Midterms: Democrats retake Congress according to projections, heavy blow for Trump

Congress is changing hands. Two years after Donald Trump returned to the White House, the Democrats have won both chambers, according to projections by CBS News and ABC News. The count is not over and the figures remain provisional, but the Republican camp has already acknowledged defeat: House Speaker Mike Johnson conceded in a statement, France 24 reports.

Seven Senate seats flip

In the Senate, where the Republicans held 53 seats, NBC News credits the Democrats with 54 seats against 44 for the Republicans, in the tally consulted on Thursday at around 8pm Paris time, a net gain of seven. According to the RTS, the states concerned are Maine, Ohio, Texas, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Several results stand out. In Maine, Republican Susan Collins conceded defeat to Troy Jackson. In Texas, James Talarico beat Ken Paxton and becomes, according to Public Sénat, the first Democrat elected senator for the state since 1992. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton ends a wait that had lasted since 1932. In South Carolina, Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, chosen by Donald Trump after the death of Lindsey Graham in July. In Michigan, a seat the Democrats were defending, Abdul El-Sayed becomes the country's first Muslim senator, according to France 24.

In the House, where a majority is 218, NBC News counts 244 Democratic seats against 155 Republican, with 36 still to be called, in the tally at 8.13pm Paris time. The Associated Press, at 7pm, had 247 to 153. The network projects a final total of 259 to 176, while CNBC expects at least 245 Democratic seats. Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become the first African American to serve as Speaker of the House, Public Sénat notes.

Governors too

The wave reaches states run by Republicans. CBS News projects victory for Gina Hinojosa in Texas, against incumbent Greg Abbott, and for Amy Acton in Ohio, against Vivek Ramaswamy. In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms would be the first Black woman elected governor of the state, ABC News notes. The Republicans, however, hold on to Florida, both for governor and in the Senate.

Voters also decided on abortion: Missouri rejected an amendment seeking to restore restrictions, while Virginia enshrined the right in its Constitution for the first two trimesters, according to France 24.

Trump congratulates and threatens his veto

Donald Trump told Fox News that the Democrats had done a good job, according to L'Express. He told the New York Times he was ready to accept the results and admitted that the war against Iran had played a part, but refuses to take responsibility. He added that he did not consider it to have been directed against him, according to Public Sénat.

On Truth Social, he claims the Republicans would have won comfortably had he been a candidate himself, and says he is ready to veto laws passed by the Democrats. CNBC reports that he also blames Fox News.

On the other side, Hakeem Jeffries promised to tackle what he called unprecedented corruption, vowing that they would hold people to account. Elon Musk, who according to Public Sénat reportedly spent more than $220 million backing Ken Paxton, made light of his failure. In France, Green leader Marine Tondelier welcomed the result, France 24 reports.

What now?

Two Senate seats are still undecided. In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom leads incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,724 votes, 49% to 48.9%, with 96% of the vote counted, according to the AP. In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola leads Republican Dan Sullivan by 637 votes, 48.2% to 47.9%, with 74.1% of the vote counted according to NBC News. The ranked-choice tabulation there is scheduled for 18 November, and she has warned, according to ABC News, that the count could take weeks. The final House result is still to come. Donald Trump will then have two years left to govern facing an opposition Congress.