Democrats retake House control as Trump-backed candidates fall

CNN projects Democrats have won control of the U.S. House. The network’s models show the party retaking the chamber as votes continue to be counted in key states. This shift marks a sharp reversal from the 2024 midterm results.

The Democratic surge is evident in rural Middle America, where Donald Trump’s large margins from two years ago have shrunk. In heavily Latino congressional districts, the president’s previous gains have largely disappeared. The White House is already deflecting blame, but Trump’s direct involvement in the party’s strategy appears to have weakened Republican prospects.

Trump’s specific endorsements backfired in multiple states. Candidates he backed over other prominent Republicans lost or are trailing in Senate races in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, and South Carolina. His redistricting efforts also failed to secure victories. In Florida, Democrats won several districts that were redrawn to guarantee Republican wins.

Democrats have flipped two of the four Republican-held Senate seats needed to claim a majority. They defeated hand-picked Trump candidates in North Carolina and South Carolina. In North Carolina, former Governor Roy Cooper defeated former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham.

The South Carolina race was a major upset. Democrats have not won a Senate seat in that state since 1998. The seat had been in Republican hands since Strom Thurmond switched parties in 1964. Trump asked Graham, a political novice, to hold the seat temporarily and later pressured her to run for a full term. She struggled in debates and on the campaign trail.

In Texas, Democrats are challenging their decades-long lockout from statewide office. They are in contention in the high-profile Senate race and potentially in the gubernatorial contest. In Florida, results show a significant swing among Latino voters. Democrat Darren Soto narrowly leads his Republican challenger in the 9th District, a heavily Hispanic area the GOP had redrawn.

The biggest surprise in Florida may be in the 27th District in Miami-Dade County. Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, who criticized Trump’s immigration policy in a recent ad, leads her Democratic challenger Eliott Rodriguez by just over 1,000 votes. Salazar won by 20 percentage points in 2024. This narrow margin indicates that Trump’s gains with Latino voters have effectively evaporated in the state.

Trump watched the returns from the White House East Room. He went silent on Truth Social for three hours before posting that he was not on the ballot and would have won in a landslide. Officials stated that Trump left it on the field but seeded the ground to pin losses on the candidates. In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms is set to become the nation’s first Black female governor after winning the state’s top executive office.