Democrats seize control of US Congress in sweeping midterm rebuke to Trump

Democrats have won majorities in both the House and the Senate in Tuesday’s US midterm elections, ending Republican control of Congress.

Voters angry over the economy, living costs, the war with Iran and corruption concerns delivered a rebuke to President Donald Trump, giving Democrats power to challenge his agenda for the last two years of his term.

How did Democrats win control of Congress?

Democrats flipped more than 20 Republican-held House districts, including seats in Kentucky, New Jersey and North Carolina. In the Senate, eight Republican-held seats changed hands, twice the four-seat net gain the party needed. Gains came in states that had largely been beyond Democratic reach for decades.

Among the Senate winners was Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, who is projected to become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. Other victors included Roy Cooper in North Carolina, Annie Andrews in South Carolina, Sherrod Brown in Ohio, Adam Hamilton in Kansas, Troy Jackson in Maine, James Talarico in Texas and Josh Turek in Iowa.

Which long-held Republican states did Democrats win?

Several results ended long droughts for the party. In Kansas, Hamilton became the first Democrat to win a Senate race in the state in 94 years. Talarico’s win in Texas was the party’s first there since 1988, and Andrews ended a 28-year wait in South Carolina.

Democrats also took back Senate seats in North Carolina and Iowa for the first time since 2008. That year, Kay Hagan and Tom Harkin won their last elections in those states.

Why did voters turn against Trump and the Republicans?

The results pointed to a shift among voters who helped return Trump to the White House two years ago. An AP Voter Poll found that younger voters and Hispanic Americans had moved away from Republicans. Only about one-third of Hispanic respondents said they backed the Republican candidate in their local House race.

Economic concerns appeared central. The war with Iran, which contributed to a sharp rise in gasoline prices, added to public anxiety over household expenses and the administration’s handling of the economy.

Did Trump’s endorsements help Republican candidates?

Several candidates the president backed, including contenders in Michigan, South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas, failed to win. For more than a decade, Trump has reshaped the Republican Party around his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, using his endorsement to influence primaries and sideline conservatives he considered insufficiently loyal.

His preferred candidates struggled to turn that backing into support among the wider electorate. Trump spent much of the final month of the campaign holding rallies and urging supporters to vote, but the effort did not prevent heavy losses in both chambers.

How did Trump respond to the midterm results?

According to CNN, Trump told The New York Times he would accept the outcome, easing immediate concerns that he might challenge the results. In an interview with Fox News, he played down the political significance of the defeats and said he did not view them as a personal setback.

He separately suggested the losses reflected his absence from the ballot rather than a rejection of his presidency.

What does a Democratic Congress mean for Trump’s agenda?

The takeover shifts the balance of power in Washington. Democrats gain greater control over congressional proceedings and a stronger ability to scrutinize the administration, challenge legislation and block parts of Trump’s domestic agenda.

Republicans entered the elections controlling both chambers. The result points to a difficult final stretch of Trump’s presidency.