Democrats win House and Senate, flip seats in Kansas, South Carolina and Texas

Democrats reclaimed control of the U.S. House by a decisive margin and also flipped the Senate, winning seats in deep-red states including Kansas, South Carolina, and Texas. The victories give the party a powerful check on President Donald Trump during his final two years in office.

California Democrats will take committee gavels in January and launch investigations into the administration. Rep. Robert Garcia of Long Beach told Republicans to “lawyer up” and is on track to lead the House Oversight Committee.

“Lawyer up.”

Sen. Alex Padilla, the top Democrat on the Senate rules committee, and Rep. Pete Aguilar of San Bernardino, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, are expected to gain more influence in Congress to challenge Trump. Padilla posted an image of a blue wave on X and mocked Trump’s recent rallies.

Aguilar wrote on social media that House Republicans’ days of rubber-stamping Trump’s reckless agenda are coming to an end. Padilla posted “America: HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR.”

Despite Democratic concerns that Trump would challenge the midterm results, the president said in a New York Times interview that he would accept the outcome and looks forward to working with Democrats. An Associated Press poll released Tuesday showed many voters disapproved of the president and faulted Congress for not doing its job.

CalMatters published a rundown of California’s congressional races written by Maya C. Miller. The nonprofit newsroom asked readers to thank its independent journalists and support its work holding lawmakers and state agencies accountable.