Midterm elections usually reshuffle a few seats and leave the map mostly intact, but on Nov. 3 Democrats took the Senate by flipping seven Republican-held seats.
The new class includes a former teacher, a pediatrician, a megachurch pastor, a Paralympian and a logger, and several won in states that hadn't sent a Democrat to the Senate in decades.
The seven seats that changed hands
CBS News called control for Democrats around 11:35 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 3, with the party also taking the House the same night.
The flips stretched from Maine to Texas, and several ended Republican streaks measured in decades.
Democrats Broke Decades-Long Republican Holds in Seven States
Senate seats flipped by Democrats, Nov. 3, 2026
| State | Winner | Defeated | Milestone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | James Talarico | Ken Paxton | First Texas Democrat since 1988 |
| Ohio | Sherrod Brown | Jon Husted | Flipped seat back for Democrats |
| North Carolina | Roy Cooper | Michael Whatley | First since 2008 |
| Kansas | Adam Hamilton | Roger Marshall | First Kansas Democrat since 1932 |
| Iowa | Josh Turek | Ashley Hinson | First in 18 years |
| South Carolina | Annie Andrews | Darline Graham | First since 1998 |
| Maine | Troy Jackson | Susan Collins | Ended her 30 years in the Senate |
Source: CBS News, The Irish Times
James Talarico
Talarico, 37, a former sixth-grade teacher studying to become a Presbyterian minister, beat Attorney General Ken Paxton to become the first Texas Democrat elected to the Senate since 1988, winning about 4.7M votes, roughly 55%, to Paxton's 3.7M.
He tied the cost of living to corruption, pushed bans on super PACs and congressional stock trading, and attacked what he called sweetheart tax deals for Big Tech.
Texas now has more data center projects under development than any other state, and Talarico wants stricter regulation of new construction.
Sherrod Brown
Brown returns to the Senate after defeating Jon Husted by about five points in Ohio.
His ads labeled Husted the face of data centers in the state, and a Republican campaign memo had reportedly flagged the issue as a weakness.
Roy Cooper
Cooper, 69, a former governor and state attorney general, beat former state GOP chair Michael Whatley in a state that hadn't elected a Democratic senator since 2008.
He ran as a moderate, pointing to the Medicaid expansion he passed alongside a Republican legislature.
Adam Hamilton
Hamilton, 62, pastor of the largest United Methodist congregation in the country, unseated Sen. Roger Marshall and became the first Kansas Democrat elected to the Senate since 1932.
He emerged from an 11-candidate primary with a large war chest, having raised just over $4.1M against Marshall's $6.2M, while Marshall faced reports he had sued hundreds of patients over unpaid bills.
Josh Turek
Turek, 47, a Paralympic gold medalist and state legislator, beat Ashley Hinson to become the first Iowa Democrat sent to the Senate in 18 years.
He linked tariffs and the Iran war to rising living costs and said he'd work with Trump on immigration, in a state Trump won by 13 points two years earlier.
Annie Andrews
Andrews, 45, a pediatrician running for office for the first time, defeated appointed Sen. Darline Graham and became South Carolina's first Democrat elected to the Senate since 1998.
She called for a two-year pause on new data center projects, campaigned on expanding Medicaid and ending the war with Iran, and borrowed Trump ideas like permanent no-tax treatment of tips.
Troy Jackson
Jackson, 58, a fifth-generation logger and labor activist from rural northern Maine, won by more than seven points over Susan Collins, ending 30 years in the Senate for the last Republican in Congress from New England.
Deepfake videos targeted him during the race, and he became the nominee only after Graham Platner dropped out.
Abdul El-Sayed
El-Sayed, 42, a Rhodes Scholar and former county health director, held Michigan for Democrats against Mike Rogers and becomes the first Muslim US senator.
He ran well to the left, calling for abolishing ICE and guaranteed healthcare, and won even after a primary rival endorsed Rogers.
What the new class signals for tech
Democrats poured more than $100M into broadcast ads tying Republicans to Big Tech, while Elon Musk gave $446M as the cycle's biggest individual donor, including $168M effectively supporting Paxton.
Corruption and cost of living drove the electorate, and 56% of voters called AI and data centers a crucial or major factor.
Corruption and Cost of Living Topped Voters' Concerns
Share of voters calling each issue crucial or major, Nov. 3, 2026, %
Bar chart. Issue. Government corruption: Share (%) 90%. Cost of living: Share (%) 89%. War in Iran: Share (%) 74%. Immigration enforcement: Share (%) 73%. AI and data centers: Share (%) 56%.
Source: NBC News exit poll via Unite.AI
Federal AI legislation remains unlikely because Democrats would need Republican votes to overcome a presidential veto, so near-term pressure comes through oversight hearings, Medicaid fights, tariff scrutiny, and Texas state rules on water, power, and tax breaks.
Alaska, Mississippi, and Louisiana were still uncalled, leaving final seat totals open.
