Democrats Projected to Win Congress, but Republicans Say the Fight Isn’t Over

Democrats are projected to win both chambers of Congress, ending Republican control in Washington.

CBS News projected Democratic control of the House and Senate, calling the Senate shortly after 11:30 p.m. Eastern. But the results remain unofficial, and counting continued Wednesday in several close contests.

Slow to call the Senate

The Senate call came after hours of caution from some networks. Early reports said Democrats had flipped three of the four seats needed, and ABC said Senate control had not been projected. Conservatives say the confusion is a reminder to wait for finished counts, as the party that loses the White House’s midterm often sees tight races move late.

The historical pattern

Republicans note that the president’s party typically loses seats in midterm elections, as Democrats did in earlier cycles. Trump has said the Iran war and the gas prices it produced were behind voters’ frustration. Conservatives who back the president’s foreign policy say that makes this a verdict on prices, not a rejection of the whole agenda.

Gridlock ahead

Senate Majority Leader John Thune had warned before the vote about what a Democratic takeover would mean: he said it would bring “two years of paralysis.” Republicans say Democrats now own that outcome. With Trump still in the White House holding the veto pen, they argue, a Democratic Congress can block the president’s priorities but can’t enact its own. Thune is still expected to run for GOP leader despite the losses, with leadership elections scheduled for Tuesday.

What Republicans say comes next

Conservatives expect Democratic committees to focus on oversight, hearings and, in the case of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, impeachment efforts. They plan to argue that this is where Democrats will overreach, and to focus on the 2028 map. Many Republican strategists also want the party to talk less about the war and more about prices and the border.