Democrats Gain Ground as House Majority Appears Likely

Democrats made substantial gains in the 2026 midterm elections, with projections pointing to Republican-held Senate pickups and a likely majority in the House, while counting continued in several closely watched races. The Associated Press projected Democratic victories in Republican-held Senate seats in Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas. Those projections would mark significant gains, but the outcome of the chamber remained unsettled as votes were still being counted in Michigan and Minnesota. Earlier in the evening, North Carolina was identified as the first Senate seat Democrats had flipped. In New Hampshire, NBC News projected Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas defeated Republican John Sununu. A separate live update had reported Pappas leading while votes were coming in, before the projection was made. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul ElSayed led Republican Mike Rogers statewide in the reported results, although Rogers held a large lead in Chippewa County and ElSayed led in Alger County. The race had not been called in the supplied updates. For the House, CNBC’s Election Desk estimated Democrats could win at least 235 seats, above the 218 needed for a...