CNN reports that Democrats are on track for major gains in the 2026 midterm elections, with the party projected to retake the House of Representatives and having already flipped several Republican-held Senate seats.
In the Senate, Democrats won races in Texas (James Talarico defeating Trump-endorsed Ken Paxton), Ohio (Sherrod Brown beating Jon Husted), Kansas (Adam Hamilton defeating Roger Marshall), North Carolina (Roy Cooper defeating Michael Whatley), and South Carolina (Annie Andrews defeating Darline Graham, sister of the late Lindsey Graham). The South Carolina result was especially notable, as the seat had been in Republican hands for decades. Additional competitive races remain in states such as Maine, Iowa, and Alaska.
In the House, Democrats held or led in several Florida districts that Republicans had redrawn with the aim of securing them. These included seats held or contested by Kathy Castor, Jared Moskowitz, and Pia Dandiya, with a close race in Darren Soto’s district. Results in heavily Latino areas of Florida showed a sharp decline in support for Republican candidates compared with 2024.
The article attributes much of the shift to reduced Republican margins in rural areas and the evaporation of Donald Trump’s 2024 gains among Latino voters. It notes that Trump’s endorsements and candidate recruitment efforts in several races (including Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina) appeared to underperform, and that his redistricting efforts in Florida did not deliver the intended advantages. Trump posted on Truth Social that he was not on the ballot and that Republicans would have won in a landslide if he had been.
The piece also highlights strong reelection showings by potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, along with other encouraging signs for the party.
Millions of votes were still being counted at the time of publication, and the final size of Democratic gains remained uncertain. The original CNN story frames the results as a broad rejection of Trump; the reported outcomes center on Democratic Senate flips in several states, House projections, and weaker-than-expected Republican performance in redrawn and Latino-heavy districts.