Here’s what to know
Democrats won the House and Senate, including by flipping key Senate seats in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.
President Donald Trump blamed his fellow Republicans after the crushing election blows.
A number of candidates have made history with their election victories, including the first Black female governor, first Muslim Senator, and more.
The results in Texas could reshape the road to the White House in 2028
Nov 4, 5:39 AMOn an Election Day when national Democrats had monumental momentum, the results in Texas were a breed apart and could redefine the path to the White House in 2028.
Both James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa broke the Republican Party’s hold in deep-red Texas. But the losses didn’t stop there. When all the ballots are counted, Texas Republicans may be on the receiving end of something approaching a wipeout. It’s a stunning turn that proves in one fell swoop that years of Democrats’ optimism in someday flipping Texas were not foolhardy. Even Texas Republicans gifted last-minute gerrymandered districts in U.S. House races were not immune to the national mood.
For Democrats, it was a dividend long invested. Year after year, Democrats kept insisting that this would be the cycle that would break the Republican fever in the state. And year after year, they woke up the day after Election Day feeling like Charlie Brown trying to kick Lucy’s football.
Still, Democrats have long insisted that Texas is not a state of Republican voters. It’s a state of non-voters. Tuesday’s results finally proved that thesis.
The shift could have seismic consequences for the 2028 presidential map. Texas has 40 votes in the Electoral College, or roughly 15% of the haul needed to win the White House. If Democrats can sustain their success in Texas, that suddenly means other traditional swing states could prove optional. And both parties may find themselves having to invest heavily in the massive and pricey state to pin down Texas’ electoral votes every four years.
Read the full story here. — Philip Elliott
Nevada AG Aaron Ford beats Republican incumbent to become state's first Black governor
Nov 4, 5:07 AMNevada’s Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat, has won the hotly-contested race for governor, defeating Republican incumbent Joe Lombardo to become the state’s first Black governor, the AP called.
With Nevada set to play a pivotal role in the next presidential election, Ford's win is a significant boost for the Democrats.
As the campaign race heated up over the summer, Ford's team criticized Lombardo after police body camera footage showed him dropping his own name during a traffic stop in Las Vegas and avoiding a ticket.
On the eve of the midterm election, Ford honed in on his criticism of Lombardo, linking him to the affordability crisis concerning many Americans.
"Joe Lombardo and Donald Trump have been working together to raise your gas, groceries, housing, and health care costs," he argued, advising people to "vote like your wallet depends on it." —Olivia-Anne Cleary
The midterm historymakers
Nov 4, 4:30 AMSeveral election-winners on Tuesday have broken historic identity barriers for the U.S.
New Hampshire Democrat Chris Pappas will be the first openly gay male Senator. Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed will be the first Muslim U.S. Senator. Minnesota Democrat Peggy Flanagan will be the first Native American female Senator. Georgia Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms will be the first Black female governor. New Mexico Democrat Deb Haaland will be the first Native American female governor. And Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, could become the first Black Speaker of the House.
Read the full story here. — Chad de Guzman
Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed wins battleground Michigan Senate race
Nov 4, 2:40 AMDr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat with a background in public health, has defeated Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan’s open Senate race on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, making him the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate.
The election of El-Sayed, 42, the son of Egyptian immigrants who was born and raised in suburban Detroit, represents a milestone in American politics and a potentially consequential shift within the Democratic Party. An outspoken critic of Israel who has championed an ambitious progressive agenda, he joins a growing contingent of left-wing Democrats who have prevailed in elections this year.
Read the full story here. — Nik Popli
Elon Musk reacts to midterm election results
Nov 4, 2:25 AM"Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time," Elon Musk, the world's richest man, posted on his platform X early Wednesday.
The on-and-off ally of President Donald Trump poured a tremendous amount of money into the Republican effort to retain their congressional majorities: The New York Times previously reported that Musk contributed some $474 million into the midterms, making him the single largest disclosed donor in modern American politics.
In a separate post, Musk, who is the CEO and part-owner of companies Tesla and SpaceX, wrote: "Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now." Democrats, who will take control of both chambers of Congress, have made the AI boom and data centers a key campaign issue. — Chad de Guzman
Trump on blue wave: 'I don't view it as a hit on me'
Nov 4, 1:25 AMThe AP has called the House majority for Democrats, having already called the Senate majority for the same party. Moments earlier, President Trump congratulated Democrats on their Election Day success in a phone interview with Fox News, but he went on to say that he didn't think the blue wave was a rebuke of his presidency.
"They did a good job. They’ve been looking for this one for 11 years, and they finally got it," Trump said about Democrats. "But I don’t view it as a hit on me. I think we’ve done ... We’ve had the greatest two years in the history of the presidency.”
This year's midterm election has been described by many politicians and political experts as a referendum on the Trump Administration. About a month before Election Day, Trump's approval rating fell to a historic low of 30%, according to the Pew Research Center. — Chantelle Lee
Incumbent GOP Rep. Max Miller loses amid domestic violence allegations
Nov 4, 1:25 AMDemocrat Brian Poindexter has defeated two-term incumbent Republican Rep. Max Miller, whose campaign was roiled by domestic violence allegations from his ex-wife and former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, whom he worked and shared a romantic relationship with during Trump's first term. Miller has denied all wrongdoing.
Both Ohio Senators, including Miller's former father-in-law, urged Miller to exit the race. The House Ethics Committee announced in August it was actively reviewing allegations against Miller.
Poindexter, a union worker and local councilman, appealed to working-class voters and centered his campaign around lowering the minimum age to qualify for Medicare, regulating data centers, and limiting funding for the war in Iran. — Connor Greene
GOP Sen. Susan Collins concedes to Democratic challenger
Nov 4, 1:10 AMRepublican Sen. Susan Collins, who has represented Maine in the U.S. Senate for nearly three decades, lost her re-election bid to her Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, the AP has called—the latest stunning result in a midterm election that has become a blue wave.
AP reported that Collins conceded the race to Jackson before the news outlet had officially called it. Jackson, a logger and former president of the Maine Senate, posted a victory statement on social media early Wednesday morning, before the race was officially called by AP.
"Maine, I owe you everything," he said. "I’m ready to get to work for Mainers in the U.S. Senate, and I promise you this: I’ll never forget where I came from or who I’m fighting for. Thank you. Let’s go build a government that works for all of us."
A victory by Jackson would not just be remarkable because he's unseating a five-term Senator but also because he entered the race relatively late, after Graham Platner, who won the Democratic primary, withdrew from the race in July amid allegations of sexual assault, which he denied. — Chantelle Lee
Read the full story of Jackson's victory here.
All polls have closed
Nov 4, 1:00 AMAll polls in the U.S. have closed. Polls in Alaska and Hawaii were the last to close, at 1 a.m. and midnight EST, respectively. — Connor Greene
Trump rages against blue wave
Nov 4, 12:15 AMThe President railed against Democrats' victories in the midterms on Tuesday evening in a series of Truth Social posts.
Shortly before midnight, Trump posted a photo of a red hat reminiscent of the ones often worn by MAGA supporters and by the President himself—but this one had the word "Veto" printed on it. The image appears to be a threat that the President will use his veto power against the House and the Senate, the latter of which AP called for Democrats on Tuesday evening. AP has not yet called control of the House, but other news outlets have projected that Democrats will win the majority in the lower chamber as well.
In another social media post, Trump levied an attack against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who lost his re-election bid to Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa on Tuesday evening—a stunning result in a state that has not elected a Democrat governor since 1990.
Trump had endorsed Abbott in the race. But after Abbott's loss on Tuesday, the President accused the Texas governor of being a "RINO," which stands for "Republican In Name Only."
"If Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, hadn’t become a RINO in the last six months of his Political Life, he wouldn’t have lost," Trump said in a Truth Social post. "He went back to his original formula, and it wasn’t pretty!"
A few minutes later, the President posted again, saying, "I’m going to become a Political Pundit, both good and bad, on the reasons these Candidates won and lost!" — Chantelle Lee
Democrats have won the Senate, AP calls
Nov 4, 12:00 AMAP called the Senate for Democrats shortly before midnight, in a stunning rebuke of the Trump Administration and the Republican Party.
As of Tuesday evening, AP has called 51 seats in the upper chamber for Democrats and 39 for Republicans. AP has yet to call 10 races for the upper chamber. The news outlet hasn’t yet called the House majority for Democrats, but others, including CNN, have projected that Democrats will win control of the lower chamber. Democrats capturing both chambers of Congress would mark only the fifth time since World War II that a political party was able to flip both the Senate and the House in a midterm election. — Chantelle Lee
Read the full story here.
House Democrats celebrate election gains
Nov 3, 11:50 PMHouse Democrats are rejoicing over their election victories, including projections from CNN and NBC that they have regained control of the chamber. The AP has not yet called the majority.
In Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ election-night headquarters just south of the Capitol, a crowd of roughly 100 people erupted in cheers when CNN announced the projection. Supporters broke into chants of “Jeffries! Jeffries! Jeffries!”
Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington state, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in the headquarters: “The American people have spoken decisively all across the country. They have had enough of the broken promises from house Republicans, and they are ready for new leadership in Congress, and they're going to get it.” — Chad de Guzman with reporting contributed by Nik Popli