The biggest winners and losers of the 2026 US midterms

Democrats had a big night in Tuesday’s United States midterm elections, winning control of both chambers of Congress and pulling off some surprising victories in longtime Republican strongholds.

From turning Texas blue to electing the country’s first Muslim senator, there were plenty of historic wins. But the night also brought some major setbacks for US President Donald Trump and his allies, including one who spent hundreds of millions of dollars backing losing candidates.

Here’s a look at some of the election’s biggest winners and losers.

The winners

Annie Andrews: In one of the most surprising wins of the night, Democrat Annie Andrews flipped a Republican-held Senate seat in a deeply conservative South Carolina, beating out the Trump-backed candidate Darline Graham.

A paediatrician who campaigned on healthcare and affordability, Andrews became the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the state since 1998, and its first elected female senator. The victory was a major breakthrough for Democrats and helped them take control of the Senate.

Abdul El-Sayed: Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan, becoming the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.

The former public health official overcame attacks on his faith and a bitter primary battle against establishment-backed Democrat Haley Stevens, who went on to endorse Rogers. “You chose hate and Michigan chose hope,” El-Sayed told Rogers in his victory speech.

Chuck Schumer: After facing criticism from fellow Democrats for not pushing back hard enough against Trump, as well as anger from progressives over his support for arms sales to Israel, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is now poised to reclaim his position as majority leader.

Schumer helped recruit candidates including Sherrod Brown and Roy Cooper, who flipped Republican-held Senate seats. He celebrated the victory on Tuesday, saying, “We have five words for the American people: ‘Relief is on the way’.”

James Talarico: After years of Democrats trying to turn Texas blue, James Talarico finally pulled off a major upset by winning a US Senate seat in a state Trump had carried by double digits just two years ago.

The 37-year-old former middle-school teacher, state legislator and Presbyterian seminarian gained national attention for using his Christian faith to challenge the religious right. But his campaign against Republican Ken Paxton also focused on the cost of living and corruption, including the influence of wealthy donors like Elon Musk, who supported Paxton.

The losers

Vivek Ramaswamy: Biotech billionaire and Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy lost Ohio’s governor’s race to Democrat Amy Acton in light of a controversial attack ad in which Acton’s estranged mother accused her of lying about her difficult childhood.

What the ad left out was that her mother lost custody after Acton’s stepfather was indicted for raping her as a child. The widely condemned ad dominated the final month of Ramaswamy’s campaign, with his team eventually pulling it after spending about $1m to keep it running.

Haley Stevens: Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens ended up on the losing side for the second time, after first losing the Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, and then endorsing his Republican opponent Mike Rogers just two days before the election.

Stevens broke with El-Sayed over his criticism of Israel and an ad linking US military aid to rising grocery prices, which he disavowed. El-Sayed won anyway, while Stevens was left facing a backlash from Democrats and a wave of resignations from her own team.

Elon Musk: The world’s richest man spent more than $400m backing Republicans, only to see them lose both chambers of Congress. Among the candidates he supported was Ken Paxton, who lost the Texas Senate race to Democrat James Talarico.

Musk now faces possible congressional investigations into his leadership of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and his companies’ federal contracts, with Democrats gaining the power to subpoena documents and even call him to testify under oath.

Donald Trump: Though Trump wasn’t on the ballot, the midterms are a major blow to the final two years of his presidency, with Democrats winning control of both chambers of Congress. Republican candidates backed by Trump lost Senate races in longtime strongholds like Texas and South Carolina.

The results mean Trump will spend the remainder of his time in office facing a Democratic-controlled Congress with the power to block his legislative agenda, investigate his administration, and hold his officials accountable for alleged malfeasance.

Source: www.aljazeera.com