Democrats have won control of both the US House of Representatives and the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections, The Irish Times reports. The result hands the party majorities in both chambers for the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency and marks a heavy defeat for his Republican Party.
According to The Irish Times, the party's Senate victories reached into states long held by Republicans. The Guardian described the outcome as a wholesale rejection of Trump's Maga movement, while Sky News characterised the results as a broad Democratic surge across the middle of the country.
Why it matters
Control of Congress changes what the president can accomplish in his remaining time in office. With majorities in both chambers, Democrats can open investigations and block Trump's appointments, according to RTE.ie. The Irish Times reports that the last two years of Trump's term will look very different from the first half.
The scale of the swing also drew attention from financial markets. Global stocks fell and the dollar reached a one-month low on Wednesday as investors weighed the prospect of tougher scrutiny of technology and artificial intelligence companies, according to The Irish Times. Cryptocurrencies also declined on expectations of stricter regulation, while bonds attracted buyers looking for safer holdings.
Prashant Newnaha, senior rates strategist at TD Securities in Singapore, told The Irish Times that a Democratic sweep raised the likelihood of tighter oversight of tech and AI firms alongside more political gridlock.
Senate wins in Republican territory
The Irish Times reports that Democrats won Senate races in Texas, Iowa, Kansas, South Carolina and Ohio. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton became the first Democrat to win a US Senate seat in the state since 1932, defeating Republican incumbent Roger Marshall. Hamilton, a Methodist pastor, said his win showed voters were dissatisfied with the administration in Washington.
"I think the people in Kansas — Republicans, independents, and Democrats — are saying what's happening in Washington is not okay," Hamilton said, according to The Irish Times.
In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed held a Democratic Senate seat by defeating former Republican congressman Mike Rogers. According to The Irish Times, El-Sayed becomes the first Muslim senator in US history. Rogers had argued that El-Sayed, a public health official, was too extreme for the state. The Irish Times reports that Trump used racist language about El-Sayed during the campaign.
The Guardian's Washington correspondent, Keith Duggan, wrote that the polls had predicted the outcome and had in some respects understated it. He described the result as a severe blow to Trump and his movement, adding that the president remains unpredictable even as his influence diminishes.
Europe watches for a response
European officials are preparing for the possibility that the defeat could push Trump toward confrontation abroad, according to The Irish Times. Its Europe correspondent, Jack Power, reports that European Commission officials working on trade had warned privately for weeks that large Republican losses might leave the president looking for fights elsewhere. Possible flashpoints include the war in Iran, already weakening US support for Ukraine, or a new dispute with the European Union.
Trade tensions with the EU had eased this year after European leaders agreed to a 15 per cent tariff rate on goods sold into the US, The Irish Times reports. Back-to-back summits in Dublin next week, held during Ireland's EU presidency, are expected to give European leaders a chance to compare views on how the results might shape transatlantic relations.
Elon Musk, the largest donor in the elections, spent an estimated $445 million supporting Republican candidates, according to The Irish Times. He joked on X that his "election-interfering space lasers" had not worked this time. The Irish Times reports that many Democrats have promised to examine Musk's work with the Department of Government Efficiency, which cut back several federal agencies.
What to watch: how quickly House and Senate Democrats open investigations and how the Trump administration responds abroad in the weeks after the result.
