US midterms: Democrats capture Congress in sweeping setback for Trump

[WASHINGTON] Democrats captured majorities in both the Senate and House on Tuesday, scoring sweeping victories that reached deep into Republican strongholds as tens of millions of voters delivered a scathing rebuke to President Donald Trump.

The size and breadth of the Democratic wave were still coming into focus, but the party prevailed in states long thought to be out of reach, including conservative bastions like South Carolina, Texas and Iowa.

The Democratic wave underscored voters’ deep frustration with Trump’s stewardship of the economy and his decision to launch a war against Iran in February, which drove petrol prices up sharply.

In poll after poll, voters expressed anxiety about the cost of living and anger at the way Trump has handled the issue.

In Kansas, Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor, became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat since the Great Depression nearly a century ago.

In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown claimed a seat that belonged to Vice-President JD Vance two years ago, while Texas Democratic state Representative James Talarico withstood a barrage of outside spending to defeat scandal-plagued Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Both Ohio and Texas voted for Trump by a double-digit margin in 2024.

THE BUSINESS TIMES INSIGHTS

Powering Asean's Future 2026

Find out how enterprises are navigating power constraints and sustainability targets

ACCESS THE INSIGHTS

In South Carolina, a state that Trump carried by nearly 18 points in 2024, pediatrician Annie Andrews triumphed over Republican Senator Darline Graham, who was appointed to the seat after the death of her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham.

Trump elevated Paxton and Graham ahead of more established candidates despite clear liabilities. Paxton has been at the center of a litany of controversies, including his 2023 impeachment and securities fraud charges, while Graham’s admitted inexperience drew negative headlines.

Trump campaigned heavily for Paxton, Graham and Ohio’s Jon Husted as part of a late election blitz that included more than two dozen rallies, and the president told his supporters repeatedly to “pretend I’m on the ballot” in an effort to fire up his base.

SEE ALSO

Just tuning into the US midterms? Here’s what to know

How a blue wave could test Trump in his final two years

On Tuesday night, as it grew clear Republicans were in danger of losing their congressional majorities, Trump wrote on social media, “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Democrats had flipped six Republican Senate seats in all, ensuring a majority even if they don’t manage to hold their own seats in competitive Michigan and Minnesota.

Democrats were also on track to take control of the US House of Representatives after flipping at least eight Republican seats in states including Kentucky, New Jersey and North Carolina and showing strength even in solidly conservative districts.

The party’s dominance extended to other races as well. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a three-term incumbent, lost to Democrat Gina Hinojosa, while Democrats also captured governorships in conservative Iowa and Ohio.

A rebuke to Trump, winner says

“In sweeping and decisive victories, the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of the man named President Donald J. Trump,” incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, the projected winner in Georgia, told supporters at a victory party.

In Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody fended off Democrat Angie Nixon but was ahead by only about 3 percentage points in a state Trump carried by 13 points in 2024, according to a vote count compiled by Reuters and USA Today, further evidence that even solidly Republican states were shifting dramatically toward Democrats.

Democrats held onto three House districts in Florida that Republican lawmakers had redrawn earlier this year, all of which backed Trump by at least 9 percentage points.

According to exit polls conducted by SSRS on behalf of a consortium of US media outlets including major television networks and the Associated Press, half of voters said they saw the 2026 midterm elections as an opportunity to rebuke the president, and three-quarters said they are “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the way the country is headed.

In addition, 70 per cent of voters surveyed said they want Congress to provide more checks and balances on the president. REUTERS