Wednesday, November 4, 2026 Vol. I · No. 14 · Morning Edition Print size
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The Wire
Democrats set to control majority of governorships for first time in 16 years Democrats retake House majority, crossing 218 seats and gaining subpoena power Democrat Amy Acton wins Ohio governor, ending two decades of GOP control On tape: Jim Clyburn event: Abdul El-Sayed says MAGA attacks his name and faith to distract from gas and grocery costs Trump congratulates Democrats on midterm wins, says he has 'total veto power' On tape: Trump calls Reuters reporter "sick" and "disgusting" over a question about his cancelled Kansas midterm rally Democrat Troy Jackson unseats Susan Collins in Maine Senate race On tape: Jack Smith tells senators in a Senate hearing he will not be silenced by Trump's threats of prosecution Democrats win Senate control, gaining leverage over Trump's final two years Johnson was 'absolutely convinced' the GOP would grow its House majority. Now he blames history Democrats set to control majority of governorships for first time in 16 years Democrats retake House majority, crossing 218 seats and gaining subpoena power Democrat Amy Acton wins Ohio governor, ending two decades of GOP control On tape: Jim Clyburn event: Abdul El-Sayed says MAGA attacks his name and faith to distract from gas and grocery costs Trump congratulates Democrats on midterm wins, says he has 'total veto power' On tape: Trump calls Reuters reporter "sick" and "disgusting" over a question about his cancelled Kansas midterm rally Democrat Troy Jackson unseats Susan Collins in Maine Senate race On tape: Jack Smith tells senators in a Senate hearing he will not be silenced by Trump's threats of prosecution Democrats win Senate control, gaining leverage over Trump's final two years Johnson was 'absolutely convinced' the GOP would grow its House majority. Now he blames history

Congress Watch · Report · File No. 261104-552

Democrats retake House majority, crossing 218 seats and gaining subpoena power

Democrats won control of the House in Tuesday's midterms, ending four years of Republican rule and setting up investigations of President Trump's administration and business dealings in his final two years.

14 of 17 paragraphs and bullets link directly to a source. The sources are listed at the bottom. How we work

Hakeem Jeffries
Hakeem Jeffries. Photo: Office of Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Public domain

Democrats have won control of the U.S. House, passing the 218 seats needed for a majority in the 435-member chamber, according to projections reported Wednesday 12. The win gives the party subpoena power and a check on President Donald Trump's final two years in office 4.

The Associated Press reported that Democrats also won the Senate, a result the source described as a "shockingly decisive rebuke of Republican governance in Washington" 2. The Hill reported Democrats are likely to hold a House majority as large as 254 seats, enough to absorb defections 3.

On tapeCBS News · Nov 4
CBS News projects Democrats win control of the House of RepresentativesVideo: CBS News on YouTube, “Democrats win control of the House of Representatives, CBS News projects”. It plays from YouTube when you press play.

Democrats flipped Republican-held districts in North Carolina, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, The Guardian reported 1. In Florida, Democrats won three of the four districts Republicans redrew in their favor this year and were leading in the fourth 1.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, in line to become the first Black speaker of the House, said Democrats understand the stakes.

From Channel GOPJeffries: Trump lied about who deportations would targetHakeem Jeffries · 51 plays · captioned, with the source named

Chuck Schumer of New York called the results a "generational remake of the Senate map" 2.

Republicans responded with defiance. House Speaker Mike Johnson said in remarks from Shreveport, Louisiana, that Republicans "will not be deterred by the outcome of one election" 4. Senate Majority Leader John Thune wrote on X that "Senate Republicans will not stand idly by as the far-left, socialist wing of the Democrat Party attempts to unwind everything we've done" 2.

On tapeABC10 · Nov 4
ABC News projects Democrats gain control of the U.S. House in 2026 electionVideo: ABC10 on YouTube, “Democrats projected to win House as Senate races deliver key gains”. It plays from YouTube when you press play.

Trump, in a late-night phone interview with Fox News, said he did not consider the elections a personal defeat and that voters "didn't like the candidates" 2. He also said he would accept the results 2.

What happens next

Democrats plan aggressive investigations when they take control in January, expected to focus on the president and his family's business dealings, immigration enforcement, the Epstein scandal, Trump's pardons and construction projects in Washington, D.C. 4. Reps. Robert Garcia of California and Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrats on the Oversight and Judiciary Committees, are expected to lead the effort 4.

Jeffries has said the Democratic agenda will focus on affordability, including reversing Medicaid cuts enacted in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, extending expired Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, ending the Iran war and rolling back tariffs 4. On impeachment, Jeffries has said Democrats "haven't ruled anything out" or "ruled anything in" 4.

The pattern is clear: voters named the cost of living and government corruption as top concerns, and Democrats ran on both 2. With subpoena power and control of federal spending, Democrats can now force testimony and withhold funding from administration priorities — a leverage Republicans did not face in the last two years 4.

The Record

  1. Democrats win control of the House, passing the 218-seat threshold, according to projections 12.
  2. Democrats also win the Senate, according to the Associated Press 2.
  3. The Hill reports Democrats are likely to hold a House majority as large as 254 seats 3.
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Sources

  1. The Guardian, “Democrats retake House in ‘blue wave’ amid Trump’s historic unpopularity” (2026-11-04). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/04/democrats-house-midterm-
  2. PBS NewsHour, “Democrats win control of the U.S. House” (2026-11-04). pbs.org/newshour/politics/democrats-win-control-of-the-u-s-h
  3. The Hill, “The blue wave that broke Trump’s Republican map” (2026-11-04). thehill.com/homenews/house/6196494-trump-loses-congress-cont
  4. CBS News, “Democrats retake House majority after 4 years” (2026-11-04). cbsnews.com/news/democrats-win-house-majority/

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