American voters delivered a stinging rebuke to Donald Trump's Republican party in the 2026 midterm elections, with Democrats winning Senate seats in Texas and South Carolina — states Trump carried by double digits just two years ago and where the blue party had not prevailed for decades.
The results surpassed even optimistic predictions of a "blue tsunami," with a Democrat source telling the Mirror: "It's beyond my wildest hopes."
Trump reacts to defeat
Trump, whom many feared would try to subvert or deny the result, appeared to recognise such a move would be futile given the scale of the defeat. "I wasn't on the Ballot," Trump posted on Truth Social. "And if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!"
In every speech before the election, Trump urged voters to pretend he was on the ballot, believing it would boost Republican turnout despite his historically poor approval ratings. Calling into Fox News late on election night, Trump congratulated the Democrats: "They did a good job. They've been looking for this one for 11-years and they've finally got it. But I don't view it as a hit on me, we've had the greatest two years in the history of the presidency."
He admitted he was "a little bit surprised" at the result, saying he had held "tremendous rallies" in the build-up.
Historic wins for Democrats
Democrats flipped Senate seats in Texas, Iowa, Kansas, North and South Carolina and Ohio, while holding seats in New Hampshire and Georgia. Abdul El Sayed, the party's candidate in Michigan, was expected to win that state's vacant seat comfortably.
In Texas, James Talarico defeated Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton by 20 points, becoming the first Democrat elected to the Senate in the Lone Star State since 1988 — the year before Talarico was born. In South Carolina, Darline Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, lost to Democrat Annie Andrews by around 100,000 votes.
In Ohio's governor race, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Vivek Ramaswamy, who faced backlash over an attack ad featuring Acton's own mother branding her a liar. Acton, a survivor of child sexual abuse by her late stepfather, had been estranged from her mother for 50 years. Ramaswamy stood by the ad, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance backing him.
In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms made history as the first black woman elected Governor in US history.
Elon Musk's failed investment
It was also a difficult night for Elon Musk, who became the largest political donor in a single US election by pumping $445 million into Republican campaigns. America PAC, which Musk solely controls, spent over $33 million supporting Ken Paxton in Texas, and Musk contributed $168 million to the Senate Leadership Fund backing Paxton's campaign.
What comes next
Senior Democrats signalled how they will use their new dominance in Congress. Congressman Robert Garcia, set to chair the House Oversight Committee, posted a two-word message to Trump's family members and business associates on X: "Lawyer up."
Trump may veto legislation Democrats attempt to pass, having threatened to "veto everything." In return, the new Congress can refuse to pass Trump's budget measures, complicating his priorities and overseas military engagements. Trump's demand for $1.7 trillion in defence funding for next year remains deadlocked in Congress, a situation unlikely to change with Democrats in charge.
