Democrats gain control of House and Senate

The midterm election results are “more than a setback” for Republicans and President Donald Trump, DW’s Washington bureau chief Ines Pohl said.

The results represent “a dramatic loss of political power” for Trump’s Republican Party, she said. 

See her full analysis here:

DW spoke to Republican supporters at an election watch party in Austin, Texas, after Democrat James Talarico won the Senate race in the state, breaking a 38-year drought for his party in the Republican stronghold.

Metin Hakverdi, who serves as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coordinator of transatlantic cooperation, said he expects the US midterm results to significantly impact the political situation between Berlin and Washington.

“America has chosen change,” he told news agency DPA, while stressing that Trump remains largely in charge of foreign policy and that Germany will continue to reach out to both parties.

“We must especially not limit our contacts to individual political camps,” he added, while also highlighting the historic significance of the first Indigenous woman being elected governor of New Mexico and the first black woman as governor of Georgia.

Hakverdi, a Social Democrat, has extended family in the United States and attended high school there.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius congratulated Democrats on what he called their “historic victory.” He also emphasized that the White House will remain the same and Berlin will continue to cooperate with it.

Here you can catch DW’s live video coverage of the results and reactions to Democrats flipping both houses of the US Congress, as well as several governors’ seats: 

The mood was cheery at the Michigan Democrats’ headquarters in Detroit as it became increasingly clear that progressive Abdul El-Sayed was going to win his Senate race.

Crowds gathered at a watch party in Detroit’s Eastern Market as results from across the country were projected on a big screen.

Cheers erupted from between the music for every Democratic win.

Attendees voiced surprise that the Democratic Party had already achieved a majority in the Senate without having called the state of Michigan yet.

Others shared concerns about President Trump’s repeated announcements to make use of his veto power in response to the Democrats’ majority.

Global stocks have recovered some early losses after Democrats won control of Congress, while the dollar has fallen to a one-month low.

Technology shares have been among the hardest hit as investors assess what the result could mean for businesses that have benefited from Trump’s policies.

Nasdaq futures, which indicate how US technology stocks could trade when markets open, fell more than 2% before recovering to around 0.5% lower.

In Asia, chipmakers Samsung, SK Hynix and TSMC have regained some ground. South Korea’s main stock index turned slightly positive after initially dropping 3%.

Investors are concerned that Democrats could push for tighter oversight of artificial intelligence companies and the construction of data centers.

But the initial selling has eased.

“Markets may be recognising that political gridlock doesn’t necessarily mean weaker corporate earnings,” said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo.

Investors have also bought government bonds, seen as safer investments, while cryptocurrencies have fallen amid concerns about stronger regulation.

Voters chose Rob Sand as Iowa’s next governor, defeating first-time Republican candidate Zach Lahn.

The victory is key for Democrats ahead of the 2028 presidential election, because Iowa’s early caucuses play a significant role in shaping national campaigns.

Sand, however, had kept the party at arm’s length during his race. Instead, he focused on his centrist policies and stressed his humble upbringing.

“We have to have bigger hearts and minds than just our party,” Sand told the crowd at a victory event. “Come January, we will be forced to work together.”

He promised to work across the aisle to shape Iowa’s future.

Former US President Barack Obama said the election results showed Americans wanted leaders who brought people together and offered practical solutions.

With President Donald Trump in office for another two years, Obama urged Democrats to use their gains to pursue change and “prevent further damage.”

“Tonight, the American people sent a clear message — they want a politics that brings people together rather than divides them,” he wrote on X.

Obama credited strong candidates across the country, including in places once considered unlikely prospects for victory. He also thanked election officials and volunteers from both parties for ensuring a smooth vote.

“Our job now is to roll up our sleeves, make changes wherever we have the power to do so, prevent further damage, and lay the groundwork for the future,” he said.

In what was one of the most widely followed and closely watched races of the night, Democratic newcomer Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan with 52% of the vote to 46%.

The win makes the 42-year-old El-Sayed the first Muslim senator in the history of the United States.

Born and raised in Michigan, El-Sayed was repeatedly targeted by attacks over his heritage and religion, including by President Trump.

Inspired to enter politics after the Flint water crisis that lasted from 2014 to 2019, El-Sayed ran on a platform of making medical care affordable, increasing taxes on billionaires, and building more housing for lower- and middle-income families.

It was one of the most expensive Senate races ever run, with tens of millions poured in from mega-donors on both sides.

“Michigan, we did it!” El-Sayed said as he addressed supporters after his win, to jubilant applause, adding that he was “honored” to have been elected.

He credited his volunteers and staff as well as their message of “Medicare for all and getting money out of politics” for his victory.

Tech mogul Elon Musk appeared to joke on his X account that his “election-interfering space lasers” did not work as Republican candidates he supported began to concede defeat.

At the same time, he commented that he was going to build data centers in space, an apparent reference to how the noise, pollution, and water consumption of data centers had been a hot topic in several congressional races.

Through funding organizations known as PACs, Musk donated $446 million to the races in Maine, Michigan, Texas, and Ohio, among others. That made him the largest individual contributor in a federal election cycle since unlimited election spending was allowed in 2010, according to campaign finance tracker OpenSecrets.
 

Sherrod Brown has defeated Republican Jon Husted in Ohio’s special Senate election, securing a victory that had been crucial to Democrats’ plan to retake the Senate.

Brown was a longtime Ohio senator until his defeat to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024. His campaign highlighted the many corruption allegations against Husted, who had been appointed in 2025 to fill the vacant seat left when JD Vance became vice president.

Husted has been accused of being part of a bribery scandal related to his time in Ohio state politics, illegal campaign donations from a billionaire with ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Despite the tens of millions donated to his campaign and vigorous support from President Trump, Brown won 49% of the vote to Husted’s 46%.

“My pledge to all Ohioans, whether you voted for me or you didn’t, is that I will always be on your side — always,” Brown said in his victory speech. “I do not work for the utility companies. I do not work for data centers. I do not work for Wall Street. I work for you, I work for Ohio.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries celebrated his party’s projected victory, declaring: “America is back.”

The result puts him in line to become the first Black Speaker of the House and gives Democrats greater power to challenge President Donald Trump’s agenda.

“Today begins the great American comeback,” Jeffries told a cheering crowd at the Democrats’ watch party, describing the occasion as a patriotic moment rather than a partisan one.

“We’re going to work hard to deliver on the dramatic change that you deserve,” he said.

Jeffries pledged to prioritize affordable healthcare, fight to reverse Republican cuts to government health insurance, and confront corruption among public officials.

“The American people have spoken and made clear that they’ve had enough of the extremism, enough of the corruption. They want a Congress that’s going to deliver for the American ​people,” Jeffries said.

Jeffries would still need to win a vote in the full House when the new Congress convenes in January to become speaker.

Democrats took control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, according to Associated Press projections.

This victory, along with wresting control of the US Senate, will likely usher in a new era of opposition to President Donald Trump from the US Congress.

Republicans had held 218 seats to the Democrats’ 214 going into the vote.

While seat counts are still being finalized, AP has called Democratic Party wins in 220 seats. A party needs 218 for a majority.

Democrats also flipped the Senate, dealing a heavy blow to Republican governance in the country (see entries below).