Midterm results: Democrats win House and Senate, AP says; what we know so far

What we know so far, as of 6:35 AM MT, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. Results are unofficial until states certify them. We'll update this story as races are called.

Democrats won control of both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate in Tuesday's midterm elections, according to the Associated Press. AP called both chambers overnight, and dozens of House races and several Senate and governor contests are still being counted.

Senate: Democrats win control, 2 races uncalled

• Seat count: Democrats 54 (including two independents who caucus with them), Republicans 44, with 33 of 35 races called, according to AP results published by The Guardian. 51 seats are needed for control.
• Seats that changed parties: AP reports Democrats flipped at least seven Republican-held seats: Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.
• Seats held: Democrats kept battleground seats in Georgia, where Sen. Jon Ossoff was reelected, and Michigan, per AP. In New Hampshire, Rep. Chris Pappas won the open seat, NBC News projects.
• AP reported that Democrat Josh Turek won Iowa's Senate seat over Republican Ashley Hinson, the result that clinched the majority, according to Annenberg Media's live blog.

House: Democrats win control, about 68 races uncalled

• Seat count: Democrats 228, Republicans 139, with 367 of 435 races called (218 needed for a majority), per AP results via The Guardian and Politico Playbook.
• Those numbers will change as the remaining races are called. Final seat totals aren't known yet.

Governors: Democrats gain five seats so far, 2 races uncalled

Thirty-six states elected governors. With 34 of 36 races called, Democrats have gained five governorships, according to AP results via The Guardian. Notable called races, per Ballotpedia's results tracker, which lists the outlet behind each projection:

• Texas: Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott (R), projected by AP and Fox News.
• Georgia: Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won, a Democratic gain. ABC News reports she is projected to become the first Black woman elected governor in the U.S.
• Ohio: Democrat Amy Acton won, a Democratic gain.
• Iowa: Democrat Rob Sand won the open seat, a Democratic gain.
• Nevada: The Guardian's AP results show a Democratic gain.
• Arizona: Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) was reelected over Andy Biggs.
• California: Democrat Xavier Becerra won the open seat.
• Republican holds include Alabama (Tommy Tuberville), Arkansas (Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders), South Carolina (Alan Wilson) and Oklahoma (Mike Mazzei). ABC News also projects Republican Byron Donalds will become Florida's first Black governor.

Still uncalled (as of 6:35 AM MT)

• Alaska Senate: Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) leads Democrat Mary Peltola, 48.5% to 47.7%, with roughly 80,000 votes still to count, per AP results and NBC News.
• Mississippi Senate: NBC News reported Democrat Scott Colom led Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) by 43 votes with more than 95% of the vote counted.
• Alaska governor: Not called. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins leads in the current count.
• One other governor race and about 68 House races, including NC-09 (Rep. Richard Hudson, R), CO-04 (Rep. Lauren Boebert, R) and FL-13 (Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R), which Politico described as still close Wednesday morning.

Turnout

No official national turnout figure has been reported yet. Before Election Day, more than 54 million people had voted early in person or by mail, ahead of 2018 and 2022 at the same point, Fast Company reported.

The tech angle: AI data centers on the ballot

• Local data center measures: Of 41 data center measures on ballots in 10 states, about two dozen proposals to restrict or block development appeared to pass based on initial returns, according to Ballotpedia figures cited by Axios. Ohio had the most of these measures, and some results are still pending, including in Arkansas and North Dakota.
• Texas: Axios reports Governor-elect Hinojosa campaigned on keeping a moratorium on data center construction in place until the state passes legislation on water, electricity, air and property-rights impacts.
• California Proposition 40: A proposed 5% tax on individuals and trusts with more than $1 billion in assets appeared headed for defeat early Wednesday, per Axios. The measure faced opposition from tech leaders and from Gov. Gavin Newsom and Becerra.
• Ballot secrecy and AI: Before the election, Georgia officials held an emergency meeting after a Princeton researcher showed an AI model could help identify voters' secret ballots using public records, The Guardian reported.

What happens next

Counting continues in uncalled races. AP calls a race only when it determines the trailing candidate has no path to victory. States will certify official results over the coming weeks, and the new Congress is sworn in in January.

Sources: Associated Press, The Guardian (AP data), Politico, NBC News via NBC Chicago, Ballotpedia, ABC News, Axios and Fast Company.

Disclosure: Skimwire is produced with the help of AI tools, and this report was compiled with AI assistance from the published sources above.