From Texas to Kansas, 6 stunning midterm results that upended the political map
From Texas to Kansas, 6 stunning midterm results that upended the political map
The 2026 midterms have been dubbed a referendum on President Donald Trump, and voters have decided.
Republicans have lost their control of the House and Senate, with Democrats so far winning 54 Senate seats and flipping seven of those seats. Meanwhile, Republicans' slim House majority was wiped away, as Democrats have won 228 seats, flipping 25 seats, and Republicans at 139 seats.
Here are the top six surprises from Tuesday's election night.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was ousted from her seat by Democratic candidate Troy Jackson, a fifth-generation logger, who campaigned on abolishing ICE and establishing Medicare for All.
Jacksons victory marks the end of Collins nearly three-decade tenure as a bipartisan moderate. Collins previously broke ranks with Republicans on major votes such as Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and Trump's second impeachment trial.
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She is Maines longest-serving member of Congress and chaired the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, a position that gave her significant influence over federal spending and funding for Maine projects.
Meanwhile, Jackson, who has been involved in Maine politics since the 2000s, entered the campaign in July after former Democratic nominee Graham Platner dropped out of the race following allegations of sexual assault, which he denied. Platner's campaign was riddled with controversy for months, following old Reddit posts from an account belonging to him in which he made disparaging remarks about poor White people and referred to himself as a "communist." He also faced criticism for a tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol.
Abdul El-Sayed won the swing state of Michigan, becoming the first Muslim to be elected to the Senate.
The former Detroit Health Department leader faced pushback from a coalition of Jewish voters and Democrats concerned about his rhetoric on Israel and his ties to controversial political streamer Hasan Piker.
In his victory speech, El-Sayed invoked the Arabic phrase "alhamdulillah," which means "praise be to God."
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The progressive candidate also issued a warning shot to his defeated opponent, former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers.
"Enjoy your retirement," El-Sayed said of the Republican candidate. "You chose hate, and Michigan chose hope. May we never have to see the likes of you in this state again."
El-Sayed ran his campaign on a two-point agenda, consisting of Medicare for All and getting corporate dollars out of politics. While not a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), El-Sayed campaigned with socialist heavyweights, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
Meanwhile, Rogers was joined by President Donald Trump on the campaign trail, who warned that an El-Sayed victory would be detrimental to the country.
"If Abdul and the Democrats win, they will open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadis to our shores, creating a nightmare of violence and terror until you cannot even have a Christmas," Trump said at a rally last month.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas lost his re-election bid to Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa, a state representative, ending his more than decade in office.
