US midterm elections: all you need to know, from Democrats’ big wins to effects on China

We have put together 17 of our top stories from our coverage of the US midterm elections. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

1. Democrats take US Congress, reshaping Trump’s final two years – as it happened

Democrats seized both chambers of Congress in the 2026 US midterm elections, flipping Senate seats in Republican strongholds and ending the control President Donald Trump had enjoyed since his return to the White House. Here’s how things changed for him in just one night.

2. Will US midterm results lead to disruption in Washington’s ties with China?

The United States’ midterm elections are unlikely to deliver a “disruptive” shock to relations between Beijing and Washington despite potential volatility over the issue of Taiwan, according to a prominent mainland Chinese expert in US studies.

3. US voters unleash blue wave, handing Congress to Democrats and rebuking Trump

After weeks of insults, fearmongering and eye-popping spending on advertising, Americans settled down to vote on Tuesday, unleashing a blue wave that saw Democrats projected to take the House and the Senate, in a sharp rebuke to US President Donald Trump and his controversial governing style.

4. US Congress welcomes record number of lawmakers of Chinese descent

The incoming US Congress is set to include a record six lawmakers of Chinese descent after Democrat Richard Pan won a California House race.

5. In Asia, midterms spark worries about diplomatic uncertainty, economic pressure

In the wake of Democrats’ sweeping victory in congressional elections, Asian countries are weighing how their ties with the US will shift under a lame-duck Trump administration.

6. Republicans face prospect of ‘civil war’ as Trump’s air of invincibility starts to fade

In the weeks leading up to the midterm elections, US President Donald Trump displayed unwavering confidence in his star power, urging supporters to close their eyes and “pretend I’m on the ballot”. But Tuesday night’s disastrous results for the Republicans have punctured the aura of invincibility that once allowed him to keep potential critics in line with the threat that opposing him could end their careers.

7. ‘More carve-outs’? How the midterms could affect US trade policy on China

The Democrats’ comprehensive victory in the US midterm elections could embolden Congress to assert greater authority over trade policy and scrutinise the deals President Donald Trump made with China, analysts say, though a dramatic shift in Washington’s trade policy is unlikely.

8. ‘Fake democracy’ or a plus for Beijing? Chinese internet users on the US midterms

Chinese social media users have voiced mixed views on the US midterm elections, criticising American politics while debating the implications of President Donald Trump’s political future for China.

9. How Democratic sweep could slow AI growth in US – and help China’s ambitions

The Democratic Party’s sweeping midterm election victory and takeover of both houses of Congress could slow down the pace of artificial intelligence development in the US, with implications for both the global AI trade and the technology rivalry between Washington and Beijing, analysts said.

10. US midterms blue wave jolts Asian markets as tighter AI, fiscal scrutiny looms

A comprehensive victory for the Democrats in the US midterms has jolted asset classes from stocks to bonds and commodities in Asia, as investors expect the US Congress to tighten scrutiny over the AI industry and government spending.

11. Trump deflects blame as Democrats prepare to control Congress after the midterms

In what appears to be an early attempt to distance himself from the Democrats’ historic gains, US President Donald Trump has sought to shift attention away from his party’s performance in the midterm elections, taking to social media to remind voters that he “wasn’t on the ballot”.

12. Europe’s relief over US midterms tempered by prospect of Trump backlash

After almost two years in which the transatlantic alliance verged on collapse, a Democratic landslide in the US midterm elections was welcomed in Europe on Wednesday, even if few believed it would be a panacea for ailing ties.

13. Costs above competition? Why US voters aren’t buying Trump’s China AI pitch

Strong voter backlash in the US midterm elections against AI infrastructure projects, including data centres, indicates that framing the domestic buildout as key to competing with China failed to convince Americans and underscores the need to address local concerns, according to analysts.

14. Asian-American voters, younger turnout fuel blue wave for Democrats in midterms

Democrats scored a sweeping victory in Tuesday’s midterm elections, with Asian-Americans and other voters of colour playing a key role, according to a new voter poll released on Wednesday.

15. Frequently labelled as communists, who are the Democratic Socialists of America?

For years, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) had little influence over the machinery of the Democratic Party. That is beginning to change.

16. US midterm shift could squeeze China on AI, bring clarity to bilateral talks

Beijing has vowed to continue working with Washington towards a “constructive relationship of strategic stability” following the Democrats’ sweeping victory in the US midterm elections on Wednesday.

17. Will US midterms and lame duck Trump force a rethink in Beijing and beyond?

Americans and the rest of the world woke up on Wednesday to a seismic shift in the US political landscape as Democrats trounced Republicans, US President Donald Trump’s weapons of fear and intimidation suddenly appeared dull and possibly, just possibly, the US could start repairing its badly battered global image.