Democrats win House and Senate control in sweeping victory

Updated 37m ago

2 Senate races still haven't been called

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 also remains close — a contest that was not widely viewed as competitive prior to Tuesday.

38m ago

Dozens of House races yet to be determined

Democrats won control of the House, but about 75 races have yet to be determined.

We're awaiting results in a number of competitive races, including some that are unexpectedly close:

Arizona's 1st District : Republican Jay Feely vs. Democrat Amish Shah

Arizona's 6th District : Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani vs. Democrat JoAnna Mendoza

California's 22nd District : GOP Rep. David Valadao vs. Democrat Randy Villegas

Colorado's 4th District : GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert vs. Democrat Eileen Laubacher

Colorado's 5th District : GOP Rep. Jeff Crank vs. Democrat Jessica Killin

Michigan's 4th District : GOP Rep. Bill Huizenga vs. Democrat Sean McCann

Michigan's 7th District : Republican Rep. Tom Barrett vs. Democrat William Lawrence

Montana's 1st District : Republican Aaron Flint vs. Democrat Sam Forstag

Florida's 7th District : Democrat Bale Dalton vs. Republican Ryan Elijah

Florida's 9th District : Democratic Rep. Darren Soto vs. Republican Dan Green

Florida's 13th District : GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna vs. Democrat Leela Gray

Florida's 27th District : GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar vs. Democrat Eliott Rodriguez

New York's 17th District : GOP Rep. Mike Lawlor vs. Democrat Cait Conley

North Carolina's 1st District : Democratic Rep. Don Davis vs. Republican Laurie Buckhout

North Carolina's 9th District : GOP Rep. Richard Hudson vs. Democrat Richard Ojeda

Virginia's 1st District : GOP Rep. Rob Wittman vs. Democrat Shannon Taylor

Washington's 3rd District : Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez vs. Republican John Braun

56m ago

Sen. Pete Ricketts wins Nebraska Senate election, fending off challenge from independent Dan Osborn

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.

Read more here .

3:56 AM

Iran reacts to election results

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a key negotiator in U.S.-Iran talks, recognized Tuesday's election results — and linked them to the high consumer prices wrought by the Iran war.

"Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message," he wrote on social media . "If the US govt betrays their public will to serve international paymasters and blackmailers, it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare."

2:30 AM

Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate race

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.

Read more here .

1:54 AM

Elon Musk's first election night X post: "Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now"

In his first public comments since Democrats notched House and Senate victories, billionaire Elon Musk wrote on X : "Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now."

The world's richest man spent hundreds of millions of dollars assisting Republican congressional candidates. His biggest investment came in the Texas Senate race, which Republican Ken Paxton lost to Democrat James Talarico.

Updated 1:52 AM

Adam Hamilton, Kansas' senator-elect, tells CBS News he'll be an "independent-minded Democrat"

Adam Hamilton became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Kansas since 1932 on Tuesday — a feat that required him to convince a large number of Republicans to cross the aisle and vote for him, even if that meant losing the Senate majority for their preferred party.

CBS News asked what he thinks Democrats should do first. He said they should end the war in Iran, address tariffs, lower healthcare costs and restore programs like SNAP — commonly known as food stamps — that were curtailed by the last Congress.

When asked what Democrats could propose that he wouldn't support on behalf of the Republicans who voted for him, he said he believed in a strong border.

"I am an independent-minded Democrat. I'm going to work across the aisle so that Republicans and Democrats take into account each other's concerns," he told CBS News.

Hamilton now has the task of representing his bipartisan coalition in a Congress where Democrats have been empowered with control of both houses. Kansas' other Senate seat is held by Republican Sen. Jerry Moran, who Hamilton has said will be his "best friend."

"We are not flyover country. We are the heart of America. And today the heart of America has sent Washington a message: that we are better together than we are divided," Hamilton told supporters in a victory speech.

1:43 AM

HED Democrat Abdul El-Sayed declares victory: "Michigan, we did it!"

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."

1:30 AM

Obama says American people "sent a clear message"

Former President Barack Obama said American voters sent a "clear message," but Democrats now need to "roll up our sleeves."

"Tonight, the American people sent a clear message — they want a politics that brings people together rather than divides them, and leaders who offer concrete solutions to the challenges they face," said the former president, who held several rallies for Democratic candidates in recent weeks.

"These results were only possible because outstanding candidates stepped forward in every region of the country — including in areas once considered long shots," he said. "They came from different backgrounds and represented a range of political perspectives, but were united by shared values, a belief in public service, and a commitment to putting the people of their districts and states first."

He also expressed gratitude to election officials and volunteers.

"While this administration has another two years in office, our job now is to roll up our sleeves, make changes wherever we have the power to do so, prevent further damage, and lay the groundwork for the future," he said.

1:28 AM

Embattled GOP Rep. Max Miller loses reelection after allegations of domestic abuse, pressure to resign

Embattled GOP Rep. Max Miller lost his bid for reelection to Democrat Brian Poindexter in Ohio's 7th Congressional District, CBS News projected.

Miller defied calls over the summer to end his campaign before a deadline that would have allowed Republicans to replace him on the November ballot amid allegations of domestic abuse toward his ex-wife and young daughter. The allegations, which Miller denied, put the northeastern Ohio district long held by Republicans in play.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rated the race as solid Republican earlier this year, but shifted the contest to a toss-up in August.

Read more here .

1:18 AM

Republican and Democrat neck-and-neck in Mississippi Senate race

Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is in an unexpectedly close fight to keep her Senate seat. She and Democrat Scott Colom are neck-and-neck in Mississippi, with nearly all of the votes in.

1:16 AM

Most Maine voters felt GOP Sen. Susan Collins was too close to Trump, exit polls show

When Republican Sen. Susan Collins was reelected in 2020, she narrowly won women voters. But exit polls show that on Tuesday, they backed Democrat Troy Jackson, who is projected to defeat Collins.

While Collins often tries to distance herself from President Trump, women voters and most Maine voters overall said she was too supportive of the president.

And Mr. Trump's tariffs are not popular here. Most Maine voters (69%) feel they have harmed their local economy. Many in the state said the cost of living was a crucial factor in their vote and they voted for Jackson by a 33-point margin.

Even though more voters thought Collins would do a better job than Jackson getting federal funding for Maine, that wasn't enough to push her over the top.

1:04 AM

GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers says "there is a path for us to win this thing"

Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers expressed confidence, telling supporters early Wednesday morning, "there is a path for us to win this thing."

"Guess what's left? It's coming our way," he said.

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed currently has a lead, but around one-third of the vote is still uncounted. CBS News assesses that the seat is a likely Democratic win, but has not projected a winner.

Rogers said: "We're very, very confident we're going to turn this thing around," before telling supporters to get some sleep.

1:03 AM

Polls close in Alaska

Polls closed in Alaska at 1 a.m. ET, meaning all voting in the United States has concluded.

The Senate race in Alaska will be closely watched, by anyone still awake.

12:56 AM

"Tonight, we defeated Goliath," Talarico says in Texas

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.