Democrats Achieve Historic Senate Wins in Kansas and Texas
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America has a case of the blues.The Democrats shattered records Tuesday night, becoming the first party to sweep both the House and the Senate in a Midterm election in 20 years, as dozens of historically safe red Republican seats fell.In a stunning rebuke of President Trump’s administration, Democrats picked up their first US Senate seat in Kansas in almost a century, one of at least seven Senate seats flipped during Tuesday’s blue tsunami.Republicans also lost Senate races in staunchly red Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.Meanwhile, Democrats also secured the House, making President Trump’s last two years potentially even harder.Here were some of Tuesday’s most shocking upsets:Democratic Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico speaks at an election night event in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. AP Photo/Eric GayLosin’ TexasIn the Lone Star State, James Talarico made history by becoming the first Democrat elected to the US Senate from Texas since 1988, beating state Attorney General Ken Paxton.Trump ally Paxton, 63, had unseated 24-year incumbent John Cornyn in May’s primary runoff, but his history of scandals and controversy doomed him in the voters’ eyes.Despite hefty financial backing, including nearly $200 million coming from the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, Paxton lost to Talarico by over one million voters, with AP calling the race just after 11 p.m. 55.2% to 42.9% in Talarico’s favor.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott delivers a speech at an election night rally in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. REUTERSGreg Abb-outIn possibly the biggest shock of the night, three-term Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott lost re-election to state Rep. Gina Hinojosa in a stunning upset which could have long-term ramifications in America’s second-most popular state.The seismic Democratic sweep in Texas now positions the once-Republican stronghold as a key 2028 battleground state. In other gubernatorial bloodbaths, Ohio and Georgia also both voted for Democratic governors — with Amy Acton besting former Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio, and Keisha Lance Bottoms winning in Georgia. Ramaswamy’s campaign was derailed when he produced a controversial campaign ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother, who remained married to Acton’s alleged rapist after he was criminally charged.Bottoms’ win in the Peach State makes her the first black woman elected governor of a US state. Follow for live updates on the 2026 Midterm ElectionsKansas catastropheIn the Sunflower State, megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton became the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Kansas since 1932, stunning Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.).Hamilton won with 52.1% of the vote, compared with Marshall’s 45%, with 94% of ballots counted as of 11 p.m. Tuesday.Marshall, an obstetrician-gynecologist, came under fire over reports that he sued some 700 patients over unpaid bills, including an eight-month pregnant woman who was arrested after missing a medical debt payment with an 18% interest rate.U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., speaks to supporters during an election night event, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. AP Photo/Jeffrey CollinsNo family affairSouth Carolina Republican Darline Graham couldn’t keep her late brother Lindsey Graham’s US Senate seat, losing to Democrat Annie Andrews in another historic upset.Andrews became the first Democrat to win a Palmetto State Senate race since 1998, defeating Graham, who was plucked from obscurity by Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) to fill the seat following her brother’s death in July at age 71.Despite President Trump throwing his support behind Graham and joining her on the campaign trail, she lost by almost 100,000 votes, with AP calling the seat for Andrews with the vote tallies at 51.1% to 46.7%.More coverage of the 2026 midterm elections:
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Maine eventIn Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated longtime Sen. Susan Collins on Tuesday, ending the incumbent’s nearly 30-year-long run in the upper chamber.Jackson garnered 53.8% of the vote to Collins’ 46.1% with 86% of the votes counted, despite initially finishing third in the Maine Democratic gubernatorial primary.His defeat of Collins, the longest-serving female Republican senator in history, came even after he was swapped in at the last minute to replace original nominee Graham Platner, whose campaign collapsed in a series of scandals including alleged Nazi tattoos and allegations of sexual assault and infidelity.Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during an Election Night rally in Detroit, Michigan, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. REUTERSSayed it ain’t soIn Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed astonishingly defeated Republican Mike Rogers, becoming the first Muslim Senator in US history.El-Sayed led Rogers by 52.5% to 45.5% with 97% of votes counted, shattering the belief that a hard-left candidate couldn’t win in a Midwestern swing state.His campaign had been one of the most closely watched on Tuesday, after running on a far-left platform of universal Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, and cutting off military aid for Israel.
