Democrats Take House Control After Surprise Senate Wins in South Carolina and North Carolina

Democrats secured a majority in the US House of Representatives on November 4, marking their first time holding that chamber since 2022. The party also advanced toward a potential Senate majority, picking up two seats that Republicans had expected to defend. Outstanding counts in three states will determine if Democrats achieve full control of the Senate.

The most unexpected result came in South Carolina, where Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham. Graham had assumed the seat after the death of her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham. Analysts considered that race safe for Republicans just months before the election. Andrews’s victory gave Democrats their second net gain in the Senate that night. The party needs four total gains to claim the chamber.

Earlier in the evening, former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper won an open Senate seat against Michael Whatley, a Republican Party insider. That victory, combined with Senator Jon Ossoff’s successful re-election campaign in Georgia, provided solid Democratic wins. Both races were predicted to be close a year prior to the vote.

Attention has shifted to Texas, Kansas, and Ohio, where Republicans currently hold the Senate seats. CBS News rates the Texas and Kansas contests as leaning Democratic. In Texas, the governor’s race is also considered a toss-up, a shift from the previous year when incumbent Greg Abbott was viewed as the favorite. Strong Democratic turnout, particularly among Black voters in the South, helped drive these results. Andrews substantially outperformed Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential numbers in South Carolina’s majority-Black counties.

In the House, Democrats also gained support among Hispanic voters in Florida who had backed Republicans two years earlier. Democratic candidates lead again in Miami-Dade County, a district President Donald Trump carried in 2024. Florida remains a relative bright spot for Republicans, with Senator Ashley Moody narrowly securing re-election and Byron Donalds narrowly winning the governor’s race. However, Florida Republicans failed to capture any of three Democratic-held House seats that the state legislature had redrawn to favor their party.

Early returns from the heartland appear consistent with the pattern emerging along the East Coast. The results suggest an electorate turning against President Trump and his party. Geographic and demographic differences mean Democratic strength in eastern states does not guarantee comparable outcomes nationwide, but the current trend indicates a shift in voter preference.