Democrats needed a net gain of four seats in the Senate and three in the House to take control of Congress as President Trump distanced himself from mounting Republican losses.
Democrats have regained control of Congress, winning back the U.S. House and Senate as Republican midterm losses mount.
Coming into the night, Republicans held 53 of the Senate’s 100 seats, compared with 45 held by Democrats. To wrest back control of the Senate, Democrats needed a net gain of at least four seats. Before the clock struck midnight on the East Coast, the Associated Press said the party would gain at least that amount.
Democrats won a series of key Senate seats. In Texas, James Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in the Lone Star State since 1988.
Annie Andrews beat GOP Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina to flip a Senate seat. In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins, putting an end to her three-decade tenure. Sen. Jon Ossoff comfortably won reelection in Georgia. Other Senate seats to flip to the Democratic Party included Roy Cooper in North Carolina and Sherrod Brown in Ohio.
In the 435-seat House, the GOP held 218 seats, compared with 214 held by Democrats. To retake control of the House, Democrats needed a net gain of three seats — and the AP said early Wednesday that the party had exceeded that figure.
There were also 36 gubernatorial races and numerous ballot measures to keep an eye on. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia became the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history, while Democrat Amy Acton became the first woman elected governor of Ohio. In Florida, Republican Byron Donalds became the state’s first Black governor-elect.
President Trump, whoseapproval ratings are at or near all-time lows, distanced himself from mounting Republican losses in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday night, “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” Trump wrote. “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Credit: Yahoo News