Democrats Win Both House and Senate

Democrats took control of the U.S. House and Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections. The party flipped seven Senate seats and dozens of House districts. These gains included victories in Republican strongholds such as Texas and South Carolina. Counting continued into Wednesday morning, with results in Mississippi and Alaska still too close to call.

The new Democratic majorities will take office in January. This shift gives President Trump’s opponents more power to investigate the administration. They can also challenge his legislative agenda and block his nominees. The University of Florida Election Lab reported that more than 124 million ballots were cast. That number surpasses the previous midterm record of nearly 119 million votes cast in 2018.

President Trump offered mixed messages as the results came in. In an interview with Fox News, he congratulated Democrats for working hard. In a separate phone interview with Politico, he argued that Republicans struggled to turn out his supporters because he was not on the ballot. The president posted an image of a red hat bearing the word “VETO” to highlight his authority to reject legislation passed by a Democratic-controlled Congress.

Despite the losses, Trump expressed a willingness to negotiate. He left room for potential agreements with Democrats despite the coming partisan battles. The Democratic Party must now choose who will lead their new majorities. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York currently lead their party in the Senate and House, respectively.

Both Schumer and Jeffries need support from their Democratic colleagues to retain those roles. Jeffries would also need to win a vote of the full House to become speaker when the new Congress convenes on January 3. If elected, he would become the first Black speaker in U.S. history. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed Jeffries. She praised his leadership following the Democratic victory.