Democrats Flip Six Seats to Take Control of U.S. Senate

CBS News projected that Democrats won a majority in the U.S. Senate by flipping six seats from the Republican Party. The victories occurred in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Kansas, and Iowa.

These states had become surprisingly competitive in the final stretch of the campaign. Democrats also held onto their existing seats in Georgia and New Hampshire. The exact size of the Democratic majority is still being determined.

Before these elections, Republicans held a six-seat majority with 53 seats while Democrats held 47. Democrats needed to win four seats to take control of the chamber. More than a third of the Senate was up for grabs in this cycle.

The Senate map initially favored Democrats because Republicans were defending more seats. Most of those Republican seats were in states that President Donald Trump won by comfortable margins in the last election. However, the unpopular war with Iran and high gas and diesel prices made more states in play for Democrats in the final months.

Republicans spent hundreds of millions of dollars to defend seats in states like Texas, Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Ohio. The president had won these areas by double digits just two years earlier. Despite this spending advantage, Democrats secured enough seats to flip control of the upper chamber.

This is the first time Democrats have held a Senate majority since 2022. Republicans won control of the chamber in 2024. The new Democratic majority allows the party to block the president's nominees and control which measures receive votes on the floor. This limits the ability of President Trump to pass legislation during his final two years in office.