The Democratic Party has pulled off a stunning upset in the United States midterm elections, flipping multiple bellwether seats to win comfortable control of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The party has won 53 seats, and leads in three others in the 100-seat Senate. The also reported that the party had won the House of Representatives — marking the first instance since Barack Obama’s second term that the incumbent president has neither chamber of Congress with him.
With several races still too close to call, it could be several days before the final results are known, but several Democrats have already painted the outcome as a defeat for US President Donald Trump, who has himself conceded that his opponents bettered his party’s campaign. We take a look at how the Democrats won Congress, and what they could do with that power. The Democratic Party flipped several seats in the Senate, including many that it hasn’t won in decades.
The Democrats have won the House of Representatives, according to The , crossing the 218-seat mark needed for a majority in the 435-member chamber. These wins also include several seats that were previously held by Trump’s Republican Party. With the win in the House, announced by AP hours after their win in the Senate was declared, the Democrats now have control of both chambers of Congress.
Democrats had promised to end the war on Iran, bring down the cost of living and hold the Trump administration accountable for alleged abuses of power, if they won Congress. But following through on those promises may not be easy. The House and the Senate help pass laws and approve government spending.
But neither chamber can act alone, and each chamber of Congress has powers the other does not. For instance, the Senate is uniquely empowered to approve Trump’s nominations to top government posts. With a majority in the Senate, Democrats can block the president from appointing allies as ambassadors, cabinet members and federal judges, including on the Supreme Court.
The party that holds the majority in the Senate also gets to control committees that can launch investigations, demand documents and summon witnesses to testify. Separately, if a president or top government official is successfully impeached in the House, the Senate is then tasked with overseeing a trial that could result in the defendant’s removal from office. Trump was impeached twice during his first term as president, in 2019 and 2021, but the Senate acquitted him in both cases.
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