Visualising how the US midterms turned the map blue

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported that the 2026 US midterm elections produced a major shift in congressional power, with Democrats winning control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate as votes were still being counted. The outlet said turnout was near record levels, with about 122.7 million ballots tallied and roughly 48.8 percent of eligible voters participating, the second-highest midterm turnout in more than a century. The figures cited were based on preliminary estimates from the University of Florida’s Election Lab.

According to the report, Democrats had secured at least 240 House seats and 54 Senate seats by Thursday morning UTC, while Republicans had won 147 House seats and 44 Senate seats. The article said Democrats flipped at least seven Republican-held Senate seats and at least 31 House districts, including competitive races in states such as New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Wisconsin and Michigan.

The piece also highlighted a series of firsts and milestone victories. It said Texas elected its first Democratic senator since 1993 and its first Latina governor, while Kansas, South Carolina, Michigan, New Hampshire, Georgia and New Mexico also saw candidates make history in statewide races. Al Jazeera noted that the results strip Republicans of their congressional majority ahead of the new Congress, which is set to begin on January 3, 2027.