Photo: Martin Falbisoner / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
The Democratic Party has taken control of both the US Senate and the House of Representatives in the November 3 midterm elections, a sweeping setback for President Donald Trump halfway through his term. Speaking hours after the results, Trump conceded that the war with Iran had played a part in his party’s losses, but said he had no regrets about starting it.
Gains deep in Republican territory
Democrats picked up Senate seats in Texas, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, North Carolina and South Carolina, according to international news agency reports. The most striking result came from Texas, where state representative James Talarico, a former schoolteacher, defeated the Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton, ending a 32-year run in which Democrats had failed to win any statewide race there. Paxton conceded and told supporters in Dallas he would be praying for his rival.
In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed beat former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers for the seat being vacated by retiring Senator Gary Peters, becoming the first Muslim ever elected to the Senate. In the House, Democrats flipped at least eight Republican-held seats, among them three in Pennsylvania, where Janelle Stelson unseated Scott Perry, and New Jersey’s 7th district, where Rebecca Bennett defeated Tom Kean Jr.
Democrats also won the Nevada governorship, with Attorney General Aaron Ford ousting Republican incumbent Joe Lombardo, while Governors Katie Hobbs of Arizona and Tina Kotek of Oregon were re-elected. In state ballot measures, abortion-rights campaigns won in Missouri and Virginia, and voters rejected Trump-backed redistricting efforts.
Trump: ‘Iran was a piece of it’
In a phone interview with The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday night, Trump said the war, launched jointly with Israel in February, was partly responsible for the result, though he argued that the jump in fuel prices it caused had hurt Republicans more than the conflict itself.
I don’t think about it. I did the right thing. I would have done it again.
Donald Trump, US President
He rejected the idea that the vote was a verdict on his presidency, saying the main problem was that he was not on the ballot, and admitted some Republican candidates had flaws. Trump did not dispute the results, said he expected to get along with Democrats, and warned he would use his veto if needed. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was disappointed but vowed to keep fighting what he called an “insurgent socialist movement”.
Tehran reads a message
Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X that Americans had “said NO TO WAR” and that Tehran endorsed the message, while warning Washington against ignoring it. Indirect talks mediated by Qatar to end the conflict have been stalled for months, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains under threat, with a tanker reported struck off Oman on Tuesday.
Why it matters and what comes next
With both chambers in Democratic hands from January, Trump will need opposition votes to pass legislation for the remaining two years of his term. An AP voter survey found about three in four voters were angry or dissatisfied with the direction of the country. Foreign leaders were quick to react: South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa said the result would usher in a new era in world relations, while Germany noted that the US administration itself remains unchanged.
For India, trade experts expect the outcome to speed up talks on a bilateral trade deal, though some warn Washington could raise tariff pressure on New Delhi until an agreement is signed.
