Democrats win Senate as Republicans suffer losses in Texas, Kansas, and four other states
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Following the November 3 midterm elections, the Democratic Party gained control of the US Senate. The Democrats took six seats from the Republicans, including in Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina, states where they hadn't won in decades, according to the Associated Press.
Six seats won
Before the election, Republicans held 53 seats in the Senate, compared to 47 for the Democrats. To secure a majority, the Democrats needed to win a net total of four seats. They won six:
- Kansas. Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated incumbent Senator Roger Marshall. This is the first Democratic victory in a Kansas Senate election since 1932.
- Texas. James Talarico defeated State Attorney General Ken Paxton. No Democrat from Texas has been elected to the Senate since 1988. Elon Musk spent over $212 million in support of Paxton.
- South Carolina. Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who had been serving as his interim replacement. Democrats haven't won a Senate election here since 1998. Andrews will become the first woman elected to the Senate from this state.
- North Carolina. Former Governor Roy Cooper defeated Trump's pick, Michael Whatley. The last time a Democrat won a Senate election here was in 2008.
- Ohio. Former Senator Sherrod Brown defeated Republican John Gasted and is returning to Washington two years after his defeat.
- Iowa. Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Ashley Hinson. With 94% of the votes counted, he had 50.7% to her 46.2%.
Democrats held onto their seats, notably in Georgia, where Jon Ossoff was re-elected, and in New Hampshire. Ossoff became the first Democratic senator from Georgia since 1990 to be elected to a second full term.
“We have five words for the American people: relief is on the way," says Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. According to him, Americans voted for change.
Governors and House of Representatives
Democrats also won gubernatorial seats from Republicans:
- Georgia. Keisha Lance Bottoms will become the first Black woman governor in US history and the state's first Democratic governor since 1998.
- Texas. Gina Hinojosa defeated Greg Abbott. She will become the state's first Latina governor in a state where Republicans have held the office for over 30 years.
- Iowa. Rob Sand became the state's first Democratic governor in nearly 16 years.
- Ohio. Democrat Amy Acton was elected governor.
According to the AP, Democrats are also on the verge of victory in the House of Representatives. They have taken more than half a dozen districts from the Republicans.
Oleh Shamshur, former Ukrainian ambassador to the US, believes that even a Democratic victory will not change US policy toward Kyiv, and that Ukraine faces two difficult years ahead.
Voter sentiment on Election Day did not favor the White House. According to preliminary data from a CNN poll, about 60% of Americans who went to the polls disapprove of Trump's performance.
