Trump's party loses Congress; Democrats seize House, Senate in historic midterm sweep

Democrats made history on Tuesday by winning back both the US House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm elections, delivering a sweeping rebuke to President Donald Trump and ending Republican control of Congress for the remainder of his term.

Supporters of Democratic US Senate candidate James Talarico cheer after news of his victory in the Texas race on Tuesday. (AFP)The President’s low approval ratings, voter anger over rising prices and an unpopular war in Iran helped the Democrats score decisive wins in once-reliable Republican strongholds such as Texas, South Carolina, Kansas and Iowa.

With control of Congress, the Democrats will now have substantial powers to check Trump’s domestic and foreign policy agenda. According to estimates by NBC News, the Democrats were on course to win a staggering 255 seats in the 435-member House of Representatives – an increase of over 40 seats over the party’s previous tally and their best result in nearly 20 years.

The results put Representative Hakeem Jeffries in line to become Speaker of the House. Also read | Trump says he will be ‘Mr Veto’: The US president's veto powers and how far they can take him as Democrats look set to control Congress Democratic candidates also seized control of the Senate, winning in states that had not elected their party to statewide office in decades.

Thirty-seven-year old political phenomenon James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in the state since 1988. In South Carolina, Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham for the seat held for more than two decades by the late Lindsey Graham, while former governor Roy Cooper won the open seat in North Carolina.

Sherrod Brown unseated Senator Jon Husted in Ohio, and Adam Hamilton defeated Senator Roger Marshall in Kansas. Also read | Trump says Iran war played a role in US midterms losses Many observers were stunned by the scale of Republican losses on Tuesday night.

Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseated three-term Governor Greg Abbott in Texas, becoming the first Democrat to win the governorship since 1994 and the state’s first Latina governor. Adam Hamilton will become the first Democrat to represent Kansas in the US Senate since 1932.

The Republicans, on the other hand, have thus far failed to flip a single House or Senate seat from the Democrats, a dismal showing for the party. The results are particularly damaging for President Trump, since many of the Republican defeats came in states he won comfortably in the 2024 presidential election.

For example, in Ohio, a state Trump won by a double-digit margin in 2024, both Vivek Ramaswamy and Jon Husted lost to Democratic candidates. The Democrats overcame a major funding disadvantage to win. James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton in what is being called the most expensive Senate race in US history, in which billionaire Elon Musk reportedly spent an estimated $200 million in an unsuccessful bid to elect the Republican.

Also read | US midterms, the vote that cannot remove a president but can limit what he does, explained Trump said the party would have won had he been on the ballot in the polls. “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. President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he wrote on Truth Social. Holding both chambers gives the Democrats substantial power to keep the Trump administration in check. The House controls government spending and can launch investigations into the administration, while the Senate confirms the President’s nominees, including cabinet officials, judges and ambassadors.

Every bill the Trump administration wants passed, including government funding, will now need Democratic support. The Democrats have already outlined some of their key priorities, including the war with Iran, President Trump's global tariffs and investigations into alleged conflicts of interest involving the Trump family’s business dealings.

The results will be closely watched in New Delhi. The Democrats in line to lead key committees, including Gregory Meeks – the expected chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, have long backed the US-India partnership and criticised the administration’s handling of ties with India.

A Democratic House is also expected to scrutinise Pakistan’s dealings with businesses linked to Trump’s family and associates. The midterm results will also shape the race for the 2028 presidential election. The defeat is likely to sharpen the debate within the Republican Party over its future after Trump.

For Democrats, a strong showing should boost the confidence of potential 2028 contenders such as Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as they eye the party’s nomination. Shashank Mattoo is the Washington DC-based US Correspondent for Hindustan Times.

Shashank covers the Trump administration, the India-US relationship and America's policies towards South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific.Read More