Democrats Win Control of Both Houses in Midterm Upset

Overview

• Projected results from the Nov. 3 midterms give Democrats a majority in the House and Senate, reversing Republican control and creating a divided Washington for the final two years of President Trump’s term.
• Across several states voters flipped at least seven Republican Senate seats in Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, South Carolina, North Carolina and Maine, with dozens of House districts also shifting to Democratic control.
• With committee leadership in January 2027 Democrats will be able to open investigations, subpoena administration officials, and slow or block many Trump appointees by withholding confirmation votes.
• Analysts say the new congressional balance will limit the White House’s ability to press tariff-heavy trade policies and could give U.S. trading partners more leverage in negotiations over tariffs and investment pledges.
• A separate online movement calling for the deportation of Flávio and Eduardo Bolsonaro has increased political pressure on the administration after Flávio’s arrival in the U.S. without a passport and may prompt inquiries into how he left Brazil.