The 2026 US midterm elections have delivered a major political setback to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, with Democrats making significant gains across the country to take control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.The results saw Democrats flip several Republican-held seats, secure victories in traditionally Republican states and make historic breakthroughs in gubernatorial contests.Democratic victories in Texas, Kansas, Iowa, North Carolina, South Carolina and Ohio emerged as some of the biggest developments of the night, while the party also secured key gubernatorial victories in Georgia, Ohio, Wisconsin and Texas.Several candidates made history, including Keisha Lance Bottoms, who became the first Black woman elected governor of a US state, and Gina Hinojosa, who won the Texas gubernatorial race to become the state’s first Latina governor.The results also saw Indian-American candidates Suhas Subramanyam and Aruna Miller secure victories, while Pia Dandiya held an advantage in Florida’s closely watched congressional contest. Meanwhile, Trump sought to distance himself from the Republican losses, insisting that the results were not a setback for his presidency, while former President Barack Obama hailed the Democratic performance as a clear message from voters.Democrats take control of House and Senate, flip Republican-held seatsDemocrats secured control of both chambers of Congress after making significant gains in the midterm elections, marking a major reversal for Republicans, who entered the polls seeking to retain their congressional majorities.The party made gains across the House of Representatives, defeating several Republican incumbents and winning open seats previously held by the GOP.In Pennsylvania, Bob Brooks defeated Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie in the 7th Congressional District, Paige Cognetti defeated Rob Bresnahan in the 8th, and Janelle Stelson unseated Scott Perry in the 10th. In New Jersey’s 7th District, Rebecca Bennett defeated Republican incumbent Thomas Kean Jr.Democrats also flipped Republican-held seats in Colorado, Ohio, Virginia and California. Manny Rutinel defeated incumbent Gabe Evans in Colorado’s 8th District, while Don Leonard defeated Mike Carey in Ohio’s 15th, ending a 15-year run of Republican control. Elaine Luria defeated Republican incumbent Jen Kiggans in Virginia’s 2nd District, returning the seat to Democratic control. In California’s 1st District, Mike McGuire defeated Republican incumbent James Gallagher, whose victory in a June special election had followed the death of Republican Doug LaMalfa.The party also won two open seats previously held by Republicans. Jamie Ager defeated Jennifer Capps Balkcom in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, while Zach Dembo defeated Ralph Alvarado in Kentucky’s 6th District, which was vacated by Andy Barr, who is running for the Senate.Democratic gains also extended to the Senate, where the party won several Republican-held seats, including in North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, South Carolina, Kansas and Iowa.In North Carolina, former governor Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley, winning the seat held by retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis. In Texas, James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, marking a major breakthrough for Democrats in the state.Talarico’s victory also marked the first time in decades that a Democrat won a US Senate seat in Texas, with the party’s previous victory dating back to 1988.In Ohio, Sherrod Brown defeated Republican incumbent Jon Husted, returning to the Senate after losing his re-election bid in 2024. Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham in South Carolina, flipping the seat previously held by her brother, the late Senator Lindsey Graham.In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall, marking the first time since 1932 that the state elected a Democrat to the US Senate. Hamilton, a Methodist megachurch pastor, founded the Church of the Resurrection in 1990, which has grown into the largest United Methodist congregation in the United States.Democrat Josh Turek also defeated Republican Ashley Hinson in Iowa, winning the seat held by retiring Republican Senator Joni Ernst. Turek, a former Paralympic wheelchair basketball player, has represented Iowa in the state legislature since 2023.In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican Senator Susan Collins, who conceded defeat after a closely watched contest. Jackson, a former president of the Maine Senate, campaigned on universal healthcare and other populist policies, highlighting his working-class background as a fifth-generation logger.Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff secured re-election in Georgia, defeating Republican Mike Collins, while Democrat Jeff Merkley won another term in Oregon.The Michigan Senate contest between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers remained a closely watched race, with conflicting projections emerging during the counting process. An earlier projection declaring El-Sayed the winner was subsequently corrected, with the contest still too close to call.Democratic gains also extended to the House, where several lawmakers retained their seats. Representative Ilhan Omar won re-election from Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, while Ro Khanna secured another term from California’s 17th Congressional District.Other Democratic lawmakers who won re-election included Teresa Leger Fernandez from New Mexico, Sharice Davids from Kansas and Yassamin Ansari from Arizona. Stephen Lynch also retained his seat in Massachusetts’ 8th Congressional District.Democrats also overcame Republican redistricting efforts in several congressional races. Shomari Figures won re-election in Alabama, Vicente Gonzalez secured a sixth term in Texas and Greg Landsman retained his seat in Ohio.Historic gubernatorial victories for Democrats in Ohio, Georgia and TexasThe gubernatorial contests produced some of the most significant results of the midterm elections, with Democrats winning four Republican-held governorships in Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Texas.In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson, ending more than two decades of Republican control of the governor’s office. She will succeed term-limited Governor Brian Kemp and become the first Black woman elected governor of a US state.In Iowa, Democrat Rob Sand defeated Republican Zach Lahn, ending Republican control of the governor’s office. He will succeed Governor Kim Reynolds, who did not seek re-election, and become the state’s first Democratic governor since 2011.In Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Trump-backed Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, becoming the first Democrat to win the state’s gubernatorial election in 20 years and the first woman elected governor of Ohio. She will succeed term-limited Governor Mike DeWine.Acton, a public health physician and former state health director during the Covid-19 pandemic, overcame more than $100 million spent against her campaign. She focused on affordability and improving access to healthcare, appealing to working- and middle-class voters by highlighting her difficult childhood. She spent part of her childhood homeless and, during one winter, lived in a tent.During her victory speech, Acton pledged to lower political tensions in the state and said she would not ignore anyone, regardless of how they voted.“The healing begins today,” she said.Texas also witnessed a major political shift, with Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeating Republican incumbent Greg Abbott. Her victory ended 32 years of Republican control of the governor’s office and made her the state’s first Latina governor.Democrat David Crowley also won in Wisconsin, defeating Trump ally and Republican US Representative Tom Tiffany to become the state’s first Black governor.In neighbouring Florida, Republican Byron Donalds was elected the state’s first Black governor.Republicans, however, retained several gubernatorial offices. Marsha Blackburn defeated Democrat Jerri Green in Tennessee to become the state’s next governor. Republican Brad Little secured a third term in Idaho, while Democratic incumbent Josh Green won re-election in Hawaii, defeating Republican Gary Cordery.Trump posts ‘VETO’ cap, says he would have won in a landslideTrump struck a defiant tone following the Republican setbacks, repeatedly insisting that his absence from the ballot had contributed to the party’s poor performance.In a post on Truth Social, he said Republicans would have won by a landslide had he contested the election.“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump wrote.During campaign rallies, Trump had repeatedly urged voters to pretend he was on the ballot and support Republican candidates.He later said he intended to become a political pundit and analyse the reasons behind the candidates’ victories and defeats.“I’m going to become a Political Pundit, both good and bad, on the reasons these Candidates won and lost!” he wrote in another post.The President also shared an image of a red MAGA-style cap bearing the word ‘VETO’, signalling his readiness to block legislation passed by a Democratic-controlled Congress.Speaking to CBS News, Trump congratulated Democrats on their performance and said he looked forward to working with the opposition party.“Congratulations to the Democrats, and I look forward to working with you for the good of our country,” he said.He also indicated that he would use his veto powers if Democrats refused to cooperate.“I think they’re gonna want to work with me,” he said. “Otherwise I’d just veto everything, and they’re not gonna want that.”In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he did not consider the election results a setback for his presidency.“I don’t view it as a hit on me…We’ve had the greatest two years in the history of the presidency in terms of the economy, in terms of all the things that we’ve done,” he said.He also acknowledged that Democrats had campaigned effectively, saying they had done a good job and fought hard for their victories.Trump attributed some of the Republican losses to voter concerns over the economic consequences of the war with Iran, particularly rising fuel prices.“People were probably not willing for the short-term consequence of the price of gasoline,” he said.Meanwhile, US House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed disappointment over the results but vowed that Republicans would regain control of the House in 2028.“Come 2028, we will take back the House and we will finish this job,” he said.Obama hails Democratic victories, Indian-American candidates score winsFormer US President Barack Obama welcomed the Democratic victories, saying the results reflected voters’ desire for a more inclusive political approach and leaders focused on addressing their concerns.“Tonight, the American people sent a clear message — they want a politics that brings people together rather than divides them, and leaders who offer concrete solutions to the challenges they face,” Obama wrote on X.He also praised the candidates who contested in regions previously considered difficult for Democrats, saying their victories reflected shared values and a commitment to public service.Meanwhile, Indian-American Democrats Suhas Subramanyam and Aruna Miller secured victories in their respective contests.Subramanyam won re-election to the US House of Representatives from Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, defeating Republican challenger Dave Beckwith. According to NBC News projections, he secured around 63 per cent of the vote against Beckwith’s 35 per cent.The victory gives Subramanyam another two-year term in Congress. He first took office in 2025 after becoming the first Indian-American to represent Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.In neighbouring Maryland, Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller secured another term after Democratic Governor Wes Moore was projected to win re-election. Miller ran alongside Moore on the Democratic ticket and defeated Republican lieutenant governor candidate Rob Krop.Meanwhile, Indian-origin Democrat Pia Dandiya held an advantage in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, where she was contesting against Republican Casey Askar.Other Indian-American candidates, including Republican Mahesh Ganorkar in North Carolina and Democrat Pooja Sethi in Texas, were awaiting conclusive results.Vote-counting glitch delays key New York congressional raceA technical glitch affecting vote-scanning machines in New York’s Westchester County delayed the counting of thousands of paper ballots in a closely watched congressional contest.The machines failed to accept paper ballots at polling locations on Tuesday after a programming issue emerged following a software update for a municipal election. Officials said machines in other municipalities continued using the original software and could not recognise the ballots.Voters were asked to place their completed ballots in bags, which were secured and transported under police escort to a county warehouse.A judge permitted officials to move the ballots to the facility, where they were scheduled to be scanned and counted under the supervision of representatives from political parties.The delay affected the contest in New York’s 17th Congressional District, where Republican Representative Mike Lawler faced Democrat Cait Conley. Both candidates urged voters to participate and assured them that every ballot would be counted.Lawler conceded defeat late Tuesday despite the delay, although the Associated Press had not called the race as of early Wednesday.The results of the midterm elections are expected to shape the final two years of Trump’s presidency, with Democrats set to exercise greater oversight over his administration and challenge his legislative agenda.The victories have also brought the political focus towards the 2028 presidential election, with both parties facing questions over their leadership and electoral strategies.