Democrats sweep US Congress in midterm rout

Democrats won full control of the US Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections, capturing both the House of Representatives and the Senate in a sweeping rebuke of President Donald Trump. 

The victory gives Democrats the power to block Trump's legislative agenda, thwart judicial nominations and investigate his administration over the final two years of his term.

Going into Tuesday's vote, Republicans held a 53–47 Senate majority and controlled the 435-seat House, requiring Democrats to gain four Senate seats and three House seats for a majority. Exit polls showed nearly nine in 10 voters cited living costs as a key factor and 62 per cent disapproved of Trump amid anger over inflation, tariffs and fuel price hikes driven by the Iran war.

Democrats flipped at least six Republican-held Senate seats with upsets in Kansas, Iowa, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina and Ohio, while Troy Jackson also unseated Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine.

In Texas, State Representative James Talarico (37) defeated Trump-backed Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton to become the first Democrat to win statewide since 1994. Talarico overcame more than $316 million in Republican spending, including at least $160 million from billionaire Elon Musk, in a state Trump carried by 14 percentage points in 2024.

In Kansas, United Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton (62) ousted Trump-backed Senator Roger Marshall to become the state's first Democratic senator elected in 94 years. Hamilton won despite Trump carrying Kansas by over 16 percentage points in 2024 and promising an $8 billion harvest fuel relief programme for farmers hit by high diesel and fertiliser costs. 

Campaigning on affordability and unity, Adam Hamilton said voters across parties were saying 'what's happening in Washington is not okay'.

Meanwhile, Democrat Sherrod Brown won back an Ohio Senate seat two years after losing his 18-year tenure. He defeated Trump-endorsed incumbent Jon Husted to serve the remainder of Vice President JD Vance's term through 3 January 2029. 

Former President Barack Obama appeared in campaign advertisements for Brown as polls showed 78 per cent of Americans blamed Trump for high living costs.

Democrats also flipped Senate seats through Josh Turek in Iowa, Annie Andrews in South Carolina and former Governor Roy Cooper in North Carolina, while holding seats in Georgia, New Hampshire and Minnesota. 

In the House, Democrats flipped Republican seats across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Kentucky, Arizona, North Carolina and Indiana, while electing at least five Democratic Socialists of America members.

In gubernatorial races, Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseated Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Amy Acton defeated Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio, and Keisha Lance Bottoms won in Georgia to become the first Black woman elected US governor. 

Democrat Chris Pappas became the first openly gay man elected to the US Senate in New Hampshire, while Republican Byron Donalds became Florida's first Black governor and Ashley Moody retained Florida's Senate seat.

Speaking to The New York Times on Tuesday, Donald Trump said he was willing to accept the midterm results, stating, 'We'll work with the Democrats, and we'll, you know, look forward to working with them'. 

However, the 80-year-old president posted a photo of a red cap emblazoned with 'VETO' on social media minutes later, and told Fox News he would veto 'insane' Democratic legislation while acknowledging the Iran war weighed on Republican candidates.

On Truth Social, Donald Trump claimed Republicans would have won 'IN A LANDSLIDE' had he been on the ballot. He also blamed 'fake' Republicans and Fox News for the defeats.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is positioned to become the first Black House speaker in January, declared Trump's MAGA movement 'on the run from sea to shining sea' and prioritised ending the Iran war, restoring healthcare subsidies and repealing tariffs. 

Incoming House Oversight Committee leader Robert Garcia warned Republicans on social media to 'LAWYER UP', while George Washington University Professor Todd Belt called the outcome 'a big wipeout and a strong repudiation of Donald Trump and his policies'.

Sources: AFP via The Daily Star, bdnews24.com