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The biggest races Democrats won in the midterms

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Yilek, C., & Quinn, M. (2026, November 4). The biggest races Democrats won in the midterms. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2026-midterm-election-results-where-democrats-won/

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CBS News · collected 2026-11-04 · by Caitlin Yilek, Melissa Quinn

Quick Summary

Voters across the country delivered a significant victory to Democrats on Tuesday, with projections showing Democratic control over both chambers of Congress when the new session begins in January. In the Senate, Democrats are projected to hold at least 54 seats, while in the House, they could control between 251 and 268 seats. Key races included Texas where Democrat Gina Hinojosa won the governor's mansion for the first time since 1990, South Carolina where Annie Andrews became the state’s first Democratic senator in nearly three decades, and Kansas where Adam Hamilton secured a win despite President Trump's support for his opponent.
Written by AI on 2026-11-04, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In the U.S. midterm elections on November 3, 2026, Democrats won control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, marking a significant shift from Republican dominance during President Donald Trump's second term. The victory shattered records and exceeded expectations, handing Democrats a mandate for substantial policy changes. Despite Trump's deep unpopularity, Republicans faced unexpected challenges in retaining their majority. Key races, such as Maine’s Senate seat and Texas governor's race, saw decisive Democratic victories. The results indicate voter dissatisfaction with economic pressures linked to the Iran war and trade policies.

Written for “Democrat's Win Control Of House And Senate” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 599 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Democrat's Win Control Of House And Senate
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This article reads unscored and hedges 7% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
57
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
7%
4 of 57 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
65/100
CBS News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
600
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-04 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

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Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

CBS News · 4713 article(s) · 7 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 7 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Caitlin Yilek
28 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Washington — GOP Rep. David Valadao lost his reelection bid in California's 22nd District, CBS News projected.
🔮 — Progressive William Lawrence beat one-term Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in Michigan's 7th Congressional District, CBS News projected.
🔮 House Speaker Mike Johnson told staffers that he will not run for minority leader in the new Congress, according to a source familiar with the matter, stepping aside after the GOP's .Johnson made the announcement on a call Wednesday morning, the source said.
🔮 CBS News projects Democrats will take control of both chambers when the new Congress convenes in January, with wide margins in each.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · The biggest races Democrats won in the midterms
🔮 Longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur won a rematch against Republican Derek Merrin in Ohio's 9th Congressional District, CBS News projected.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur wins Ohio rematch
🔮 Washington — lost his bid for reelection to Democrat Brian Poindexter in Ohio's 7th Congressional District, CBS News projected.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Embattled GOP Rep. Max Miller loses reelection in Ohio
🔮 "However, Election Day machines elsewhere in the county continued to use the original programming and therefore could not recognize and accept the ballots being used for Election Day."
🔮 The endorsement came after , who were expected to appear together on Sunday before tensions boiled over.
🔮 Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and his Democratic primary rival, Rep. Haley Stevens, clashed Friday ahead of a Sunday campaign event where both were expected to make a rare appearance together.
🔮 But Michael Heyman, the U.S. attorney for the District of Alaska, declined to detail what specific crimes are being investigated as Daniel J. Sullivan, a candidate with the same first and last name as the Republican incumbent senator, Dan Sullivan, is set to appear on the ballot Tuesday.
Also by Caitlin Yilek
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 28 articles by Caitlin Yilek →
Melissa Quinn
34 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The president assembled reporters and construction workers in the unfinished massive new structure, where the building's final steel beam was set to be hoisted into the ceiling.
🔮 CBS News projects Democrats will take control of both chambers when the new Congress convenes in January, with wide margins in each.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · The biggest races Democrats won in the midterms
🔮 Also in Texas, Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa is projected to , a Republican, making her the first Democrat to win the governor's mansion in more than 30 years.
🔮 The state, however, denied the request for an accommodation and said the Catholic schools could not "discriminate against children or families in violation of state statute."
🔮 for a temporary restraining order that would've required ballots received from those on the list to be segregated and said the Trump administration's process for identifying the alleged noncitizens was "rife with uncertainty and errors.
🔮 The Supreme Court on Tuesday is set to hear a dispute over religious rights when it weighs whether from its universal preschool program over their refusal to enroll students from families that don't adhere to the church's teachings on marriage and sex.
🔮 But in the request to the Supreme Court, Solicitor General D. John Sauer said the government is seeking a "modest remedy" that will ensure any ballots cast by people who are not American citizens do not "debase or dilute valid votes.
🔮 Since no candidate reached 51 votes in the first round, Candidate D — the one with the fewest votes — would be eliminated in the second round of counting.
2026-11-02 · assertive framing · How Alaska's ranked choice voting system works
🔮 A federal judge on Friday said she is opening an inquiry into whether government officials and lawyers made misrepresentations to the court and violated ethics rules during proceedings over President Trump's plans to renovate a historic in Washington, D.C.U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said during a hearing she will conduct the examination herself, but will be assisted by a special master, a neutral arbiter, to determine whether officials and lawyers at the Departments of Justice and Interior engaged in misconduct. The judge said she will examine several issues, including whether a notice filed to her court about impending at East Potomac Golf Links was done in bad faith.
🔮 Steve Hobbs, the Washington secretary of state, was responding to a letter from two federal prosecutors in the state to be set aside and not counted until their citizenship status could be verified.
Also by Melissa Quinn
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 34 articles by Melissa Quinn →

Topics

CBS News Democrat Democrats Senate Texas

Subjects

Senate ORG · 12× Democrats NORP · 6× Democrat NORP · 5× Texas GPE · 5× Trump PERSON · 5× CBS News ORG · 4× Hinojosa PERSON · 4× House ORG · 3× South Carolina GPE · 3× Talarico PERSON · 3×

Narrative

Democrats defeated GOP incumbent Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, Zach Nunn of Iowa, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania, Rob Bresnahan Jr. of Pennsylvania, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Brian Steil of Wisconsin and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-04
🔮 CBS News projects Democrats will take control of both chambers when the new Congress convenes in January, with wide margins in each.
2026-11-04 · CBS News
The biggest races Democrats won in the midterms · assertive framing

Claims (57 extracted, 4 hedged)

Voters across the country delivered a stinging rebuke to Republicans in Congress and President Trump's agenda in the on Tuesday, with Democrats capturing House and Senate seats that had seemed out of reach just a few months ago. asserted
that → deliver → reach
CBS News projects Democrats will take control of both chambers when the new Congress convenes in January, with wide margins in each. asserted
Congress → project → each
Democrats are projected to control at least 54 Senate seats, with two races still unresolved. asserted
races → project → seats
In the , CBS News estimates the party could control between 251 and 268 when all the votes are counted. uncertain
votes → estimate → 251
Out of 11 that CBS News considered battlegrounds, Democrats were projected to win 10. asserted
Democrats → consider → 10
The 11th race, in Alaska, is still rated a toss-up as results come in. asserted
results → rat → Alaska
The Mississippi Senate race is also unresolved and is unexpectedly close, with Democrat Scott Colom leading incumbent GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 43 votes. asserted
Colom → lead → votes
CBS News has rated that race as a toss-up. asserted
News → rat → up
The victories weren't just limited to House and Senate races, either. asserted
victories → limit → races
Democrats captured the governor's mansion in Texas, a feat they haven't accomplished since 1990. asserted
they → capture → 1990
Here are the major races that propelled Democrats to victory on Tuesday, according to CBS News' projections: uncertain
that → propel → projections
Texas governor: Gina Hinojosa Hinojosa, a state lawmaker, , making her the first Democrat to win the governor's mansion in more than 30 years. asserted
her → make → years
Hinojosa will be the third woman to lead the state. asserted
Hinojosa → lead → state
Abbott had been in office for more than a decade and was seeking a fourth term as governor, and the race against Hinojosa narrowed in the months leading up to the election. asserted
race → seek → election
Hinojosa focused her campaign on affordability and public education. asserted
Hinojosa → focus → affordability
The also emerged as a major issue in the governor's race. asserted
also → emerge → race
Andrews, 45, made healthcare access and affordability the focuses of her campaign. asserted
access → make → campaign
Graham was of her late brother's Senate term following his unexpected death in July. asserted
Graham → follow → July
President Trump swiftly and campaigned for her in South Carolina in the lead-up to the midterms. asserted
Trump → campaign → midterms
It has been nearly 30 years since a Democrat won the Senate in South Carolina, a state Mr. Trump won by 18 points in 2024. asserted
Trump → win → 2024
Hamilton, a fifth-generation Kansan, is the leader of the largest United Methodist church in the country and is a well-known author and speaker. asserted
Hamilton → know → country
The 62-year-old defeated Roger Marshall, a Republican, who was seeking his second term in the Senate. asserted
who → defeat → Senate
Kansas hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932. asserted
Kansas → elect → 1932
Mr. Trump won the state by more than 16 points in the last presidential election. asserted
Trump → win → election
In the closing weeks of the Senate campaign, Marshall, an obstetrician-gynecologist, came under scrutiny after the New York Times reported that he had filed lawsuits against hundreds of his patients over outstanding medical bills, and 81 were arrested. asserted
81 → close → bills
In the most expensive Senate race in Texas history, and one of the closest-watched matchups of the election cycle, Talarico .Talarico, 37, is a former teacher and Presbyterian seminarian who was elected to serve in the Texas House of Representatives in 2018. asserted
who → watch → 2018
Talarico's campaign focused on corruption and lowering costs. asserted
campaign → focus → costs
He on Wednesday that his victory sent a message to Elon Musk, who spent heavily in the race, that "Texas is not for sale. asserted
Texas → send → sale
""The power in this state, in this country, belongs to the people and we've got to make sure it stays that way," he said. asserted
he → belong → people
Paxton was backed by Mr. Trump, who endorsed the Republican attorney general over Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP Senate primary earlier this year. asserted
who → back → primary
Paxton went on to in May, setting the race against Talarico. uncertain
Paxton → go → Talarico
Paxton had weathered numerous controversies and was impeached by the state House in 2023 on allegations of bribery, obstruction of justice and abuse of trust. asserted
Paxton → weather → trust
He was acquitted by the state Senate. asserted
He → acquit → Senate
In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms will make history as the nation's first Black woman governor. asserted
Bottoms → make → governor
The former Atlanta mayor and senior adviser in the Biden administration defeated Republican Rick Jackson and Libertarian Chase Oliver, CBS News projects. asserted
News → defeat → Jackson
With 99% of the vote counted, Bottoms had 54.3% of the vote, compared to 45.7% for Jackson. asserted
Bottoms → count → Jackson
Bottoms on Wednesday that she was surprised that the race was called as early as it was on election night. asserted
it → call → ?
"I thought that it was going to be a very long night. asserted
it → think → ?
I knew that we had done the work, but Georgia has always, for the past few years, been a purple state, so I thought it would be much closer," she said. asserted
she → know → years
Michigan Senate: Abdul El-Sayed Michigan was viewed as Republicans' best chance to flip a Senate seat, but El-Sayed's keeps it in Democrats' hands. asserted
Sayed → view → hands
…and 17 more, not listed.
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