When the House and Senate return to Washington next week, they will be coming back to a very different town. Democrats won both chambers of Congress on Tuesday: at least 54 Senate seats, with Alaska and Mississippi still uncalled, and a House majority that NBC News projects at 258 seats or more.
The 60-day period from now until the swearing-in of the 120th Congress on January 3, 2027, is the last window conservatives have to put the president’s agenda into law while Republicans still hold the gavels.
Democrats had an impressive Election Day. They flipped at least seven Senate seats, all in states President Trump carried in 2024: Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas. Senators Susan Collins, Roger Marshall, Jon Husted, and Darline Graham lost. James Talarico beat Ken Paxton to become the first Democrat elected to the Senate in Texas since 1988. At least 14 incumbent House Republicans lost their reelection bids, and many open seats that leaned Republican will now be represented by Democrats.
On Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told his staff that he will not be running for Republican leader in the new Congress. Instead, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) have announced bids for Minority Leader. House Republicans are expected to vote next week on November 10. President Trump has said he does not plan to get involved in the race.
In the Senate, Republican Leader John Thune (R-SD) has said he will not be stepping aside. Some conservatives, including Cleta Mitchell, have been fiercely critical of Thune. As of yet, no other Senate Republican has stepped forward to challenge Thune.
Last week, we highlighted the agenda for the lame duck session, and all of those items remain active. But in light of Tuesday’s results, they may be more difficult to get done.
ICYMI…
- The Federalist sorts through the best and worst explanations for Republicans’ midterm losses.
- The Daily Signal runs down the winners and losers from the 2026 midterms.
- Politico previews Republicans’ last chance to cement their legacy in the lame duck session.
- Former ICE chief of staff Jason Killmeyer writes in the American Mind about President Trump’s immigration enforcement policies post-midterms.