Democrats Win Control of Both Houses of US Congress, Ending Republican Trifecta

The Senate was called for the Democrats late on Tuesday. The party needed a net gain of four seats in the 100-member chamber and had secured at least 51 by early Wednesday, with a handful of races still being counted. In the outgoing 119th Congress, Republicans hold 53 seats and Democrats 45, with two independents caucusing with the Democrats.

The House was called for the Democrats later on Tuesday night. The party needed to gain five seats there, and the size of its new majority was still unclear as counting continued, according to a Reuters report carried by Arab News. The 120th Congress is due to be sworn in on January 3, 2027.

Upsets in Republican Strongholds

Several of the Senate gains came in states Democrats rarely win. In Texas, state legislator James Talarico defeated Attorney General Ken Paxton. Al Jazeera reported that a Democrat had last won a statewide race in Texas in 1994. In Kansas, megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton beat sitting Republican Senator Roger Marshall. Al Jazeera said Kansas last elected a Democratic senator in 1932.

Democrats also flipped seats in South Carolina, where paediatrician Annie Andrews won, and in North Carolina, where former governor Roy Cooper beat Michael Whatley. In Ohio, Sherrod Brown defeated incumbent Republican Jon Husted. The party held its seats in Georgia, where Jon Ossoff was re-elected, and in Virginia, where Mark Warner won a fourth term.

"What's happening in Washington is not OK," Hamilton said in his victory speech, describing the message he said Kansas voters of all parties had sent.

What Changes for Business and Technology

Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House, is in line to become speaker, which would make him the first Black person to hold the post. In a victory speech he said, "Today begins the great American comeback."

According to the Reuters report, Jeffries has said Democrats will investigate the Trump administration's dealings with corporate executives, including people who have donated heavily to Trump's campaigns and projects. Representative Robert Garcia, who is expected to chair the House Oversight Committee, offered a two-word warning in an election night statement: "Lawyer up."

A senior House Democratic aide told Reuters that early bills could include bringing back clean energy subsidies, an expanded child tax credit, a housing tax credit and ending the war in Iran. Trump could veto some of these. Both parties will still need to cooperate on raising the debt limit and approving federal spending.

The new majority includes lawmakers who have argued for tighter oversight of AI and the infrastructure behind it. Fast Company reported that Talarico has called for tougher standards for data centres. On the same night, Texans elected Democrat Gina Hinojosa as governor; she has proposed pausing new data centre development in the state. In September, after AI companies signed a voluntary White House pledge on advanced AI, Warner told CBS News that Congress should impose mandatory testing, evaluation and incident reporting rules on the most powerful AI models.

Even with both chambers, Democrats will not control the White House. Jeffries' first test will be holding together moderates and progressives in his caucus. Newly elected House Democrats are due to meet later this month to choose their candidate for speaker before the full House votes in January.