The biggest winners and losers of the 2026 US midterms
Historic firsts, surprise victories and expensive defeats as Democrats take control of Congress.
Democrats had a big night in Tuesday’s United States midterm elections, winning control of both chambers of Congress and pulling off some surprising victories in longtime Republican strongholds.
From turning Texas blue to electing the country’s first Muslim senator, there were plenty of historic wins. But the night also brought some major setbacks for US President Donald Trump and his allies, including one who spent hundreds of millions of dollars backing losing candidates.
Annie Andrews: In one of the most surprising wins of the night, Democrat Annie Andrews flipped a Republican-held Senate seat in a deeply conservative South Carolina, beating out the Trump-backed candidate Darline Graham.
The 37-year-old former middle-school teacher, state legislator and Presbyterian seminarian gained national attention for using his Christian faith to challenge the religious right. But his campaign against Republican Ken Paxton also focused on the cost of living and corruption, including the influence of wealthy donors like Elon Musk, who supported Paxton.