WASHINGTON: Voters across the country are deciding control of the US House and Senate in the 2026 midterm elections.
Democrat Annie Andrews won the South Carolina Senate race, a shocking upset in a state that voted for President Donald Trump by nearly 20 points just two years ago and hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 1998.
Andrews defeated Darline Graham, the sister of the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. Democrats have also flipped the North Carolina Senate seat and held on in battleground Georgia. They need a net gain of two more seats to win the Senate majority.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the race for Georgia governor, the first gubernatorial pickup for either party. She is the first Black woman elected governor of any state. In neighboring Florida, Republican Byron Donalds was elected as the state’s first Black governor.
Democrats need a net gain of three more seats to take the majority. All eyes are on Senate contests in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas.
Democrats have flipped more than a half-dozen House seats. If they hold on to all the districts they currently represent, that’s enough to win the majority. Republicans could pick up a handful of Democratic seats in states that redrew their district boundaries.
The battle for control is playing out mostly in areas Trump previously won by wide margins. But high costs are weighing heavily on many Americans’ minds, according to The AP Voter Poll, and most voters appear to blame Trump’s administration and want Congress to impose more checks on him.
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Talarico’s victory represents the first time a Democrat has won a statewide office in Texas since 1994, a shakeup for a state long dominated by Republicans. The outcome boosts Democrats as they look to retake control of the Senate.
A seminary student and state representative, Talarico focused on bringing down everyday costs and revisiting corruption allegations against Republican opponent Ken Paxton, a state attorney general.
Paxton, who had Trump’s endorsement, said Talarico’s progressive stances on social issues were out of step with Texas.
The Democratic former Atlanta mayor addressed a boisterous crowd of supporters after being declared the winner in an election that will make her the nation’s first Black female governor.
She was met with chants of “Keisha! Keisha!” when she took the stage and was introduced by her daughter.
Bottoms called her campaign a victory for all Georgians, from teachers to farmers to entrepreneurs.
“No matter who you voted for tonight, I will be a governor for all of Georgia,” Bottoms said. “Georgia, we sent a message loud and clear that we want a leader who will put Georgia first and who will stand up to all the chaos coming out of Washington, DC.”
The Democrat said she’d stand up to her own party in Congress and pledged to show up for voters, including those who didn’t support her.
Speaking to cheering supporters, she acknowledged her historic victory — she’s the first woman to be elected to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate — and lamented vitriol in politics and influence from billionaires.
“South Carolina, you have shown the nation what is possible,” Andrews said.
She also said she’d stand up for her state, even if it means disagreeing with other Democrats.
But Andrews also alluded to Trump’s support for Darline Graham, her opponent and the sister of late Sen. Lindsey Graham, whose seat Darline Graham was appointed to fill.
“The Senate seat does not belong to one family, one party or to Washington, D.C.,” Andrews said.
Trump strongly pushed for Graham to be named senator after her brother Lindsey Graham died in July. Trump visited the state twice in the weeks before the election as her chances appeared to be fading.
“He loves this country dearly and I appreciate all that he has done,” Graham said.
Graham told the crowd they should remain as proud of her brother as she is.
“This is a tough cycle and all of us need to be involved as we chart a path forward. It is clear that we as conservatives have work to do and that work starts tonight,” Graham said.
In a victory speech, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul reminded a crowd of the president’s request to vote as if he was on the ballot, saying, “Well, Mr. President, you got your wish!”
Hochul won a second full term Tuesday night, defeating Republican Bruce Blakeman, a Trump ally.
Republican Reps. Tom Kean of New Jersey and three Republicans in Pennsylvania, Ryan Mackenzie, Scott Perry and Rob Bresnahan, lost reelection and Democrats won open seats in North Carolina and Kentucky. Democrats need a net gain of three seats for a majority.
As Democrats continued to pick up seats, Trump responded on Truth Social, shirking blame for the showing among Republican candidates.
“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,” he posted shortly after 10:30 p.m. He was watching the returns in the East Wing with political advisers and Cabinet members, according to his official schedule.
Trump campaigned for many Republican candidates, urging voters at rallies to pretend that he was on the ballot.
All polls close at 11 p.m. in California and Washington, as well as the remaining polls in Idaho and Oregon.
Elections in California and Washington are conducted primarily by mail. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day will be counted if received by Nov. 10 in California and Nov. 23 in Washington.
In the 2024 general election, about 38% of the vote in California and about 33% of the vote in Washington was not counted on election night. The count reached 90% in Washington by Nov. 9, four days after Election Day, and in California by Nov. 14, nine days after Election Day.
Some key contests to watch in this hour are California governor, California’s Proposition 40 and U.S. House races in California and Washington.
Democrat Annie Andrews wins election to US Senate from South Carolina
She defeated Republican incumbent Darline Graham.
Andrews’ victory in a state Trump won three times by double digits is a stark defeat for the Republican Party. A pediatrician, Andrews had previously run unsuccessfully for the U.S. House.
Graham had been appointed to the seat that her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, held before he died unexpectedly in July. She later won a contentious special primary for the Republican nomination with Trump’s backing.
In a race viewed as an early test for Democratic efforts to take the House majority, former federal prosecutor and Navy veteran Zach Dembo has won an open seat created by Republican Andy Barr’s decision to run for the Senate.
Dembo is also a former aide to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Beshear easily won the district during an off-year gubernatorial contest in 2023 and has spent time campaigning for his former legislative director.
Ralph Alvarado, a physician and ex-state senator, was the Republican nominee.
The district includes Democratic-trending Lexington and covers multiple rural counties that are Republican strongholds.