2026 Midterm Election Tracker: Democrats Win Congress, Flip Five Governorships

UncalledU.S. Senate — Mississippi

Status: Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith, the incumbent, by 1,138 votes (49.0% to 48.9%) with an estimated 96% of votes counted. AP has not called this race. Mississippi has no automatic recount, and a recount can happen only by court order.^[2] If Colom wins, he would be Mississippi’s first Black senator since Reconstruction.^[14] (AP race page)

UncalledU.S. Senate — Alaska

Status: Democrat Mary Peltola leads Republican Dan S. Sullivan, the incumbent, by 637 votes (48.2% to 47.9%) with an estimated 74% of votes counted. AP has not called this race. If no candidate tops 50%, the race goes to ranked-choice tabulation.^[2] Overseas ballots postmarked by Election Day are accepted for up to 15 days, which makes Nov. 18 the final-receipt date.^[14] (AP race page)

UncalledGovernor — Kansas

Status: Democrat Cindy Holscher leads Republican Ty Masterson by 7,045 votes (50.3% to 49.7%) with an estimated 99% of votes counted. AP has not called this race. Both candidates serve in the state Senate; Masterson is its president.^[2] (AP race page)

UncalledGovernor — Alaska

Status: Democrat Jonathan S. Kreiss-Tomkins leads Republican Bernadette M. Wilson by 42,103 votes (49.1% to 29.2%) with an estimated 74% of votes counted. AP has not called this race. The race advances to another round if no candidate tops 50%.^[2] (AP race page)

CalledU.S. Senate — Georgia

Winner: Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) won reelection, defeating Rep. Mike Collins (R).^[13]

Implications: Georgia was a seat Republicans once viewed as a top pickup. With at least 54 seats, Democrats will control the Senate floor and committees from Jan. 3, 2027, which sets the pace for judicial and agency confirmations, but most legislation still needs 60 votes to beat a filibuster. USA Today reports Democrats are on track for 54 to 56 votes including independents who caucus with them.^[15]

CalledU.S. Senate — Michigan

Winner: Abdul El-Sayed (D) won the open seat, defeating Republican Mike Rogers, and will succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters.^[3]

CalledGovernor — Georgia

Winner: Keisha Lance Bottoms (D), the former Atlanta mayor, defeated Rick Jackson (R). NBC News reports she will be the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history and the first Democratic governor of Georgia in 24 years.^[7] NBC counts five Black governors-elect this year: Bottoms, Wes Moore (MD), David Crowley (WI), Aaron Ford (NV) and Republican Byron Donalds (FL).^[7]

Implications: Governors sign or veto state election legislation and make appointments to state boards. A change of party in the office affects how voting rules are enacted and defended in court.

CalledGovernor — Texas

Winner: State Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) defeated three-term Gov. Greg Abbott (R); U.S. News describes her as a civil rights lawyer.^[8] NBC News notes Trump carried Texas by nearly 14 points in 2024.^[7]

Implications: Texas has been a central venue for redistricting and voting-law litigation. A Democratic governor changes who defends or declines to defend state laws in those cases, though the makeup of the Legislature will matter as much.

CalledU.S. House — Florida redrawn districts

Winner: Democrats won at least three districts that Florida’s Republican-led legislature redrew in an effort to stymie Democratic candidates.^[9]

Implications: Mid-decade map changes did not deliver the intended result in these seats, which bears on how courts and legislatures weigh the political payoff of redistricting fights.

LeadershipHouse Speaker

Status: Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) would be the first Black Speaker of the House if his colleagues elect him when the new Congress begins Jan. 3, 2027. That vote has not happened.^[4] AP reports, citing a source, that current Speaker Mike Johnson will not seek reelection as House Republican leader.^[3]

Implications: AP reports Democrats are preparing a 100-day agenda on costs, along with oversight and investigations of the administration. President Trump retains veto power, which limits what can become law.^[4][10]

Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic Leader (D-NY)

“We’re going to fight to make sure that we make this country affordable for every single American.”^[10] He also called the election a “stunning rebuke of MAGA extremism.”^[4]

Community takeaway: Affordability is the message Democratic leadership says it won on, and the one it will be judged on first. Housing, healthcare and retirement benefits are on Jeffries’ stated list.

Chuck Schumer, Senate Democratic Leader (D-NY)

“Many of the folks who voted for us yesterday are still skeptical, and that’s OK.”^[4] He also said: “whenever Trump defies the will of the American people or the law, we will launch investigations, take him to court, and entangle him in legislative razor wire.”^[6]

Community takeaway: Schumer concedes the vote may reflect rejection of the Republican Party more than endorsement of Democrats, and pairs that with a promise of confrontation. How that squares with voters’ stated priority, lower costs, is the open question.

Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, NAACP

“Once again, Black voters have proven that we are not bystanders in this country, we are its builders.” He added: “The Trump Administration tried every trick in the book to block voters from the polls, but we showed up and showed out, and we voted.”^[12]

Community takeaway: The NAACP ties turnout to access fights in court and at the polls. The second quote is the organization’s characterization; the Election Day litigation over DOJ poll monitors is covered in our Civil Rights Dispatch.

Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House (R-LA)

“From the first day of this election, we knew that to keep the House and sustain our majority we’d have to defy more than a century of midterm history. It’s very, very difficult to overcome and it looks like history will be kept tonight.”^[10]

Community takeaway: The Speaker, who AP reports will not seek reelection as House Republican leader, framed the result as the usual midterm penalty for the president’s party, a more limited reading than the one Democrats are offering.

Donald Trump, President

“I don’t want to be just sitting there for two years vetoing everything.” (told to Politico, as reported by AP)^[4] BBC reports he said Democrats did a “good job” and acknowledged the Iran war and fuel prices affected the vote.^[11]

Community takeaway: The president signals openness to working with Democrats while keeping his veto. Divided government means legislation on policing, voting rights and the judiciary will need bipartisan support.

Ron DeSantis, outgoing Governor of Florida (R)

“This is close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country.”^[16]

Community takeaway: A leading Republican describes the losses as broad, not confined to a few swing states. AP’s voter poll found about three-quarters of voters were “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the country’s direction.