for these losses by constantly and consistently putting on the Dumocrat opposition, and worse.” Then, in a surreal moment, Trump called into Fox’s election coverage and shared his contention that he was not to blame for the Republican Party’s losses. Trump directly criticized Fox’s polls, saying: “The Fox polls are terrible. You ought to get yourself a good pollster, because your pollsters are the worst.” Fox News anchor Bret Baier pointed out that “tonight, actually, the results are pretty close to what the Fox polls showed.” With early results showing Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass with a narrow lead, the mood was celebratory outside the Greek Theatre where supporters of Nithya Raman gathered Tuesday night. The event erupted in cheers as it emerged Democrats across the US were victorious in their races, and the cheers grew louder over the prospect of a Raman win. The progressive LA city council member is facing off against her one time ally Karen Bass, and has pitched herself as the candidate best suited to solve the city’s problems. Her campaign has gained major ground in recent months as Angelenos grow increasingly frustrated with the direction of the city, affordability and housing and homelessness. Max Rico, a high school teacher from South Central Los Angeles who came to the event wearing his ballot box Halloween costume, supported Raman because of her positions on affordable housing. He has frequently seen students leave mid-year as their families relocate to areas with lower costs of living. Rico had previously supported Bass but was left disappointed by her tenure and said her policies ultimately didn’t help communities that needed it. Though early returns showed Bass in the lead, he felt hopeful Raman would pull ahead as ballots from young voters were tallied. Democrat Troy Jackson has won election to the US Senate in Maine, defeating longtime senator Susan Collins. The race has been one of the most closely watched contests of this midterm cycle, after progressive lumberjack Jackson mounted a breakneck 101-day campaign, against Collins, the entrenched Republican incumbent seeking a sixth term. Jackson began his campaign after the former Democratic nominee, Graham Platner, withdrew after a series of controversies, culminating in a sexual assault and rape allegation that he denied. Rob Sand’s parents told the Guardian they are proud of their son and happy for their state. Sand just won the Iowa gubernatorial race and flipped the seat to Democrats. His parents, Kevin and Leslie, knocked doors for him - his mom more than his dad. “His mother has worked much harder than I,” Kevin Sand said. Asked how she felt about Rob Sand’s win, Leslie Sand said: “proud, excited, elated, glad it’s over. Proud, proud, proud.” And, his parents added, they’re thrilled for Iowa. “I’m so happy for Iowa because he’s going to do a great job doing the very best he can to turn things around and get them to where they need to be,” Kevin Sand said. Carol Sand, Rob’s aunt, said that as a public school teacher, she is relieved that Rob Sand will be in the governor’s office, as a product of the public education system himself. “He’s going to right the ship in Iowa and bring some accountability,” Carol Sand said. Troy Jackson has declared victory in Maine after a stunning upset victory over the five-term Republican incumbent Susan Collins. The Associated Press has not yet made a projection in this Senate race. Jackson was great by ecstatic cheers by Democrats as he entered the watch party event at Portland’s Holiday Inn Hotel, moments after Collins called him to concede. He had to wait several minutes before speaking as chants of “Troy, Troy” reverberated through the ballroom. As the cheers eventually subsided, he said: “We we did it. Working people won. And I’m feeling damn proud to be standing here with you all tonight, or this morning, I guess now.” Democrat James Talarico in Texas: 'tonight we defeated Goliath' James Talarico told supporters at his watch party in Austin that “all the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas.” “We just sent a message to every billionaire mega-donor, every trillionaire mega-donor, every corrupt defender of this broken political system, in this state, in this country, power belongs to the people,” he said. “The richest man in the world, the most powerful man in the world and the entire DC establishment.” “The people of Texas were my slingshot, and tonight we defeated Goliath,” Talarico said. New Mexico congressman Gabriel Vasquez has been re-elected to the House of Representatives. Vasquez defeated his Donald Trump-backed Republican challenger, Gregory Cunningham. Cheers of excited expectation have rippled through the Democrats’ watch party as Troy Jackson has extended his lead over the Republican senator, Susan Collins, with nearly 60% of ballots counted. A win for Jackson, a former logger who was drafted in as a late replacement for the scandal-hit former candidate Graham Platner, would be a major upset in Maine, which Collins has represented in the Senate since 1997. Democrats have shared an array of celebratory statements as their party celebrated historic wins in Texas and Kansas this evening, and secured control of the Senate. “It’s been a long, dark night. But today I hear in a new way the echoes of Scripture. Weeping endures for the night, but joy comes in the morning,” senator Raphael Warnock, of Georgia, wrote in a social media post. “Five words for the American people: relief is on the way,” Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told reporters. “The size of the blue wave is bigger than I ever imagined,” New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand told The Associated Press. “It’s unbelievable.” “It’s a new day for Texas and the nation,” Texas congressman Joaquin Castro wrote in a social media post. Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, tepidly celebrated that Democrats will “be able to hold Trump accountable” but cautioned that they “must do more” and “aggressively fight for working families. No more excuses.” The results of 2026 US midterm elections are rolling in, and Democrats are poised to retake control of Congress after flipping key swing states and congressional districts. We’ll be hosting a live Q&A on Friday 6 November at noon ET breaking down the results. The Guardian’s political reporters will take questions on everything from how key races shook out, surprising results, what power Democrats will have, and what this all means for Donald Trump. If you have questions about the midterm results, what they mean and what’s next, we’d like to hear from you – and be sure to tune in live on our site for the Q&A, where reporters may answer your question.