US midterm elections 2026 live: Democrats exceed 250 House seats as blue wave sweeping Congress grows

Following a difficult set of midterm results for the Republican party, Donald Trump has spent much of this week talking up his renovation projects in Washington. Thursday brought the first official action of his post-midterms presidency – a proclamation designating the gold-adorned Oval Office and Cabinet Room as a national monument.

With the dust still settling on the midterms, attention is already turning to the Republicans who might seek to lead the party into the next presidential race in 2028. JD Vance, Ted Cruz and Ron DeSantis are among those in the mix, as the Republican party begins to reckon with the fallout from its midterms performance.

In this report, my colleague Ariana Baio looks at the early jockeying, the potential contenders and what the midterm results could mean for the party’s future:

Welcome to our live coverage of the US midterm elections – here are some of the latest key developments.

A number of closely watched contests in the midterms are still to be called, including the final two US Senate races – in Mississippi and Alaska. The Democratic candidates are hoping to oust Republican incumbents to bolster their new majority in Congress. Right now, Democrats have a 106-seat majority as we await final results.

Democrats flipped another eight House seats, strengthening their majority in the lower chamber. Democrats are now leading Republicans 253 to 157, with 25 races left to call, as a number of GOP representatives felt the weight of the blue wave that has swept their party out of power. Republicans held on to two House seats in the west as congressman Mike Kennedy won re-election in Utah and Amanda McKinney won in Washington.

Democratic socialist Nithya Raman was elected to serve as the mayor of Los Angeles, eking out a narrow win over incumbent Karen Bass, in a major shake-up in local politics that reflects the growing dissatisfaction with the direction of the city. The progressive urban planner had served on LA’s city council since 2020.

Harmeet Dhillon, a key Trump ally, resigned from her position leading the justice department’s Civil Rights division. Attorney general Todd Blanche said he accepted her notice. Dhillon is the first high-ranking justice department official to leave after the midterm elections. Democrats are expected to use their power in taking control of Congress to aggressively investigate executive agencies, including the justice department.

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic senator-elect in Michigan, said the new majority in the upper chamber needed “action” from their leader. On the campaign trail El-Sayed refused to back Senator Chuck Schumer, who currently serves as the minority leader. Speaking to CNN, El-Sayed reiterated that Senator Chris Van Hollen, the Maryland Democrat, would be an “amazing Senate majority leader”, but didn’t completely rule out supporting Schumer.

Joining the chorus of Republicans who blasted their party’s midterms performance is Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who said the GOP were handed an “ass-kicking” in losing control of Congress. “It was not simply a bad 2006 midterm election, it was a Watergate-level repudiation,” he said on his podcast.

The Nasdaq share index had its worst day in 19 months after slumping 5.5% on Thursday amid growing signs the artificial intelligence industry will face tougher regulation because of the midterm results.

Donald Trump signed a proclamation that preserves the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as national monuments in his first official action after the Republican wipeout.