By SUZANNE DOWNING
Nov. 4, 2026 – Democrats will take control of both chambers of Congress in January after a midterm election that cost Republicans seats from Maine to Texas. The Associated Press called both majorities while Alaska was still counting ballots in the races that will determine who represents the state in Washington.
In Alaska’s US Senate race, Democrat Mary Peltola took an early lead over Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan, with absentee and early ballots still to be counted. Republican US Rep. Nick Begich and independent challenger Bill Hill were also awaiting a fuller count in the race for Alaska’s only House seat. The Division of Elections has scheduled ranked-choice tabulation for Nov. 18 in races that require it. See more coverage on statewide races at this link:
Peltola leads Sen. Sullivan by 626 votes as Alaska’s top races remain unsettled
The results will determine whether Alaska sends its next senator and House member into the majority or the minority. Democrats will set the committee agendas in both chambers, giving them control over which bills and spending proposals get hearings and which administration officials face oversight. For Alaska, that means a new set of committee leaders will have a say over federal spending and legislation affecting energy development, military installations and rural infrastructure.
Democrats flipped Senate seats in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, becoming the first Democrat elected to the Senate from that state since 1932. In Texas, state Rep. James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, giving Democrats their first U.S. Senate win there since Lloyd Bentsen’s 1988 reelection. Democrat Gina Hinojosa also defeated Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in his bid for a fourth term.
In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers and is set to become the first Muslim to serve in the US Senate. In the House, Democrats picked up more than two dozen Republican-held seats, Reuters reported, with races still being counted.
Mixed results were found elsewhere: Sen. Susan Collins of Maine conceded the race to Democrat Troy Jackson in one of the evening’s biggest upsets. She is one of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s closest allies in the Senate.
In Florida, the governor’s race went to Republican Byron Donalds. Texas incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott lost the gubernatorial election to Democrat Gina Hinojosa. He was the first to endorse Bernadette Wilson for governor of Alaska.
About eight in 10 voters surveyed by AP Voter Poll said inflation had caused moderate or severe hardship for their households. Roughly half called the cost of living crucial to their congressional vote. Democrats made affordability a centerpiece of their campaigns as voters weighed the economic effects of tariffs and the war in Iran.
The election sets up two years of divided government. Democrats will have the votes to open House investigations and the Senate majority to hold up Trump’s nominees. The House may start the impeachment process to remove the president, with the Senate vote required for the conviction.
The House impeached Trump twice during his first term, and the Senate acquitted him both times, although Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted to convict him during the second impeachment trial.
