Democrats sweep both chambers, take full control of Congress
On the night of the U.S. midterm elections on November 3, 2026, NBC News projected that Democrats would take full control of Congress, winning majorities in both the House and the Senate. Voters strongly rejected Trump’s agenda, called for stronger checks on the executive branch, and prioritized affordability and corruption.
After Democrats won a swift and decisive victory in the House, they also took the Senate. They flipped Republican seats in Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas — a state Democrats have long dreamed of turning blue. In these states, Trump personally picked several candidates, sometimes even over party opposition, out of concern that they would perform poorly in the general election. The early loss in South Carolina became an early warning sign for Republicans’ night. Democrats pushed deep into MAGA heartland, gaining far more than they did in the 2018 midterm elections.
NBC News exit polling showed that 43% of midterm voters said one reason for voting was to express opposition to Trump; his approval rating was lower than that of any president on Election Day in nearly two decades. Seventy-one percent of voters, including 41% of Republicans, believed there was insufficient congressional oversight of Trump. Corruption, affordability, immigration, and the war in Iran were all key issues. Trump said on social media that night that he was not on the ballot and claimed that if he were on the ballot, they would have won by a landslide.
With Democrats controlling both chambers, the Trump administration will face checks and investigations that a previously compliant Republican Congress had avoided. This could affect the composition of the Supreme Court, the trajectory of the 2028 presidential campaign, and the legislative agenda for the second half of Trump’s term. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become the first Black Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to return to the majority leader position. Since 2006, this was the first time the minority flipped control of both chambers on the same night; at that time, President George W. Bush, facing voter backlash over the Iraq war, called the result a thumping.
Original source
NBC News: “Democrats capture full control of Congress, NBC News projects, fueled by victories in deeply Republican states”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/democrats-capture-full-control-congress-nbc-news-projects-fueled-victo-rcna607042
(Authors: Sahil Kapur, Scott Wong, Peter Nicholas; updated on November 4, 2026)
ABAB AI Insight
This result stands in sharp contrast to the 2006 midterm elections: then, Democrats also flipped both chambers on the same night, and Bush called it thumping, mainly because of dissatisfaction over the Iraq war. In 2026, the result was compounded by an affordability crisis, the drag from the war in Iran, and Trump’s low approval rating. The scale of the flips in red states — Texas’ first Democratic senator since 1988, Kansas’ first since 1932, and so on — exceeded the steady advantage anticipated by most pre-election forecasts, showing strong voter demand for checks and balances and lower costs. If Jeffries becomes Speaker, he will be the first Black Speaker in history; Schumer would return as majority leader. The next two years will test the constitutional mechanism of power sharing, and Democrats have already signaled plans to investigate the Trump family, business dealings, ICE immigration enforcement, and White House projects, among other matters.
Item-by-item verification
Control of both chambers: NBC News explicitly projected that Democrats would fully control Congress (the House + the Senate).
Flipped seats: five seats in Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas (the text says “flipped five… in Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas,” but lists six places; the original text is followed here).
Exit poll: 43% opposed Trump, 71% believed oversight was insufficient, directly from NBC exit polling.
Historical comparison: both chambers flipped on the same night in 2006, with Bush’s thumping phrasing, directly quoted from the original.
Jeffries’ speakership prospects: the original explicitly says he is on the cusp of becoming the country’s first Black House speaker.
Trump’s social media response: the original conveys his statement that he was not on the ballot and that if he were on the ballot, they would have won by a landslide.
All facts strictly match the NBC original, with no changes to subject, negation, or key data; no cross-checking with other media sources was used.