Washington (United States) (AFP) – Democrats seized control of the US Congress on Tuesday, capturing the Senate and House of Representatives in a stunning, nationwide rejection of Donald Trump set to put the brakes on the final two years of his presidency.
The Democratic landslide will give the opposition power to block legislation, launch broad investigations into Trump’s administration and thwart his judicial and senior government appointments.
The results reflected deep anger over living costs, tariffs and Trump’s war against Iran, which has sent fuel prices soaring and compounded dissatisfaction with an already deeply unpopular president.
“I’m just so happy. I’m so eager,” 22-year-old paralegal Michael Diaz said in Georgia, celebrating a big win by rising Democratic star Jon Ossoff in the Senate.
Trump struck a conciliatory note despite his history of questioning elections, telling The New York Times he was “absolutely willing” to accept the results.
“I think the Democrats did a good job, I really do,” the 80-year-old told Fox News, in rare praise for his political opponents. “They fought hard.”
But he sought to distance himself from his own party’s poor showing, adding that “I don’t view it as a hit on me.”
He acknowledged that the Iran conflict had contributed to the defeat, while defending the military campaign, and he suggested the rival parties could find common ground on immigration, long one of the most divisive issues of his presidency.
As Trump was conceding, the scale of the Democratic victory grew further when former logger Troy Jackson defeated longtime Republican senator Susan Collins in Maine, the party’s seventh Senate seat captured from Republicans.
Earlier breakthroughs in Kansas and Iowa had clinched the Senate majority for Democrats, following stunning victories in Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina and Ohio.
In Kansas, Methodist minister Adam Hamilton became the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the reliably conservative state since 1932. Iowa had not elected a Democratic senator since 2008.
Texas Democrat James Talarico declared he had defeated “Goliath” in winning a Senate seat while Gina Hinojosa unseated the state’s Republican governor Greg Abbott, ending decades of Republican rule.
Democrats also protected key Senate seats of their own, including Ossoff in Georgia and an open seat in New Hampshire.
The party’s House victory saw gains across Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Arizona, North Carolina and New Jersey, including districts Trump had carried comfortably in 2024.
In one closely watched bellwether, Democrat J.D. Ford ousted Republican congresswoman Victoria Spartz in Indiana, capturing a district Trump won by 17 points two years earlier.
Democrats also won Georgia’s governorship, electing former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms as the first Black woman governor in US history.
Republicans had some consolation in Florida, where Trump-backed Byron Donalds became the state’s first Black governor and Ashley Moody retained a Senate seat – but only after seeing off surprisingly strong Democratic challenges.
The night was “a big wipeout and a strong repudiation of Donald Trump and his policies,” George Washington University professor Todd Belt told AFP.
Democratic control of Congress will allow the party to pursue investigations into the Iran war, immigration enforcement and allegations of corruption, while blocking Trump’s legislation and senior appointments.
Robert Garcia, now expected to lead the powerful House Oversight Committee, warned Republicans on social media: “LAWYER UP.”
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries declared Trump’s MAGA movement “on the run from sea to shining sea.”
Jeffries could become the first Black speaker of the House when the new Congress convenes in January.
Despite his conciliatory remarks, Trump also insisted on social media that Republicans would have won “IN A LANDSLIDE” if he had been running, after repeatedly urging supporters throughout the campaign to “pretend I’m on the ballot.”
He also repeated his threat to use the presidential veto on Democratic-passed laws, posting a picture on social media of a red baseball cap reading just: “VETO.”
From the UK, well done USA, common sense has somewhat prevailed. Please don’t fuck this up and in 2 years please don’t vote for whatever sack of shit the republicans put up. The world literally depends on it.
Edit: I am well aware change will not occur overnight and all this good work could be rendered obsolete in 2028, but I hope this leads to a steady lean back to normality and the world can breathe a collective sigh of relief.
It’s not a fix to fundamental issues, unfortunately.
If anything, I am afraid this will put Democrats in a position to take blame for fallout of upcoming events (Iran, national debt interest, AI bubble correction, unrest and so on). Stuff they honestly cannot hope to fix in 2 years, even if Dems were functional.
In other words… this could be a setup for a turn to real authoritarianism in 2028 with Vance on the ticket, and social media platforms backing him. Vance will make us wish we had Trump back, as he’s smart like the devil.
I hate to sound so dour/paranoid, but all this really feels like a setup to frame Democrats. As US voters are just so short term in their thinking.
Yes, I have read a few times that this may have been the plan. I understand that change will not come overnight, but I do hope we all see the USA slowly change to a sense of normality.
Nothing meaningful is going to happen. American people are furious about their collapsing living standards, but what is going to happen is they will just vote against the party in charge every election. With hope, the progressives will be able to use this momentum to take over the DNC and actually align the party with what people want, but I’m skeptical
Exactly. The world can’t vote for the US elections, yet we all depend on them.
I think republicans have an opportunity to not only rebrand but to divide into a more progressive branch that even traditionally dems would vote for. It really shouldn’t be about red vs blue.
As an outside observer, I doubt it. There is far too much emotion wrapped up in US politics.
Make Assholes Get Attorneys.
Now impeach Agent Orange, and actually convict and sentence this time please.
We’ve seen Democrats just piss their time in power away plenty of times. Last night’s results are promising, but damn it’s hard to be actually optimistic.
sorry, Dem leadership is already saying it’s time to move on and to focus on “affordability.”
Wow, there might actually be a 2028 Election now.
