Democratic Party gains US House majority in 2026 midterm elections

What the report says

The Democratic Party has regained control of the US House of Representatives after Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to Al Jazeera. All 435 seats in the lower chamber were on the ballot, and Democrats needed a net gain of five seats to flip the chamber. The result ends Republican control of the House that began after the 2022 midterms.

Al Jazeera reported that the outgoing 119th Congress included 218 Republicans, 214 Democrats, one independent and two vacancies before the new balance was confirmed. The House victory gives Democrats control of one chamber of Congress even as other midterm races continue to shape the federal balance of power. The next Congress, the 120th, is scheduled to be sworn in on January 3, 2027.

The report says the win puts House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York in line to become speaker, replacing Republican Mike Johnson of Louisiana. If selected, Jeffries would be the chamber’s top officer and the third person in the line of succession to the presidency. Al Jazeera also noted that Democrats had been broadly expected to regain the chamber amid backlash to President Donald Trump’s second administration, which had left Republicans holding the White House and both chambers before the election.