Democrats are heading for a historic election night, with results pointing to the party taking control of the House of Representatives and making progress toward a Senate majority. Several contests once expected to be close have instead produced decisive Democratic wins.
Annie Andrews delivered an early Senate upset by defeating Darline Graham in South Carolina. Graham had been appointed to the seat after the death of her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham. The race had not been widely considered competitive until recent months, and Andrews also performed well ahead of Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential results in majority-Black counties across the state.
Democrats also won North Carolina’s open Republican-held Senate seat, where former governor Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley. The result is the first of the four Senate pickups Democrats need to take control. The party has also secured South Carolina, leaving attention on vote counts in Republican-held seats in Texas, Kansas and Ohio. CBS News rates the Texas and Kansas Senate races as leaning Democratic.
Democratic gains are also shaping the House contests. In Florida, Republicans had redrawn three Democratic-held districts to improve their chances, but Democrats held all three. Other races in the state have proved closer than Republicans expected. Democrats have also flipped open seats in western North Carolina and Kentucky and appear well positioned to make gains in Virginia and Indiana.
The results have been accompanied by strong Democratic turnout, particularly among Black voters in the South, and a return of Hispanic voters in Florida who backed Republicans two years ago. In Miami-Dade County, which Donald Trump carried in 2024, Democratic candidates are again leading.
Florida remains a bright spot for Republicans overall: Senator Ashley Moody narrowly won re-election, and Byron Donalds won the state’s gubernatorial race. But the broader results point to a shift toward Democrats, including early returns from the country’s interior that appear to echo the trend on the East Coast. The extent of the party’s gains remains to be seen.
Sources: BBC News World.