U.S. voters delivered their unequivocal verdict on the first two years of President Trump's second administration, with the Democrats flipping both the House and the Senate. Here's where things stand as of 6 am on November 4.
An extraordinary turnaround
The Democrats flipped seven Senate seats, three more than they needed to gain control of the chamber. North and South Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Maine, and Iowa all turned blue, with Adam Hamilton's victory in Kansas marking the first time the state has elected a Democratic senator since 1932.
Republican incumbant Sen. Roger Marshall was anticipating an easy ride in Kansas, but Trump’s falling approval ratings and a New York Times investigation revealing that he'd sued 700 of his patients over medical debt left him unexpectedly vulnerable. Hamilton's appeal to moderate Republicans and independents who are sick of rising living costs and the war with Iran sealed the Democrats' first senate victory in 94 years.
Troy Jackson was a late entry to the Maine race in July, after the previous Democratic nominee Graham Platner withdrew following a sexual assault allegation (which he denied). His victory defied even his own supporters' expectations: just 47% of them believed he'd win as of Monday.
Former Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown beat Republican incumbent Jon Husted in one of the year’s most combative and expensive Senate races. Brown narrowly lost his seat in 2024, but will now return to the Senate to serve the remaining two years of JD Vance’s term.
“I do not work for the utility companies. I do not work for datacenters. I do not work for Wall Street. I work for you, I work for Ohio,” he told supporters at the Ohio Democrats election watch party.
“This is your victory,” he said. “Corporations and billionaires tried to buy this election but it turns out there’s a whole lot more of us than them.”
As of 6 a.m., the House was split 228 to 139 in favor of the Democrats, with the party's victories including two Florida seats the GOP had redrawn to shift right. Exit polling conducted on behalf of the Associated Press and major TV networks showed double-digit
A night of firsts
This election saw Democrat Chris Pappas of New Hampshire become the first openly gay man elected to the Senate and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan become the first Muslim senator.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia became the first Black woman elected as governor of any U.S. state, and Democrat Gina Hinojosa became the first Latina governor of Texas after defeating incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
Deb Haaland, another Democrat, made history as the first Native American woman elected governor of a U.S. state in New Mexico.
Amy Acton wins in Ohio
Democrat Amy Acton became the first woman to win the Ohio governorship after a bitterly contested race against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy's campaign ran a nationally lambasted attack ad featuring Acton's estranged mother Donna, who said her daughter had "lied her entire life."
Acton's stepfather was charged with raping her in 1978, when she was just 12 years old. Donna stood by her husband, and they both fled the state.
President Trump defended the spot, calling it "powerful." JD Vance, the state's former senator, said Republicans needed to stop "whining" about it, and said he was "disgusted" by their negative reaction.
Acton said in a statement: "Tonight, Ohio has chosen unity and decency over division and hate. Ohio is ready for a Governor who will fight to lower costs, take on corruption, and build a state where everyone gets a fair shot. Regardless of who you voted for, I will be a governor for all Ohioans. This isn’t about party; it’s about building a better future for our state.”
The president's response
Trump told Fox News he didn't see the results as a "hit on me," adding: "We’ve had the greatest two years in the history of the presidency in terms of the economy, in terms of all the things that we’ve done." He told the New York Times that he would accept the election results, though, as his niece Mary Trump pointed out, "I wouldn't take that to the bank."
