Democrats won 54 Senate seats and 254 House seats as counting continues

On their first day back in the Capitol after last week’s midterm election losses, Republicans split into two camps over whether they had seen the result coming. West Virginia senator Jim Justice said he had warned the party before the vote, while Ohio congressman Warren Davidson said the magnitude had not been anticipated and pointed to Mississippi’s unresolved Senate race.

Justice said, “I told you exactly what was going to happen. Over and over and over, I told you.” He added, “I said really and truly, if you weren’t concerned and you were a Republican, you were living in a cave. That was my exact words.”

Davidson said: “No one anticipated the magnitude. I mean, you can’t tell me that the guy that ran as a Democrat for senator in Mississippi thought he was going to win.”

The Guardian’s live coverage described the Mississippi contest as knife-edge and said Scott Colom had not officially been declared the winner. The state had not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1982.

Democrats won a 54-seat Senate majority and a 254-seat House majority, according to The Guardian’s live coverage. Few pollsters or political analysts had publicly forecast majorities of that size, and both figures may expand as ballot counting continues.

The live coverage also cited evidence before the Tuesday vote indicating Republican losses: the party in power historically fares poorly in midterm elections, Donald Trump’s approval ratings had fallen among voters even on issues he had previously polled well on, and Democrats had gained ground in both special and off-year elections.

Utah senator John Curtis said, “People are mad, and they have a right to be mad. They’re disappointed, and they feel like we haven’t delivered, and we deserve exactly what we got.”

The Guardian’s live coverage characterized Utah as “deeply red” but reported that last Tuesday Democrats broke the Republican supermajority in the state house of representatives by gaining at least 14 seats. The coverage said the shift was repeated in legislatures across the country.

The live coverage left Mississippi’s Senate contest uncalled and said the size of the Democratic majorities could change as ballots were counted.

Separately, Pete Hegseth was due to hold a news briefing as he faced possible impeachment, according to The Guardian’s live coverage.