LATEST | Democrats win US Congress in midterm rout of Donald Trump

Democrats seized control of the US Congress on Tuesday, capturing the Senate and House of Representatives in a stunning, nationwide rejection of Donald Trump set to put the brakes on the final two years of his presidency.

The Democratic landslide will give the opposition power to block legislation, launch broad investigations into Trump’s administration and thwart his judicial and senior government appointments.

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Deep anger

The results reflected deep anger over living costs, tariffs and Trump’s war against Iran, which has sent fuel prices soaring and compounded dissatisfaction with an already deeply unpopular president.

“I feel like I could cry right now. This is so incredibly exciting. We can get our country back,” Kathy Jackoway said in Texas, celebrating a win by Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico.

Trump struck a conciliatory tone despite his history of questioning elections, telling The New York Times he was “absolutely willing” to accept the results.

“I think the Democrats did a good job, I really do,” the 80-year-old told Fox News, in rare praise for his political opponents.

“They fought hard.”

But he sought to distance himself from his own party’s poor showing, adding: “I don’t view it as a hit on me.”

He acknowledged that the Iran conflict had contributed to the defeat but defended the military campaign, and he suggested the rival parties could find common ground on immigration, long one of the most divisive issues of his presidency.

Republican heartland

Democrats flipped seats that had long been held by Republicans, scoring breakthroughs in South Carolina, North Carolina, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Texas and Maine.

In Maine, former logger Troy Jackson defeated longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins, the party’s seventh Senate seat captured from Republicans.

In Kansas, Methodist minister Adam Hamilton became the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the reliably conservative state since 1932. Iowa had not elected a Democratic senator since 2008.

Talarico, the Texas Democrat, declared he had defeated “Goliath” in winning a Senate seat, while Gina Hinojosa unseated the state’s Republican governor, Greg Abbott, ending decades of Republican rule.

Democrats also protected key Senate seats of their own, including Jon Ossoff in Georgia and an open seat in New Hampshire.

‘We did it!’

The scale of the victory grew further when Abdul El-Sayed defeated former Republican lawmaker Mike Rogers in Michigan, making him the first Muslim elected to the upper chamber of Congress.

“Michigan, we did it!” El-Sayed said in a speech at his election headquarters in Detroit.

El-Sayed won despite a last-minute curveball in his campaign when congresswoman Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed, came out in support of Rogers at the 11th hour.

The party’s House victory saw gains across Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Arizona, North Carolina, Wisconsin and New Jersey, including districts Trump had carried comfortably in 2024.

In one closely watched bellwether, Democrat J.D. Ford ousted Republican congresswoman Victoria Spartz in Indiana, capturing a district Trump won by 17 points two years earlier.

Democrats also won Georgia’s governorship, electing former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms as the first black woman governor in US history.

Republicans had some consolation in Florida, where Trump-backed Byron Donalds became the state’s first black governor and Ashley Moody retained a Senate seat – but only after seeing off surprisingly strong Democratic challenges.

The night was “a big wipeout and a strong repudiation of Donald Trump and his policies,” George Washington University professor Todd Belt told AFP.

Trump on defensive

Democratic control of Congress will allow the party to pursue investigations into the Iran war, immigration enforcement and allegations of corruption, while blocking Trump’s agenda and senior appointments.

Democratic Representative Robert Garcia, now expected to lead the powerful House Oversight Committee, warned Republicans on social media: “LAWYER UP.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries declared Trump’s MAGA movement “on the run from sea to shining sea.”

Jeffries could become the first black speaker of the House when the new Congress convenes in January.

Despite his conciliatory remarks, Trump also insisted on social media that Republicans would have won “IN A LANDSLIDE” if he had been running, though he had repeatedly urged supporters throughout the campaign to “pretend I’m on the ballot.”

He also repeated his threat to use the presidential veto on Democrat-passed bills, posting a picture on social media of a red baseball cap reading just: “VETO.”