Democrats have won control of both the House and the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections, according to the Associated Press, a result that will end unified Republican control of Washington when the new Congress takes office. The party has secured enough seats for both majorities even though counting and race calls are not complete.
The AP's report, updated at 2:57 a.m. Eastern on November 4, calls the House in addition to the Senate. NPR's report, updated at 1:52 a.m., reaches the same conclusion from a tally of AP calls. These are news organizations' determinations of winners, not a claim that every ballot has been counted or every result formally certified. The distinction is important on the morning after an election: control can become clear before the final size of a majority is known.
Who has the House and Senate?
Democrats have won the incoming majorities in both chambers. In the House, the threshold for a majority of its 435 seats is 218. The Guardian's results tracker, updated at 5:26 a.m. Eastern, showed 228 Democratic seats called and 139 Republican seats called, with 367 of 435 races decided. That was enough to establish control, but it was not the final House breakdown. Uncalled seats cannot be treated as Republican or Democratic simply because one candidate is leading. In this snapshot, 68 House races and two Senate races had not been called. These remaining contests can still change the eventual margins without undoing the majority already established by the called seats.
The same tracker showed 54 Democratic-aligned senators, including two independents, and 44 Republicans, with 33 of this year's 35 Senate races called. That total includes senators whose seats were not up for election. It does not mean Democrats won 54 Senate races on Tuesday. Because news organizations make calls on their own schedules, their running totals may differ even when they agree about which party has won control.
Where the majority changed
NPR identified seven Republican-held Senate seats that Democrats flipped: North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Kansas, Iowa and Maine. The reach of those gains is central to the result. Democrats did not rely only on defending competitive seats; they also won in states that have been difficult territory for the party. NPR reported that Democrats held the Senate seat in Georgia as well.
The House gains also extended across several states. NPR reported Democratic pickups in four competitive Pennsylvania districts and gains in Florida districts that Republicans had redrawn. Those individual contests contribute to the majority, but they should not be confused with the unfinished national seat count. The chamber-level call answers who will organize the next House; the remaining races will determine how much room that majority has to lose votes on legislation.
What changes now, and what does not
This election does not replace the president. Donald Trump remains in the White House, while the incoming Democratic Congress will have its own legislative and oversight powers. NPR describes the result as a new period of divided government. Democrats can set congressional priorities, but winning both chambers does not give them the power to turn every proposal into law over presidential opposition.
Trump retains his veto power. NPR notes that Democrats will still need to work with Republicans on major funding legislation and that the Senate result changes the path for judicial and Cabinet nominations. A Democratic Senate can scrutinize and vote on nominees; the election itself does not automatically remove judges or administration officials. The practical consequences will depend on what the next Congress chooses to do and what can pass.
The transition also has a calendar. The Senate's guide to a new Congress explains that the Constitution ordinarily sets its opening at noon on January 3 in odd-numbered years, unless a law sets another time. Election-night calls therefore describe the incoming Congress, not an immediate overnight transfer of every committee or leadership position. For now, the clear result is Democratic control of the next House and Senate. The final margins, the remaining winners and the work of governing are still to come.