Voters hand Democrats Congress, leaving Trump a reshaped Washington for his last two years

Frustration with the Iran war was a key factor in Tuesday’s elections, and one of the loudest champions of the U.S. military action in the Middle East could be on the chopping block as  result.

With Democrats retaking control of both the House and Senate in January, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could face impeachment proceedings, a threat that in one form or another has dogged the former Fox News host since his confirmation in 2025. 

Mr. Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon has been marked by controversy after controversy over the past two years,

Just months after his confirmation, the “Signalgate” controversy raised serious questions about the integrity of secure communications within the Pentagon after Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was inexplicably added to a group chat planning airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. 

 Then, last September, a military strike in the Caribbean destroyed a speedboat allegedly carrying drugs for the Tren de Aragua cartel, killing nine people immediately and leaving two survivors. A follow-up airstrike then killed those survivors. 

News of the so-called “double tap” strike infuriated some on Capitol Hill, who saw it as a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions, potentially constituting an extrajudicial killing. 

Democrats have also implied that Mr. Hegseth has blocked officer promotions based on their race or gender and has obscured the true casualties from the Iran war from the American public. 

High-profile members of the House of Representatives have openly called for Mr. Hegseth’s impeachment. 

Adam Smith, a Washington Democrat and the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said this year he was in favor of impeaching both Mr. Hegseth and President Trump over the Iran war. 

Thomas Massie, the outgoing Kentucky Republican, introduced articles of impeachment against Mr. Hegseth in September, accusing him of violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution. 

Tuesday’s midterm elections laid bare voters’ deep frustrations over high prices, the Iran war, and concerns over government corruption. Democrats routed their rivals across the map, flipping states that have voted Republican for decades and that Trump won by double digits just two years ago.

President Donald Trump repeatedly encouraged voters to pretend he was on the midterm ballot. They did. And it’s hard to imagine a worse outcome for the Republican President and his party.

Voters absolutely punished Trump’s allies almost everywhere. Democrats won in swing states like Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and in Republican strongholds of Iowa, Kansas, Texas, and even South Carolina. Trump’s controversial mid-decade redistricting plan appeared to backfire.

Republican losses allowed Democrats to make history in Georgia, where Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history, while in Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa became its first Latina governor.

Voters nationwide were in the mood for change, according to The AP Voter Poll, which found that roughly three-quarters of voters feel “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the direction of the country.

Among those who had Trump in mind when they cast their vote, about twice as many wanted to express opposition to the Republican President as those who wanted to support him. Most also blamed the Trump administration for high costs: about 6 in 10 say higher than usual prices are “more because of Trump’s policies.”

Trump’s coalition was also fraying: Young voters dramatically shifted away from the GOP after warming to Trump in 2024, while the GOP also lost ground among Hispanics.

With undeniable momentum, Democrats won control of the House and Senate, which will likely curb Trump’s power after he’s faced few limits from a compliant Republican-controlled Congress.

Beyond control of Congress, the extent of these losses could reshape both parties for at least the next two years, as the political world rushes into a new presidential election.

Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Sen. Susan Collins in the Maine Senate race, ending the Republican’s five-term tenure in the Senate.

Ms. Collins, who has served since 1997, is the first Maine senator to lose a re-election bid since Democrat William Hathaway fell to Republican William Cohen in 1978.

Mr. Jackson, a former state Senate president, was a late replacement for Graham Platner, who withdrew as the Democratic nominee.

He won by tapping into voter frustration with President Trump and the high cost of gas, groceries and health care.

That climate proved too much even for Ms. Collins, who has a history of defying electoral expectations and who has pointed to her record of steering federal money to Maine as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Jackson has vowed to end the Iran war, defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and fight for Medicare for All.

JUNEAU, Alaska — The two major candidates in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race urged supporters to be patient as results began coming in late Tuesday, delivering rousing speeches and expressing confidence against the backdrop of the fallout from allegations of partisan tricks to recruit a candidate with the same name as the Republican incumbent.

The race headlined by two-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola had been among those expected to play a role in determining which party gained control of the Senate. Democrats had won control before polls closed Tuesday night in Alaska.

“Lower 48 blue wave. But we’re different,” Sullivan told supporters after initial results were reported. Peltola during her election night party said: “We are getting our government back.”

The race brought top Republican officials to Alaska to rally for Sullivan, including President Donald Trump, who placed particular focus on a third candidate in the race, retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan. Trump called him “fake” and ordered that the Justice Department sue to block certification if the incumbent loses, pending an investigation into potential voter confusion.

The lawsuit, filed less than two weeks before the ranked vote election, was dismissed by a federal judge, prompting a Justice Department appeal.

DETROIT — Abdul El-Sayed clinched victory early Wednesday in Michigan’s Democratic Senate race, fending off a hard-charging challenge from Republican Mike Rogers and overcoming concerns about his views on Israel and his support among Black voters.

Mr. El-Sayed held a healthy five-point lead when he went out to speak to supporters in Detroit around 1:30 a.m. and claim victory.

“Michigan, we did it,” Mr. El-Sayed said going on to give his whole name with correct Arabic pronunciation. “I am so proud to stand here as your senator-elect.”

With 78% of votes counted, Mr. El-Sayed led Mr. Rogers by 51.8% to 46.2%, a margin of almost  220,000 votes.

Mr. El-Sayed, a former public health official who becomes the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, ran an aggressive, nonstop campaign that withstood Republican efforts to tie him to Islamist terror groups and the surprise last-minute endorsement of Mr. Rogers by his Democratic primary opponent.

Despite concerns about Democratic voters abandoning him specifically and the late Rogers endorsement by Rep. Haley Stevens, Mr. El-Sayed only ran about two percentage points behind Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, his party’s victorious gubernatorial nominee.

Running on a promise of “money out of politics, money in your pocket and Medicare for All,” which he turned into a call-and-response chant at rallies, Mr. El-Sayed tested whether the left-wing populist agenda embraced by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani could resonate beyond deep-blue strongholds.

The victory by the son of Egyptian immigrants, his victory suggests that, under the right conditions, that brand of politics can also find a winning audience in battleground states like Michigan.

Republicans had hoped Mr. El-Sayed’s controversial candidacy would give them an opening to win a Michigan Senate race for the first time since 1994 and deal a major setback to Democratic efforts to reclaim the Senate.

Mr. Rogers entered the race with reason for optimism after losing his 2024 Senate bid by fewer than 20,000 votes.

And it turned out though, the night’s blue wave was so strong that Democrats had clinched control of the upper chamber hours before Michigan’s race was called.

Mr. El-Sayed was also aided by President Trump’s declining approval ratings. Throughout the campaign, Mr. El-Sayed argued that Republican policies, including tariffs and the Iran war, were driving up the cost of everyday necessities and making it harder for families to get ahead.

That frustration was evident as voters streamed out of polling places Tuesday, including at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Troy.

Bob Heery, a General Motors employee, said he voted a straight Democratic ticket for the first time in his life to send a message to Mr. Trump.

“He is a bully. You can’t trust him. He is a bad representative of our country. It has been a nightmare,” Mr. Heery said. “Trump is only in office to make himself more money.”

Others voiced a more complicated mix of disappointment and hope.

Ahad Ahmed, a 57-year-old electrical engineer who immigrated from Bangladesh, said he voted for Mr. El-Sayed after backing Mr. Trump in 2024 because he believed the president would keep the U.S. out of foreign conflicts.

“I regret, definitely I regret” that vote, Mr. Ahmed said.

Since then, he has lost the job he held for 25 years, along with his health insurance. His two children, both recent college graduates, have struggled to find work, and he now relies on contract jobs.

“Everything I hoped for has gone to trash,” he said.

Mr. Ahmed said the country needs a check on the Trump administration and that Mr. El-Sayed’s focus on reducing the influence of money in politics and tackling rising costs, from groceries to health care, gives him reason for optimism.

“I’m looking at the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries celebrated his party’s sweep of competitive House races on Tuesday night, which will give Democrats a comfortable majority come January.

“Today begins the great American comeback,” the New York Democrat said, calling the midterm victory a “change election.”

“The American people have spoken and made clear they’ve had enough of the extremism, enough of the corruption,” he said. “They want a Congress that’s going to deliver for the American people, and that is exactly what House Democrats will do as soon as we get into office in January.”

Mr. Jeffries is poised to become the first Black House speaker, but will first need to be nominated by his caucus and elected by the full House.

He said Democrats understand that voters are giving them congressional majorities to “deliver dramatic change.”

“We need a Congress that puts the American people first,” Mr. Jeffries said. “The wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected tried to buy this election. The American people have responded in a resounding way and made clear that America is not for sale.”

He promised that Democrats would follow through on their affordability agenda and would work to lower costs of housing, groceries, gas and health care.

Mr. Jeffries also said Democrats would work to restore trust in Congress and “bring accountability to those who have visited unprecedented corruption on this country.”

He alluded to President Trump but did not call him out by name as he said, “if you have people in high office who are so focused on enriching themselves, their family members, their friends, or their donors, then they’re not focused on making life better for the American people.”

Mr. Jeffries said the election results are more “patriotic” than partisan.

“This is not a blue moment or a red moment,” he said. “It’s a red, white, and blue moment because America has won tonight.”

President Trump Tuesday night said if he was on the ballot, Republicans would have avoided the shellacking they suffered on Election Night.

“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Mr. Trump said on social media.

Mr. Trump, who engaged in a monthlong campaign blitz across dozens of states for Republicans, routinely pleaded with voters at rallies to “pretend” he was on the ballot. Democrats, however, said that phrase also fired up their base to come out to the polls.

The president’s comment came not long after Democrats had flipped several Republican-held House seats on the East Coast in early returns and were poised to take control of the chamber.

Republicans’ apparent losses in North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, along with failures to take out vulnerable Democratic incumbents in Florida, had several television networks already projecting control would flip before the final polls closed at midnight.