According to preliminary results and media expectations, the Democrats made gains in the US midterm elections on Tuesday, by seizing seats in the Senate in the states of North and South Carolina and Texas, while retaining their seat in Georgia. These gains come amid intense competition with Republicans for control of both chambers of Congress, in a test for President Donald Trump.

Published on: 04/11/2026 - 04:48 Last updated: 04/11/2026 - 05:40

Democrats strengthened their efforts to control the US Congress, after seizing seats in the Senate, on Tuesday, according to the preliminary results of the midterm elections, in a development that could constitute a strong blow to President Donald Trump.

According to expectations reported by American media, Representative James Tallarico won the Senate seat for the US state of Texas, according to media estimates, defeating Republican Ken Paxton, who is supported by President Donald Trump.

Tallarico thus ended a 32-year streak of Democratic defeats at the state level, giving his party a strong boost in the battle for control of the Senate.

Adam Hamilton became the first Democrat to win a seat in the US Senate from Kansas since 1932, according to CNN and NBC. Hamilton achieved this victory at the expense of current Republican Senator Roger Marshall.

Democratic Governor Roy Cooper also defeated the candidate supported by Trump in North Carolina, while Democrat Jon Ossoff renewed his place in Georgia.

In Texas, Democratic candidate James Tallarico achieved a historic victory in a state considered one of the most prominent Republican strongholds, thus grabbing an additional seat for his party.

NBC and CBS reported that Tallarico defeated state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a close ally of President Donald Trump.

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In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews achieved a surprise victory in a seat in the Senate, defeating her rival Darlene Graham, whom Trump chose to succeed her brother Lindsey Graham, who died in July.

With this victory, the Democrats seized an additional seat in a state that is historically a Republican stronghold, bringing them closer to control of the Senate, according to estimates by CNN and NBC.

In Texas, Democrat Talarico, in turn, succeeded in seizing another seat from Republicans in the Senate.

These early victories among Democrats strengthened the party's hopes of winning both chambers of Congress. However, it may take time for clear indicators to emerge about the new balance of power in Washington.

Read also US midterm elections 2026: Live results map

Donald Trump attended with all his weight in most of the rallies during this election, warning of catastrophic consequences if the Democrats won, as indicated by opinion polls.

The White House said this afternoon: “The President did everything he could on the ground and did whatever was necessary,” stressing that the Republicans are now “in a better position than they were four weeks ago.”

For his part, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries also expressed optimism. He told reporters in Washington: “We are on the cusp of a radical change in course in this country.”

Opinion polls expect the Democrats to win a majority in the House of Representatives, and may seize control of the Senate as well, taking advantage of voter dissatisfaction with a president whose popularity level is severely low, rising energy costs, and the continuing conflict with Iran.

Republicans losing control of the House of Representatives would give Democrats the ability to disrupt Trump's legislative agenda and launch wide-ranging investigations into his administration.

Read also: The American midterm elections: What will change for Trump and the Republicans if the Democrats obtain the majority in Congress?

Their defeat in the Senate will undermine his ability to appoint Supreme Court judges and senior officials.

This entitlement is considered a nationwide referendum on Trump, in light of growing feelings of dissatisfaction with Republicans.

Read also: US midterm elections 2026

Candidates are competing for the 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 out of 100 seats in the Senate, in addition to the positions of governors in 36 states. Democrats need to gain just three seats in the House and a net four in the Senate to wrest control of both chambers.

On Tuesday, Trump defended his policies during a television phone call to voters on the morning of the election, stressing that his measures on immigration, Iran, and customs duties contributed to “rebuilding” the country.

Trump told Fox & Friends: “We have to keep America great. We are great now. We were terrible two years ago.”

Upon his return to the White House for a second presidential term, Trump pledged to reduce prices.

However, inflation, customs duties, and rising fuel costs due to the conflict in the Middle East increased pressure on Americans, causing support rates for the 80-year-old president to decline significantly.

The Decision Desk HQ Foundation, which specializes in electoral forecasts, expects that the Democratic Party will win the majority in the Senate (52 seats compared to 48 for the Republicans), and that it will also control the House of Representatives with a comfortable majority of 241 seats compared to 194.

Disputed results?

As polls close, questions are growing about whether Republicans will accept the results.

Trump, who sought to overturn the results of the 2020 elections after losing them, continued to repeat allegations of widespread fraud, and accused Democrats, without providing evidence, of electoral fraud.

Read also: What future does Trump’s policies have after the midterm elections for the US Congress?

On Tuesday, voting machines were unable to scan ballot papers in a county near New York, where the region is witnessing intense competition for a seat in the US Congress, which raised accusations of fraud, despite assurances from local authorities that the votes would be counted.

The Department of Justice, run by a close associate of Trump, had filed a lawsuit that could lead to disrupting the certification of the results of the Senate elections in Alaska if the current Republican Senator Dan Sullivan lost by a narrow margin, but a court rejected this effort on the eve of the elections.

The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected an urgent request to force the state of California to cancel the mail ballots of more than 20,000 people on the grounds that they may not be US citizens.

Trump suggested he could challenge Democrats even if Republicans lose control of Congress.

“I veto everything,” he told a podcast Monday, but at the same time indicated that he might eventually reach agreements with Democrats.

France 24/AFP

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