Democrats have won control of the House of Representatives, according to a projection by NBC News, in what the network describes as potentially their widest majority in close to twenty years. The outlet estimates Democrats will end up with roughly 255 seats, comfortably past the 218 required for a majority, though the figure could shift by a few seats. NBC News has also projected that Democrats will take the Senate, giving the party both chambers when the new Congress is seated on Jan. 3.
The result, reported in the early hours of Nov. 4, 2026, follows an election night in which Democrats needed a net gain of only three seats. They picked up far more than that, winning districts from the East Coast to Texas' Rio Grande Valley, many of which President Donald Trump carried in 2024.
Why it matters
The outcome ends the period in which Trump governed with a Congress controlled by his own party. According to NBC News, it is the first time in his second term that he will not have full control of the legislature. Since returning to the White House, the president has pushed the boundaries of executive authority — dismantling federal agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency, imposing broad tariffs on his own, and withdrawing funding that Congress had approved — while the Republican-run House and Senate largely declined to intervene, the network reports.
Democrats framed the midterms as a verdict on those policies. NBC News reports the victory was widely interpreted as a referendum on Trump's immigration enforcement, the eight-month war with Iran, and tariffs on U.S. allies that raised prices for fuel, food and other everyday goods.
A wave that reached Republican strongholds
Several Republican incumbents lost in districts that had backed Trump two years earlier. In Pennsylvania, four sitting GOP members were defeated: Brian Fitzpatrick, a leader of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, lost to Democrat Bob Harvie; Ryan Mackenzie lost to Bob Brooks in the 7th District; Rob Bresnahan lost to Paige Cognetti in the 8th; and Scott Perry, a former chairman of the Freedom Caucus, lost to Janelle Stelson in the 10th.
In Virginia, former Rep. Elaine Luria reclaimed her old seat by defeating Rep. Jen Kiggans in the Virginia Beach area, and Shannon Taylor unseated longtime Rep. Rob Wittman outside Richmond. New Jersey's Tom Kean Jr. lost to Rebecca Bennett. Indiana's Victoria Spartz, the first Ukrainian-born member of Congress, was also defeated, as was Colorado's Gabe Evans, who lost to state Rep. Manny Rutinel.
One of the night's most significant results came in North Carolina, where Richard Ojeda II defeated Rep. Richard Hudson. Hudson had chaired the House Republican campaign arm, making him the lawmaker charged with defending the party's incumbents and majority.
Jeffries poised to make history
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who campaigned across the country in the closing weeks, is expected to become the first Black speaker of the House when he is sworn in on Jan. 3, NBC News reports. He entered his election night gathering in Washington to cheers, and told supporters that voters were demanding sweeping change.
According to NBC News, Jeffries said the country was entering "the great American comeback" and that Americans in every region had made clear they had tired of extremism and corruption. He added that they want a Congress that delivers for them, and that House Democrats would do exactly that once in office in January.
With the majority comes control of House committees, including subpoena power and the ability to investigate the administration, the president's family and his business dealings. NBC News reports that could consume significant time and resources for Trump and his allies, forcing public hearings or producing legal fights over subpoenas. Some Democrats have raised the prospect of a third impeachment, though the party is divided on whether that is politically wise; Jeffries told NBC News' "Meet the Press" that nothing had been ruled in or out.
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, in line to chair the Oversight Committee, said his panel would examine what he called Trump family corruption, including the president's cryptocurrency ventures, which NBC News reports have earned him more than $1 billion. Garcia said the committee would also look at actions by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, corporate corruption and the Epstein files.
On legislation, Jeffries has said Democrats would prioritize reversing Trump's Medicaid cuts, extending Affordable Care Act credits, restoring Congress' role on tariffs and halting the war with Iran. Before the election, he told reporters that the approach would not be to investigate "like crazy" but to follow the facts, apply the law and be guided by the Constitution.
The results are a setback for Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, a close Trump ally who has led House Republicans for three years. NBC News reports it is unclear whether Johnson will try to stay on as minority leader or step aside.
What to watch: whether the final seat count shifts as remaining races are called, and how quickly House Democrats move from campaigning to subpoenas and hearings after Jan. 3.
