Extract from ABC News
Donald Trump's Republican Party has lost control of Congress after a sweeping Democratic victory in the midterms. (Reuters: Carlos Barria)
In short:
The Democratic Party has captured control of Congress at the midterm elections, after a string of victories that reached deep into Republican strongholds.
Seven Senate seats and two dozen in the House flipped toward the Democrats, paving the way for the opposition to take over the Republicans' slim majorities in both chambers.
What's next?
US President Donald Trump has said he will accept the results while claiming the Democrats are "really not in control" because he can veto some legislation.
The Democrats have won full control of Congress in a stunning rebuke of Donald Trump’s Republican Party at the US midterms.
Several seats in both the Senate and the House of Representatives were flipped in a devastating blow to the Republican Party and the US president.
The US president will face hurdles during his next two years in office, where he will no longer have the numbers to advance his legislative agenda without bipartisan support.
A Democrat-controlled House is also likely to bring more aggressive oversight of the Trump administration, with more investigations, subpoenas and congressional hearings.
The Republicans, also known as the Grand Old Party or the GOP, headed into the 2026 midterms with a slim majority in each chamber.
Analysts and prediction markets had tipped the Democrats to win the House and possibly the Senate, though a tougher race was anticipated there.
All 435 seats in the House were up for grabs, while just a third of the Senate's 100 seats were being contested.
The Democrats needed a net gain of three seats to take the House and four more seats to win the Senate.
The Democrats have flipped seven Republican Senate seats. (Reuters: Kathleen Flynn)
They were successful in flipping two dozen House seats in New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, Virginia and North Carolina, as well as in the Republican strongholds of Kentucky, Missouri and Iowa.
One of the first Senate seats to flip to the Democrats was in North Carolina, where Roy Cooper beat the GOP's Michael Watley.
The seat was previously held by the GOP's Thom Tillis, who announced his retirement last year after clashing with Mr Trump.
That result marked a significant victory over the Republicans and Mr Trump's hand-picked candidate, in a state he carried by nearly 18 per cent just two years ago.
A major upset was also seen in Texas, where Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton.
Mr Talarico became the first blue candidate to win statewide in Texas since 1994, and the first to be elected to the Senate in 38 years.
A fourth Republican Senate seat then fell to the Democrats in Ohio, where challenger Sherrod Brown clinched a victory over incumbent Jon Husted.
Both Ohio and Texas voted for Mr Trump by a double-digit margin in 2024.
Shortly after, another Senate race was called in the red state of Kansas for Democrat Adam Hamilton.
His victory over first-term senator Roger Marshall marks the Democrats' first Senate win in the state of Kansas since 1932.
In Iowa, Josh Turek delivered the Democrats a sixth Senate flip with his win over Republican Ashley Hinson.
Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff's re-election in Georgia was another key Senate seat called early in the election.
Jon Ossoff is the only Democratic senator that sought re-election in a state won by Donald Trump at the last presidential election. (Reuters: Carlos Barria)
At his victory party, Mr Ossoff called the Trump administration a "failed lame duck".
"If at times these last two years, amidst the ceaseless onslaught of brutality and decency, you doubted if our republic would survive, let tonight's results give you courage that the first light of dawn is on the horizon," he said.
Shortly after multiple US media outlets projected the Democrats' victory in the House, Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: "I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!"
However, in an interview with the New York Times, the US president said he was "absolutely willing to accept" the results.
"We'll work with the Democrats, and we'll, you know, look forward to working with them. We'll probably work something out," he said.
Donald Trump acknowledged the war he started with Iran had played a role in the Republicans' losses. (Reuters: Jonathan Ernst)
In a later interview with Fox News, Mr Trump said the Democrats were "really not in control".
"Because they can send over 50 different great bills that they are all excited about, and I send them back with a nice [veto] stamp," he said.
Mr Trump can veto a bill unless it has two-thirds support in both chambers.
He also said the war in Iran had weighed on Republican candidates.
"I think a part of it was Iran, but at the same time people understood the importance of what I've done with Iran," he said.
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