Photo: Martin Falbisoner / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Democrats picked up their first Republican-held Senate seat of the US midterm elections on Tuesday night, with former North Carolina governor Roy Cooper projected to win the state’s open seat, while the party also held on to competitive seats in Georgia and New Hampshire, according to media projections reported early on Wednesday, India time.
Cooper beats Trump’s pick in North Carolina
Cooper, 69, who served two terms as governor, defeated Michael Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chair who had never held elected office and was personally backed by President Donald Trump. Whatley campaigned alongside Trump in the state, while Cooper built his campaign around the rising cost of food and energy and drew strong support from independents.
Cooper will take the seat of Republican Thom Tillis, who chose to retire after breaking with Trump over Medicaid cuts in the president’s flagship tax and spending law.
Ossoff and Pappas keep key seats
In Georgia, a state Trump carried by about two percentage points in 2024, Senator Jon Ossoff was projected to win re-election against Republican congressman Mike Collins. Collins, Trump’s endorsed candidate, had come through a three-way primary and a runoff, beating former college football coach Derek Dooley, who had the backing of outgoing governor Brian Kemp. Ossoff outraised Collins by about $126 million and is widely talked about as a possible 2028 presidential contender.
In New Hampshire, congressman Chris Pappas, 46, defeated former senator John E. Sununu for the seat being vacated by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, who is retiring after 18 years. Pappas will be the first openly gay man to serve in the US Senate. High energy prices during Trump’s war with Iran were a major issue in the race, and Pappas framed the contest as a choice between his state and the president.
This election is about Team New Hampshire versus Team Trump.
Chris Pappas, during the campaign
Republicans had their own early holds, including Senator Ashley Moody’s projected re-election in Florida.
Indian-American wins
Representative Suhas Subramanyam was projected to win a second term in Virginia’s 10th District, defeating Republican Dave Beckwith and independent Ahsen Malik. Educator Pia Dandiya was projected to win Florida’s 22nd District, which covers parts of Palm Beach County, against Republican Casey Askar. Results were still awaited in other contests involving Indian-American candidates, including Vivek Ramaswamy’s run for Ohio governor against Democrat Amy Acton.
Why it matters and what comes next
Republicans went into the vote with a 53-47 Senate majority, so Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win control. Their most direct route requires holding Georgia and Michigan, flipping Maine and North Carolina, and winning at least two more states that Trump carried comfortably in 2024, such as Ohio, Alaska, Iowa or Texas.
All 435 House seats, about a third of the Senate and 36 governorships are on the ballot, with more than 210 million Americans eligible to vote. The outcome will decide how much of Trump’s agenda can pass Congress in his final two years in office. Polls close in stages across US time zones until after midnight Eastern time, so control of both chambers may not be clear for several more hours.
