Dems eye 56-seat Senate majority as blue tsunami washes out GOP

The blue tsunami washed away more Republicans on Wednesday with Democrats sweeping race after race to seize control of both chambers of Congress in a rebuke of President Trump and his administration.

Democrats are projected to finish with as many as 258 seats in the House of Representatives, compared with 177 for Republicans, according to NBC, giving House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries a potentially commanding majority and putting him on track to become the first black Speaker of the House.

The party also flipped seven Republican-held Senate seats, taking control of the upper chamber with 54 seats — and could expand its majority to as many as 56 if two remaining races in Alaska and Mississippi go in the Democrats’ way.

The result marks one of the most consequential midterm election victories in modern political history, with Republicans losing control of both chambers just two years after sweeping in 2024.

Jeffries wasted little time celebrating the Democratic takeover, telling supporters Wednesday that Americans had rejected the Republican agenda.

“The American people have spoken and made clear they’ve had enough of the extremism, enough of the corruption,” Jeffries said. “They want a Congress that’s going to deliver for the American people, and that is exactly what House Democrats will do.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also celebrated the party’s historic victory, declaring: “Against all odds, we Democrats have won the Senate. And we have five words for the American people: relief is on the way.”

Democrats’ seven Senate pickups came in Maine, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina, with victories in traditionally red states helping fuel the Democratic comeback.

The House results were equally as devastating for Republicans, with Democrats making waves in battleground states, notably in Iowa, Missouri, Indiana and Michigan. Democrats also made gains in Texas, Pennsylvania and California, overcoming Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps in their favor.

But while Democrats have already secured control of Congress, two Senate races remain too close to call — and could determine how big their majority will be.

All eyes are now on Alaska and Mississippi, where Democrats are threatening to pull off two of the election’s biggest upsets by unseating Republican incumbents Dan Sullivan and Cindy Hyde-Smith.

In Alaska, Democratic nominee Mary Peltola was leading Sullivan by just 626 votes, or approximately 0.3 percentage points, with 74% of the ballots counted as of Wednesday afternoon, according to AP.

However, the race has been mired in controversy over Democrats allegedly recruiting an independent candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr — dubbed “Decoy Dan” — to appear on the ballot alongside Sen. Sullivan in an attempt to confuse voters. State and federal investigations are underway into the scheme.

One voter even said he left the polling place before realizing he had cast his ballot for the wrong candidate, Dan Sullivan.

The biggest obstacle to calling the race, however, is Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system.

Peltola currently leads the initial count, but has not secured a majority to win outright. If no candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, the state will eliminate the lowest-voted candidate and redistribute their voters’ ranked choices until someone reaches a majority.

Alaska’s ranked-choice tabulation is scheduled for Nov. 18, with eligible absentee ballots still arriving in the meantime. The state is targeting a Nov. 25 certification date, making the winner still unknown for weeks.

Mississippi, meanwhile, is hosting an even tighter contest.

As of 3:15 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Democrat Scott Colom was leading Hyde-Smith by just 65 votes, with approximately 96% of ballots counted. Both candidates were receiving roughly 48.9% of the vote, according to AP.

Colom’s late surge was fueled in part by strong Democratic margins in Hinds County and several majority-black counties in the Mississippi Delta and southwestern part of the state.

The race could mark a significant political win for the state, where a Democrat has not won a Senate race since 1982.

Democrats have pointed to increased black voter turnout as a potential reason for Hyde-Smith’s unexpectedly close race, and controversy surrounding the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana vs. Callais that upended majority-black congressional districts.

Still, Hyde-Smith has reason to hold out hope for her reelection. President Trump carried Mississippi by nearly 23 percentage points in 2024, underscoring the state’s deep Republican lean.

Outstanding absentee and affidavit ballots could keep the race unresolved for days.

With Democrats already celebrating their takeover in Washington, the final Senate results could determine whether the party ends with a 54, 55 or 56-seat majority.