Democrats projected to gain Congress majority as Trump rails against results

A Historic Blue Wave Washes Over Congress, Trump Lashes Out

President Donald Trump is railing against the midterm election results as Democrats secure a commanding majority in both chambers of Congress, setting the stage for two years of intense political conflict. The electorate has handed the Democrats control of the Senate and expanded their majority in the House, effectively turning its back on the Republican Party and the Trump era, RTE.ie reported.

Democrats Set to Hold Senate Seats

With most votes counted, Democrats are set to hold 54 Senate seats to the Republicans’ 44, and 240 seats in the House of Representatives to 147 for Republicans. The only questions are the final margin of victory and the outcomes of two nail-biter races in Mississippi and Alaska. These contests have become flashpoints for the political earthquake that has reshaped Washington.

Democrats projected to take Congress in blue wave

The results represent a dramatic reversal for the GOP, which had been defending a majority in the 435-member House. Before the election, Democrats held 212 House seats and needed 218 to win control, according to The Guardian. The projected victories in competitive “battleground” seats, which experts track to predict overall results, signaled a highly successful night for the Democrats.

Mississippi and Alaska: The Final Battlegrounds

The biggest shock is unfolding in Mississippi, one of the most solidly Republican states in the U.S., where Scott Colom, a 43-year-old black man, appears close to winning a Senate seat. Against all expectations, he is ahead of incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,138 votes, with only a handful of ballots left to count. A win for Mr. Colom would be historic, making him the first Democrat from the southern state to win a Senate seat since 1982, and the first African American to do so since 1874.

Democrats projected to gain Congress majority as Trump rails against results — Photo: CNBC

In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola is moving ahead of the pack with 48.17% of the vote, followed by Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan with 47.88%. This race is complicated by Alaska’s use of ranked-choice voting, as opposed to the first-past-the-post system used in most congressional elections, The Guardian noted.

President Trump has intervened in the still-undecided race to fill a Senate seat in Alaska. On social media, he hit out at the still-undecided race, describing it as unfair and saying the votes for two minor candidates “should be immediately given” to the Republican candidate. Mr Trump’s post, on Truth Social, referred to a fringe candidate – also named Dan Sullivan – who Republicans accuse of being a plant to split the vote, and another minor contender, Gerald Heikes. At the latest count, the second Dan Sullivan had won only 1.68% of the vote, while Mr Heikes had 2.27%. “There is no other fair solution!” Mr Trump wrote.

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A Wave of Firsts and Regional Upsets

Should Mr. Colom win, he would join a host of new faces smashing racial and cultural barriers in this election cycle. The election of Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia makes her the first black female governor in the United States. Deb Haaland, in New Mexico, was elected to be the country’s first Native American female governor. Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed beat a Trump ally to become the first Muslim to enter the Senate.

In purely political terms, the results were dramatic, featuring wins for Democrats in territory where President Trump had previously been so dominant it was all but written off by the left. James Talarico broke a 38-year hoodoo by winning a Senate seat in ultra-Republican Texas, and Adam Hamilton became the first Democratic senator from Kansas in 94 years. The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, who had spent $212 million to back Texas Republican Ken Paxton, went notably silent after Talarico’s projected victory, CNBC reported.

Democrats projected to take Congress in 'blue tsunami' fueled by Trump, economy discontent

Republican Devastation and Trump’s Response

The verdict from one of the country’s most senior Republicans, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, was bleak. “This is close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country as we have seen probably in the last 100 years,” he said.

President Trump, who initially stood out for an uncharacteristically quick acceptance of the midterm results, has since lashed out.

Trump responds to Democratic election wins, claims he would've won

The Democratic Mandate: Reining in Trump

Democrats have vowed to use their resounding victory to rein in Mr. Trump, setting up two years of possible deadlock in Washington. A wave of anger over his policies, particularly the US-Iran war’s role in pushing the cost of living higher, helped secure the resounding victory. It will be the first time that Mr. Trump will have to contend with a Democratic control in both Congress chambers.

“We don’t work for Donald Trump,” said House of Representatives Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York politician who is on track to become the chamber’s first black speaker. “We work for the American people. And the days of the House of Representatives functioning like a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Trump administration are over.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a rising national Democratic figure, urged his party to address the concerns of voters burdened by rising prices. “It is not enough to simply win power,” Mr. Mamdani said. “Now, it’s time for us in the Democratic Party to deliver.”

US #midterms: #Trump reacts to the #Democrats’ sweeping victory • FRANCE 24 English

The War’s Toll and a Blunt Assessment

President Trump, who is barred by the US Constitution from seeking a third term, acknowledged the war with Iran had played a role in his party’s losses but stood by his decision. Vice President JD Vance, who may run as a successor in the 2028 election, piled blame on the decision to attack Iran in February. “The reason we lost is the war,” Mr Vance wrote in a long social media post. “If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it, then do so.”

The loss also upended the leadership of the House of Representatives with Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, saying that he would not continue in the job. In the meantime, Republicans hold the reins and will have at least one must-pass piece of legislation ahead—a measure to fund the federal government past December—that they could use to enact conservative priorities during the so-called lame-duck period.

The Path Forward: Investigations and a New Congress

Once seated in January, Democrats are expected to use their power to investigate Mr. Trump’s administration, family, and allies, and demand concessions on major legislation. The Senate can block his nominees, including any US Supreme Court justices, should a vacancy arise. The Democratic victory is fuelling questions about the longevity of the court’s two eldest justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, and the durability of its conservative majority.

Democrats focused their campaign on corruption and affordability, blaming Mr. Trump’s expensive tariffs and the war with Iran for driving up costs. Republicans, led by the president, attacked Democrats on social issues, portraying them as radical. Voters, however, made it clear they were more concerned with the cost of living.