Voters Deliver a Resounding Rebuke to Trump
U.S. voters delivered an 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 a.m. on November 4.
An extraordinary turnaround
The Democrats flipped at least 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 incumbent 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 disheartened by rising living costs and the war with Iran secured 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). Jackson's victory defied even his own supporters' expectations: just 47% believed he'd win as of Monday.
Pediatrician Annie Andrews' win in South Carolina was a resounding indictment of Trump's pick, the Republican incumbent Darline Graham. Graham took over after the death of her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, and decided to run for the full term. Graham endured a bruising primary in which she admitted that she wasn't "that informed on national security," paving the way for a stunning upset in the traditionally red state — which Trump carried by 18 percentage points in 2024.
Former Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown trounced Republican incumbent Jon Husted in one of the year's most combative and expensive Senate races. Brown narrowly lost his seat in 2024, but his midterm campaign was seen as a major test of whether Democrats could regain ground among the working class.
"I do not work for the utility companies. I do not work for data centers. 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.
"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.
The biggest swings toward the Democrats came from groups that veered Republican back in 2024, with early exit polls pointing to a particularly significant recovery among young voters, Latino voters, Black men and working-class voters without college degrees.
A night of firsts
Democrat Chris Pappas of New Hampshire is the first openly gay man elected to the Senate, while Democrat Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan is the first Muslim senator.
The final days of El-Sayed's campaign were marked by a spectacular public fallout with his Democratic rival Rep. Haley Stevens, whom he defeated by less than a percentage point in August's primary. Stevens called on El-Sayed to apologize for comments that she said blamed Israel for Michigan's inability to afford schools, health care, and child care. El-Sayed stressed that his opposition to military aid wasn't limited to Israel, citing Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Stevens switched her endorsement to Republican candidate Mike Rogers on November 1, following in the footsteps of her fiancé, Jason Turkish. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer joined other Democrats in calling the move "a despicable betrayal." Early data suggests a majority of Michigan Jews backed El-Sayed in the vote, despite Republicans' accusations of antisemitism.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia became the first Black woman elected as governor of any U.S. state, after flipping the office for the first time since 2003. 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. Native Americans won the right to vote in New Mexico in 1948, just 12 years before 65-year-old Haaland was born.
"Donald Trump thinks he knows something about New Mexico," Haaland said back in September. "We need to make life more affordable for New Mexicans because we have a president in office who has no clue how we live."
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.
"Tonight, Ohio has chosen unity and decency over division and hate," Acton said following her victory. "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 outcome 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 adopted a concilliatory tone toward the Democrats, saying: "You know, I have a lot of friends that are Democrats, believe it or not. I've already spoken to some of them." (It's worth noting that he made similar overtures after the Republicans lost the House in 2018, and his subsequent actions didn't bear them out.)
The president 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."
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