Trump says he would have won in a landslide
Democrats secured control of both chambers of Congress in the 2026 US midterm elections on Tuesday, flipping seven Senate seats and more than two dozen House seats. The party also expanded the number of Democratic governorships. Democratic wins included Senate victories over Ken Paxton in Texas, Darline Graham in South Carolina and Michael Whatley in North Carolina.
The scale of the Republican losses was unexpected. Democrats took seats in historically conservative Senate contests in Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. The Guardian reported that voters had expressed disapproval of Trump’s performance as president, especially over the cost of living. Pre-election polls had indicated Democratic leads in competitive races but did not fully predict the extent of the victories.
Shortly after polls closed, Democrats built winning streaks in closely watched Senate races. Before midnight, the Associated Press declared that Democrats would hold the Senate majority. Less than two hours later, Democrats secured the House.
Control of both chambers gives Democrats the authority to push back on Trump’s agenda. States and districts that voted for Trump two years ago moved away from his allies, and even Republican incumbents running in comfortably red areas, including Florida, were locked in close races with Democrats.
Adam Hamilton’s defeat of Roger Marshall in Kansas was the first Senate victory for a Democrat in the state in 94 years. In South Carolina, Dr. Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, ending a Republican streak of nearly 30 years. Graham was the sister of the late senator Lindsey Graham and a close ally of Trump.
In Kansas, pre-election polls showed Hamilton with a small lead over Marshall. Washington Post pollsters warned that the prediction could be misleading because Democratic voters were more likely to respond than Republicans. More generally, pre-election polling was more reserved about Democrats’ prospects, partly because of pollsters’ failed predictions over the 2024 presidential election.
James Talarico, a Democratic newcomer, defeated Ken Paxton, Texas’s attorney general, ending the state’s 38-year Republican streak in Senate elections. Paxton had secured Trump’s support in a contentious primary. Iowa and North Carolina also had not elected a Democratic senator since 2008.
Trump had also chosen Michael Whatley to fend off Democrat Roy Cooper in North Carolina’s Senate race, but Cooper won. In South Carolina, Trump had elevated Graham to take over her late brother’s seat and campaigned heavily for her, yet Graham lost to Andrews.
The Guardian said candidates endorsed by Trump had historically performed well in primaries and general elections, but this time they could not convince voters to cast their ballots for them. Paxton, Graham and Whatley all lost despite Trump’s support.
For weeks, Trump had encouraged supporters to vote as though he was a candidate on the ballot to generate Republican support. After the results, he dismissed concerns that the midterms were a response to his presidency. Trump said: “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!”
He repeated the argument to the New York Times, saying the absence of his name from the ticket had left the Republicans unable to bring out enough voters. Trump also said he was “absolutely willing” to accept the results of the midterms.