Democrats have won control of both chambers of Congress following Tuesday’s midterm elections, delivering major victories across the country and breaking through in several states that Republicans had dominated for decades. The Associated Press and Fox News have both called Democratic control of the House and Senate, setting up divided government for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term.
Some of the biggest surprises came in Texas. Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat, becoming the first Democrat elected statewide in Texas in more than three decades. Democrat Gina Hinojosa also defeated three-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, becoming Texas’ first Latina governor and ending Republican control of the governor’s mansion that had lasted since 1995.
Democratic gains extended well beyond Texas. The party captured Republican-held Senate seats in states including Kansas, Maine and South Carolina while successfully defending competitive Democratic-held seats elsewhere. AP described the results as a nationwide wave driven in part by voter frustration over high prices, the Iran war and broader dissatisfaction with the direction of the federal government.