Washington: Democrats scored a series of early wins in Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections, dealing a major blow to President Donald Trump and his Republican Party. They took a Republican Senate seat and made gains in House districts that had been considered safe for Republicans, AFP reported.
Democrats also held on to important Senate seats, and their victory in Georgia’s governor race added to signs that Republicans were facing a difficult night. Control of Congress was still undecided, but the early results suggested Democrats could make gains well beyond their usual strongholds.
The election was seen as a test of Trump’s second term. Many voters appeared unhappy about high living costs, tariffs, and the U.S. war with Iran, which has pushed fuel prices sharply higher.
Republicans ran into trouble early as votes were counted. Democrats won a Republican-held House seat in North Carolina, in a district Trump won easily in 2024. Several races in Florida also suggested that newly drawn electoral maps may not help Republicans as much as they had hoped.
Senate Gains
Democrat Roy Cooper, a popular former governor of North Carolina, defeated Michael Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chairman chosen by Trump. North Carolina has voted for Trump three times, but Cooper focused his campaign on lowering living costs. He will replace retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who had often disagreed with the president.
In Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, seen by some as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, defeated his Republican rival and kept his seat. Democrats also kept an open Senate seat in New Hampshire, where Chris Pappas won and became the first openly gay man elected to the Senate.
Republicans began the night with 53 of the Senate’s 100 seats. Democrats needed to gain four seats to take control. All 435 House seats were also up for election, and Democrats needed to flip only three to win the majority.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters the country was “on the brink of a dramatic change of direction.”
Democrats received another major win in Georgia, where former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was projected to become governor. She would be the first Black woman governor in U.S. history and would end 24 years of Republican rule in the state.
Republican Wins
Republicans did have some important victories. In Florida, Trump-backed Byron Donalds won the governor’s race and became the state’s first Black governor. Republican Ashley Moody also kept her U.S. Senate seat.
Trump watched the results from the White House, officials said. But his only public comments were angry social media posts attacking Fox News.
As the first polls closed, Trump wrote that Fox was “way down, not because of me, but because they are AGAINST me!”
In another post, he called one Fox host “DUMB AS A ROCK.” In a third, he criticized a Fox poll as “always the worst.”
“FoxNews Ratings are way down (27%!) because they’re spending too much time covering the Trump Deranged Dumocrats!” Trump added.