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Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso posted Wednesday on social media that he’s “here for the fight” after the GOP lost the majority in the chamber. In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson told staffers on Wednesday morning that he will not run for minority leader, sources told CBS News, The current House whip, Tom Emmer of Minnesota, is already facing a challenge from Texas Republican Rep. August Pfluger.
“Republicans had a tough night last night,” Barrasso wrote. “We lost great Senators in hard races. In Alaska and Mississippi, we continue to fight.”
Barrasso said there are “clear lessons to be learned from the results,” including that voters’ “priorities must always come first.”
Barrasso also vowed to “aggressively oppose terrible ideas that drive our country toward the socialism Democrats embrace.” He said Republicans would focus on affordability and lowering prices.
President Trump is speaking to reporters from the construction site of the new White House ballroom in his first public appearance since Republicans lost control of the House and Senate.
Mr. Trump praised the new ballroom and helipad on the South Lawn of the White House, calling it a “thing of beauty.” He discussed his other construction projects in Washington, D.C., including his proposed arch outside Arlington National Cemetery and renovation of East Potomac Golf Links.
Schumer said now, “Americans are calling for accountability, not accommodation.”
“They want us to check on Trump’s chaos at home and abroad,” he said.
The minority leader pledged that, “Whenever Trump defies the will of the American people or the law, we will launch investigations, take him to court, and entangle him in legislative razor wire.”
“The days of Trump’s supplicant Senate are over,” he added.
Schumer said, “Elections have always been the strongest lever Americans have to counter a wannabe king, so long as Americans are willing to use it.”
“Yesterday, America did,” Schumer said.
Senate Minority Leader Schumer called Tuesday night’s victories a “generational remake of the Senate map” with “huge consequences for history.”
“But with this majority, Americans have given we Democrats the opportunity to prove ourselves worthy of their trust, and that’s the most important job,” he said.
The New York Democrat said many people remain skeptical. But he stressed that Americans have “entrusted us with the majority to do what they, the American people, want.”
“Republicans received that opportunity two years ago, and completely squandered it,” Schumer said. “The GOP misread Americans’ demand for change as a mandate to do Trump’s self-serving bidding, and Trump spent half his time talking about things that were irrelevant to their lives.”
Schumer said, “Republicans are going to have to choose whether to keep listening to the nonsense that’s coming out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, or start acting in the interests of the American people.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke about the Democrats’ widespread victories in Tuesday’s Senate contests, lauding the candidates’ efforts and pledging to work for Americans.
“In 2025, when I said we could win back the Senate after we had lost the presidency and the Senate, people rolled their eyes,” the New York Democrat said at the news conference. “What changed? What caused that change? First and foremost, our coalition moved as one body, House and Senate, to define the issues that Americans cared most about.”
Schumer cited cost and corruption as the key issues on voters’ minds. And he cited candidate quality, saying, “we recruited great candidates who knew how to tailor their message to the states.”
“Every one of the candidates that we recruited, whenever I talked to them, the number one thing that motivated them was patriotism,” Schumer said.
Democrat Scott Colom, who is locked in a tight Senate race with incumbent GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, said he is “very happy” with where the race stands and predicted that he will ultimately prevail.
“The people of Mississippi turned out in historic numbers to make this race possible in a midterm election,” he said during a press conference.
Colom’s campaign has estimated there are 15,000 affidavit ballots that still have to be counted, and he said his campaign is going to “make sure the law is followed.”
“I think that anybody who can look at the math should be able to know where this is going,” he said.
Colom expressed confidence that he will end up victorious against Hyde-Smith.
“The bottom line is this is the beginning of a new direction for our state. We are going to win this. We have already shown the country that Mississippi matters, y’all,” he said.
Mississippi hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982.
CBS News has rated the race between Colom and Hyde-Smith a toss-up, with the Democratic Senate candidate leading by just several dozen votes as of Wednesday morning.
Reverend Adam Hamilton, the Democrat who ousted Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas’ Senate race, said he will work to bring decency and bipartisanship to Congress’ upper chamber.
“I’m going to build relationships and then I’m going to start building trust and do what I can do as a little old pastor from Kansas to try to restore a sense of decency and bipartisanship in Washington,” Hamilton said on “CBS Mornings.”
Hamilton pledged to work with his counterpart in the upper chamber, GOP Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, saying he wants to “become his best friend in Washington.”
“We’re going to model what it looks like for a Republican and Democrat to treat each other with respect, to work together,” he said. “It used to be this way.”
Hamilton said, “I think there’s a lot of Republicans who’ve been afraid of their president and afraid to speak up about things that they believe are not right.”
With Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, the Kansas Democrat said he does not want to spend the next couple years on investigations or impeachment efforts, but instead working to help Americans.
Asked whether he would support Sen. Chuck Schumer’s continued leadership, Hamilton said “we need leadership that’s going to bring people together,” pledging to support leadership that comes from the center.
The Senate race in deep-red Mississippi remained unresolved Wednesday morning, with Democrat Scott Colom mounting a surprisingly competitive challenge to incumbent GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
With 96% of the vote in, just a few dozen votes separated the candidates, a stunningly close result in the Magnolia State.
Read more here.
Democrat James Talarico on Wednesday said his win over Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race delivered a message to Elon Musk, who spent more than $150 million to boost Paxton’s candidacy: “Texas is not for sale.”
Hours after his projected win over Paxton, Talarico told “CBS Mornings” that his victory is an opportunity to get big money out of politics “for good.”
“The people of Texas delivered a crystal-clear message to the world’s first trillionaire: Texas is not for sale,” Talarico said. “The power in this state, in this country, belongs to the people and we’ve got to make sure it stays that way.”
Read more here and watch Talarico’s full CBS Mornings interview here.
Two Senate races remain toss-ups: Alaska and Mississippi.
Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola are locked in a tight contest. Vote-counting could take some time in the race, which was shaken up last week by allegations that operatives linked to Peltola helped recruit a candidate with the same first and last name as Sullivan — which Peltola’s team denied.
The Mississippi race between GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde Smith and Democrat Scott Colom is also unexpectedly close.
GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts won reelection in the Nebraska Senate race, CBS News projects, defeating independent Dan Osborn.
Ricketts, 62, is a former Nebraska governor who was appointed to the Senate in 2023. He faced off against Osborn, a former union leader who was making his second Senate bid.
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race, CBS News projects, becoming the nation’s first Muslim senator and retaining the seat for Democrats after one of the most contentious contests of the midterm elections.
His win came after a last-minute shakeup in the race, with former Democratic primary opponent Haley Stevens endorsing Rogers over the weekend.
Republicans’ projected victory in Montana comes after GOP Sen. Steve Daines opted in a surprise move not to seek reelection, and quickly endorsed Kurt Alme, the former U.S. attorney, ahead of the filing deadline. The maneuver was widely seen as a coordinated effort to limit competition in the GOP primary.
Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed took the stage in Michigan to declare victory. CBS News has not projected a winner in the race, which remains tight, though Democrats are assessed as the likely winners.
“Michigan, we did it!” El-Sayed said.
He said he is “so proud and honored” to be their senator-elect. If he wins against Republican Mike Rogers, El-Sayed will be the first Muslim-American elected to the U.S. Senate.
“You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates, so thank you,” he said. “This is all yours.”
He thanked voters for inviting him to their churches, synagogues and homes.
“Thank you for your trust and your belief and your kindness,” he said. “I’m going to take it all with me and I hope to bring back the kind of leadership that more than earns it.”
El-Sayed said his opponents weren’t just targeting and attacking him, “they were targeting and attacking you.”
“They want an America that is too small for some of us. We know that America is big enough for all of us,” he said.
It was a bitter race. El-Sayed’s vehement criticism of the Israeli government drew stiff pushback from Republicans and some moderate Democrats in both the primary and general election, and President Trump frequently made incendiary comments about El-Sayed, calling him “Mohammad” and saying he should be forced to go through a metal detector. He pointed to that bitterness during his speech early Wednesday.
“So Mike, enjoy your retirement!” El-Sayed said, telling him to enjoy his yachts.
“You chose hate, and Michigan chose hope,” he said. “May we never have to see the likes of you in the state again.”
“JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you’re constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January,” he said, before nodding to Vice President JD Vance’s Ohio heritage. “So you know what that means: Wolverine one, Buckeye zero!”
“Donald, look, I know you’ve struggled with my name,” he said. “So after JD swears me in in January, you can just go on and call me senator.”
“To the super PACs and special interests who tried to beat us, we are coming for your system of politics,” he said. “To AIPAC, who spent $42 million against us, thank you for giving me the opportunity to beat you twice.”
Sen. Jim Risch wins reelection in Idaho Senate race, CBS News projects. Risch, a Republican, has represented Idaho in the Senate since 2009.
In his victory speech in Texas, Democratic Senator-elect James Talarico compared his victory and his story to the biblical story of David and Goliath.
“In this race, we went up against our own Goliaths — the richest man in the world, the most powerful man in the world, and the entire Washington, D.C. establishment,” Talarico said.
“David wasn’t as big or as strong as Goliath,” he continued. “He didn’t have as many weapons. But he had hope. He had faith. And he had a slingshot. You were my slingshot. The people of Texas were my slingshot. And tonight, and tonight, we defeated Goliath.”
Earlier in the evening, Paxton congratulated Talarico, saying he would pray for him.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised the work his Senate majority has done over the last few years as control of the chamber is poised to switch hands in the new year, while warning that Democrats may try to unwind their efforts.
“As we head into 2027, Senate Republicans will not stand idly by as the far-left, socialist wing of the Democrat Party attempts to unwind everything we’ve done,” Thune wrote in a post on X. “Thankfully, we still have President Trump in the White House, and we’ll work with him to stop the worst impulses of Democrat extremism. We cannot let their fringe positions become the mainstream.”
Sen. Mike Rounds wins reelection in South Dakota Senate race, CBS News projects. Rounds, a Republican, has represented South Dakota in the Senate since 2015.
Sen. Jeff Merkley wins reelection in Oregon Senate race, CBS News projects. Merkley, a Democrat, has represented Oregon in the Senate since 2009.
Julia Letlow wins Louisiana Senate race, CBS News projects. Letlow, who’s represented Louisiana in the House since 2021, bested incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy in the Republican primary after receiving President Trump’s endorsement.
The closely watched Michigan Senate race is likely Democrat, CBS News estimates, as a series of Democratic victories in other battleground states have already delivered Democrats the necessary seats for a majority.
Facing intense criticism from Republicans, El-Sayed’s victory would be notable, especially after he defeated a more moderate opponent in the primary — an opponent who crossed party lines to back GOP candidate Mike Rogers in recent days.
Democrat Troy Jackson is projected to defeat GOP Sen. Susan Collins, toppling the powerful fifth-term senator whose seat Democrats have long sought.
Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, faced an uphill battle in a state that Kamala Harris won by almost seven points in 2024, despite her reputation as among the most independent-minded in the Senate.
The projected victory comes after a messy Democratic primary, where the party’s initial nominee Graham Platner withdrew after an allegation of sexual assault. Maine Democrats nominated Jackson, 58, as their nominee in July, after he lost a bid for governor earlier in the year. The fifth-generation logger previously served as president of the Maine state Senate and has billed himself as a champion for the working class.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke as Democrats gained enough seats to flip control of the upper chamber, saying, “against all odds, we Democrats have won the Senate.”
Schumer said Democrats have five words for Americans: “Relief is on the way.”
The New York Democrat said that the candidates have touched his heart. To Republicans, he said they made a choice to follow Trump “over the cliff,” calling him “the worst president ever.” Schumer said “the American people reduced the red brick wall to a pile of bricks,” and now Democrats must deliver.
— Ian McKinney
Longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins has conceded to Democratic challenger Troy Jackson.CBS News has not projected a winner in the race.
“It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of Maine in the United States Senate. I’m proud of all I have been able to accomplish for our state and for our country in the past 30 years,” she said, confirming that she called to congratulate Jackson and “to assure him that my staff and I will work to ensure a smooth transition.”
A senior Jackson adviser also told CBS News that Collins conceded.
Democrat Peggy Planagan is projected to defeat Republican Michele Tafoya, defending the seat for Democrats after Sen. Tina Smith opted not to seek reelection.
Flanagan, 47, is the lieutenant governor and a former state representative who ran on progressive policies like Medicare for All, defeating a more moderate candidate in the primary. The projected victory is a win for Democrats who are defending a handful of seats as they eye a number of possible flips elsewhere.
Sen. Bill Hagerty wins reelection in Tennessee Senate race, CBS News projects.Hagerty, a Republican, has represented Tennessee in the Senate since 2021.
Barry Moore wins Alabama Senate race, CBS News projects. The projected victory comes after GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville opted not to seek reelection. Moore has represented Alabama in the House since 2021.
Speaking at a watch party in Columbia, South Carolina, Republican Sen. Darlene Graham said it’s been a “very difficult few months” — a reference to the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.
“I lost my dear brother Lindsey and one of our South Carolina’s greatest leaders in July,” she said. “Since then, I’ve run in a contentious primary and runoff extending into mid-August, and now a general election. I would trade this all 1,000 times over to have my brother back, but God had a different plan.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton gave a short concession speech Tuesday night, saying he would be “praying” for Democrat James Talarico “if he will do good for Texas and this nation.”
“I’ll always love Texas,” Paxton said. “We will still fight for this state. We will fight for our country. We’ve had a difficult night tonight across the country, but it’s not over.”
Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek is projected to defeat GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson in a major pickup for Democrats. Turek, 47, is a former wheelchair basketball Paralympian who campaigned on his record of working across the aisle, while pledging to work with the president.
The projected victory comes as Iowa hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008, and Mr. Trump won the state by 13 points in 2024. But the state that’s moved to the right in recent years appeared to become more competitive as persistent affordability issues and the White House’s tariff policies weigh on Iowans. The seat is being vacated by GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, who opted not to seek reelection.
Democrats won control of the Senate in the 2026 elections, CBS News projects, with a raft of victories over Republicans in key races, cementing the new majority and flipping party control of the upper chamber.
Rev. Adam Hamilton is projected to defeat GOP Sen. Roger Marshall, unseating the sitting senator in a major upset that marks the first time in nearly a century that the state has elected a Democrat to the Senate.
Hamilton, 62, leads the U.S.’ largest United Methodist church, with widespread name recognition as a well-known author and speaker. He campaigned on an affordability-focused agenda as he took on Marshall, who was seeking a second term in the Senate after representing Kansas in the House since 2017.
Former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is projected to defeat Sen. Jon Husted, flipping the seat for Democrats two years after he lost his reelection bid in the Buckeye State.
Brown, 73, lost narrowly in 2024 to GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno, but he maintained a strong working-class brand in the state, propelling him to victory over Husted, who was appointed to the seat last year to replace Vice President JD Vance.
GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said that the “voters have spoken,” congratulating state Rep. James Talarico, the Democrat in the race for Cornyn’s seat.
“The voters have spoken, and I want to extend my congratulations to James Talarico on his election to the U.S. Senate,” Cornyn wrote in a post on X. “I look forward to meeting him and offering my assistance with his transition as he prepares to serve Texans in the U.S. Senate.”
Cornyn was defeated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the GOP primary, after President Trump made a last-minute endorsement. At the time, Senate Republicans acknowledged that the outcome made the state a heavier lift for the GOP, and possibly put the seat in jeopardy.
Democratic state Rep. James Talarico is projected to defeat GOP Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, marking a major flip for Democrats that they have long sought in the Lone Star State.
Talarico, 37, is a former teacher and Presbyterian seminarian. The projected victory comes as Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988. But the party saw their chances improving after Paxton defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primary, given Paxton’s history of personal controversies and his more conservative positions.
CBS News projects that Democrats will take control of the House, flipping the lower chamber and adding to the stakes for both parties as Senate control remains up in the air.
If Republicans lose control of the upper chamber as well, their efforts to confirm the president’s executive and judicial branch nominees will come to a standstill, and they’ll lose a firewall against the probes and possible impeachments that House Democrats are expected to pursue.
Kevin Hern wins Oklahoma Senate race, CBS News projects. The projected victory comes after Markwayne Mullin departed the Senate in March to take the helm at the Department of Homeland Security. Sen. Alan Armstrong was appointed to fill the vacancy, and under Oklahoma state law, anyone appointed to an empty Senate seat must pledge not to run for a full term. Hern has represented Oklahoma in the House since 2018.
Andy Barr wins Kentucky Senate race, CBS News projects.The projected victory comes after GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell, the longest serving party leader in Senate history, announced his retirement. Barr has represented Kentucky in the House since 2013.
CBS News rates the battleground Michigan Senate race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers as a toss-up.
This comes after Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed in the primary, shocked the political world on Sunday when she decided to change her endorsement from El-Sayed to Rogers.
Democrat Annie Andrews defeated GOP Sen. Darline Graham in the South Carolina Senate race, CBS News projects, in a major upset.
Andrews, 45, is a pediatrician and campaigned on healthcare access and affordability, along with fighting corruption in Washington. She faced off against Graham, the incumbent senator who was appointed to serve out the remainder of her brother Lindsey Graham’s term after his sudden death in July.
The Kansas Senate race is leaning Democrat, CBS News estimates. Reverend Adam Hamilton is taking on GOP Sen. Roger Marshall in the race that grew surprisingly competitive in recent weeks. Kansas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate in almost a century.
The Texas Senate race is leaning Democrat, CBS News estimates, after polls closed in the Lone Star State.
Democrats are hoping to break a long streak of GOP wins in the state with their candidate, state Rep. James Talarico. Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988. But Democrats saw their chances improving when Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primary.
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who won reelection, took to the stage to thank the voters and volunteers.
“Georgia, you did it!” he said.
Ossoff also congratulated fellow Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, who won the governor’s race.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Ossoff told the voters in his speech.
Two senior Republican party operatives involved in the party’s midterm strategy told CBS News there is growing concern within top Senate GOP circles that Election Night could be especially bad for Republicans.
“It looks biblically bad,” one of the operatives told CBS News.
Another top GOP operative directly involved in Senate midterm strategy was more blunt in their response. “Dude,” the Republican strategist said. “Bloodbath.”
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina congratulated Democrat Roy Cooper for his projected victory in the race to replace him in the upper chamber.
“I look forward to working with him during the transition,” Tillis said in a post on X. “Representing the Old North State in the world’s most deliberative body is an honor of a lifetime and Susan and I wish Roy and Kristin the very best in the years ahead.”
The South Carolina Senate race leans Democratic, CBS News estimates. Annie Andrews, the Democratic candidate, is leading Darline Graham, the Republican incumbent and sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.
The last time a Democrat won a Senate race in South Carolina was 1998, and that was a longtime incumbent senator, Fritz Hollings.
Republican Harriet Hageman wins Wyoming Senate race, CBS News projects. Hageman’s projected victory comes after GOP Sen. Cynthia Lummis opted not to seek reelection. Hageman has represented Wyoming in the House since 2023.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito wins reelection in West Virginia Senate race, CBS News projects. Capito, a Republican, has represented West Virginia in the Senate since 2015.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján wins reelection in New Mexico Senate race, CBS News projects. Luján, a Democrat, has represented New Mexico in the Senate since 2021.
Sen. John Hickenlooper wins reelection in Colorado Senate race, CBS News projects. Hickenlooper, a Democrat, has represented Colorado in the Senate since 2021.
Polls closed at 9 p.m. ET in more than a dozen new states, including Texas, Iowa, Michigan and Kansas.
New Hampshire GOP Senate candidate John Sununu conceded the race in Manchester, New Hampshire. He opened by thanking everyone saying, “This has been an incredible campaign, but it is not our night.”
Sununu also said he called Pappas to congratulate him and that “he ran a good campaign.”
“I love the state, the voters of New Hampshire, and their engagement, their participation,” Sununu said. “Today we had a fantastic turnout, and even in an unsuccessful effort, it makes me feel good as someone running for office to know that people really care.”
— Ian McKinney
Sen. Ashley Moody wins Florida Senate race, CBS News projects.Moody, a Republican, was appointed last year to fill a vacancy left by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. With the projected victory in the special election, Moody will serve out the remainder of Rubio’s term, which ends in early 2029.
Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is projected to defeat former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, marking a flip for Democrats after Sen. Thom Tillis opted not to seek reelection.
Cooper, 69, is a popular two-term governor and the longest-serving state attorney general in North Carolina’s history. Cooper faced off with Whatley, who had never previously run for office and entered the Senate race after President Trump’s encouragement. The projected victory comes as North Carolina hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 2008.
Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas defeated former GOP Sen. John Sununu in the New Hampshire Senate race, CBS News projects, keeping the seat in Democratic control after Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s retirement.
Pappas, 46, has represented New Hampshire in the House since 2019, where he’s a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. He campaigned as an independent voice for New Hampshire, taking on a formidable opponent in Sununu, whose family has widespread name recognition in the state.
With the projected victory, he becomes the first openly gay man elected to the Senate.
Sen. Jack Reed wins reelection in Rhode Island Senate race, CBS News projects. Reed, a Democrat, has represented Rhode Island in the Senate since 1997.
Sen. Ed Markey wins reelection in Massachusetts Senate race, CBS News projects. Markey, a Democrat, has represented Massachusetts in the Senate since 2013.
Juliana Stratton wins Illinois Senate race, CBS News projects.Stratton, Illinois’ lieutenant governor, is set to become the sixth Black woman ever to serve in the Senate. The projected victory comes after Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, announced his retirement.
Sen. Chris Coons wins reelection in the Delaware Senate race, CBS News projects. Coons, a Democrat, has represented Delaware in the Senate since 2010.
Democratic Sen. Cory Booker wins reelection in the New Jersey Senate race, CBS News projects.
Booker, a Democrat, has represented New Jersey in the Senate since 2013.
At 8 p.m., polls closed in a dozen more states, including several more Senate battleground states.
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is projected to win reelection, defending his seat in a race that has long been seen as a key prize for Republicans.
Ossoff, 39, was the sole Democratic incumbent seeking reelection in a state President Trump won in 2024. He defeated GOP Rep. Mike Collins, who’s represented Georgia in the House since 2023, after a campaign that showcased Ossoff’s formidable fundraising efforts. With the projected victory, Democrats will retain a key seat, keeping their hope of winning a majority in the chamber alive.
Polls closed at 7:30 ET in three more states, including the Senate battleground state of North Carolina.
The seat is open after Sen. Thom Tillis opted not to run for reelection. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is facing Republican Michael Whatley.
CBS News rates South Carolina’s Senate race a toss-up after polls closed in the Palmetto State.
Exit polls found most voters don’t think GOP Sen. Darline Graham has the right experience to be a U.S. Senator. But it’s not a dealbreaker for all voters. About a quarter who hold this view are still voting for Graham.
At the same time, about half of voters say Democrat Annie Andrews’ views are too extreme. And most of those voters are voting against Andrews.
Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia wins reelection, CBS News projects. Warner was first elected to the Senate in 2008.
Polls are closed in six states, including two battleground Senate states, South Carolina and Georgia.
South Carolina’s Sen. Darline Graham is facing Democrat Annie Andrews in South Carolina, while Georgia’s incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff is facing Republican Mike Collins.
President Trump’s job approval is currently underwater in nearly all the Senate battleground states, according to early exit polls, including states that he won by double digits in 2024.
In all the Senate battlegrounds, more say their finances are worse, not better, compared to years ago.
And party control of the Senate was on the minds of voters. Majorities of those voting for Republican candidates and those voting for Democrats say which party controls the Senate was a major factor in their vote.
Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola told reporters on Tuesday that she felt that the accusations of fraud by her GOP opponent, incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, and other Republicans may have been the “push we needed at the final end to get people reengaged.”
“Alaskans across the state know that Dan Sullivan voted for this war in Iran 14 times,” Peltola said. “You cannot hide from that, no matter how much mudslinging and name-calling you do. So, I honestly think that to some extent it backfired, and our supporters have said, ‘no, we are not falling for these dirty tricks.'”
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit last month that sought to block the results from being certified if the incumbent senator receives fewer votes than Peltola, but a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit on Sunday. Amid the litigation, The New York Times reported last week that there was a secret effort by political operatives aligned with Peltola’s campaign to help recruit Daniel J. Sullivan to peel voters away from the senator. Peltola has denied any involvement in the alleged plan.
When asked if she was expecting more legal challenges, Peltola said: “I believe in the rule of law. I believe in justice. I believe in our courts, and I have every faith that things will turn out the way they should.”
In Anchorage, Alaska, several voters said they thought the ballot was clear despite the controversy surrounding the two Dan Sullivans, though they differed on whether the dispute itself was legitimate.
Michael Hanson, a 66-year-old Republican who voted for Dan Sullivan, said he was unhappy that the matter was being taken to court and wanted the decision left to voters. Barbara Konrad, a moderate voter who also backed Sullivan, said Mary Peltola had been “corrupted too quickly,” and was frustrated by the volume and tone of political ads in the Senate race.
— Imani Agbionu and Taurean Small
There are 11 states that are considered Senate battlegrounds, based on CBS News estimates, with eight of those being GOP-held and three are held by Democrats.
Two of the Democratic-held states, Georgia and New Hampshire, lean Democratic. The third, Michigan, is considered a toss up.
Three of the Republican-held seats, South Carolina, Kansas and Iowa, are lean Republican. But four others are toss ups: Maine, Ohio, Texas and Alaska. The eighth state, North Carolina, is lean Democratic.
Democrats need to net four seats to take control of the upper chamber.
In the midterm elections, the party in the White House often suffers losses, and that, along with the GOP’s current standing with voters, has thrown a map that seemed pretty favorable to Republicans into question.
Democrats have pickup opportunities in some states that will determine control of the upper chamber: North Carolina, Ohio, Maine, Alaska, Kansas, Iowa and Texas. But at the same time, they’re on the defensive in some states, too, like Michigan.
Democrats last won control of the Senate in 2022, maintaining a narrow majority throughout the Biden administration. Control of the upper chamber has major implications for the White House and its policy priorities and nominations, as Mr. Trump eyes the final two years of his presidency.
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