Darline Graham

Democrats took control of both houses of Congress in the US midterm elections held on 3 Nov 2026, ending Republican control. Trump admitted part of the electoral defeat was linked to the Iran war, which has cost US taxpayers over $47 billion and killed more than 20 US servicemembers. Gas prices rose 40% because of the conflict. Trump has said he may use his veto power for a month or two before negotiating with Democratic leaders, and he has declined to rule out resuming strikes on Iran.

Democrat Annie Andrews has won the United States Senate seat in South Carolina, defeating Republican Darline Graham by about ten percentage points, according to CBS News, NBC News and Decision Desk HQ. Republican Alan Wilson led the governor's race by a narrow margin. Donald Trump had endorsed Graham and campaigned for her. The result is the first Democratic Senate win in South Carolina since 1998, and it reflects ticket-splitting, with voters choosing a Republican governor and a Democratic senator.

The Democratic Party now holds 54 seats in the Senate and 228 seats in the House, giving it clear control of both chambers. Voters flipped four Senate seats previously held by Republicans, including a win in Texas that made James Talarico the state's first Democratic senator since 1988 and a victory in South Carolina. In Texas, Gina Hinojosa also became the first Latina governor. The Justice Department deployed about 1,000 monitors to polling places nationwide, citing election integrity as a top priority.