Democrats Sweep Midterms Over Trump-Backed Candidates
Democrats were projected to win a House majority after Trump-backed candidates suffered several key defeats.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Democrats won sweeping midterm victories over Trump-backed candidates, and were projected to win a majority in the House after votes were counted on Tuesday. Trump-backed candidates suffered several key defeats.
Why it matters
A House majority would give Democrats control of the chamber's agenda and leadership for the new Congress, shifting the balance of power in Washington. The results also mark a test of Trump's influence over Republican candidates in the midterm elections.
Democrats were projected to win a House majority once midterm votes were counted, though the extraction does not provide seat totals. The final margin and the number of Trump-backed candidates defeated remain unspecified.
The players
Hakeem Jeffries
Jeffries is the current House minority leader and a Democrat from New York who is expected to become speaker if Democrats win the House majority.
Donald Trump
Trump is the current President of the United States, whose endorsed candidates faced several key defeats in the midterm elections.
The details
Trump-backed candidates lost several key races on Tuesday, and Democrats were projected to take a majority in the House. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries posted a short video to Facebook declaring that MAGA extremists were on the run, while Trump posted on Truth Social that he was not on the ballot and said Republicans would have won in a landslide had he been.
Timeline
Tuesday: Trump-backed candidates suffered key midterm defeats as Democrats were projected to win a House majority.
New Congress: Jeffries is expected to be elected House speaker.
Political Context
Republican opposition to the Democratic gains will likely center on whether Trump's endorsements carried weight with voters, a question the extraction does not resolve. Democrats' projected majority would give Jeffries a path to the speakership, which would make him the first Black speaker of the House in U.S. history.
A Democratic House majority would shift control of committee assignments and the legislative agenda that Americans see debated in Washington. Readers should expect changes in which bills reach a floor vote once the new Congress is seated.
The takeaway
The midterm results show that Trump's endorsement did not guarantee victory for his candidates in key races. Readers should watch how the incoming House majority uses its new power in the next Congress.
What happens next
Jeffries is expected to be elected House speaker when the new Congress convenes, a vote that would make him the first Black speaker in U.S. history if it succeeds.
Further reading
Explore more coverage in Elections for context on how the midterm results shape the next Congress.
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