Results and reporting checked through 11:33 p.m. EST, Nov. 3, 2026.
A blue wave was breaking through Republican strongholds Tuesday night, with Democrats winning U.S. Senate seats in Texas and both Carolinas while gaining ground in the House and taking Georgia’s governorship.
The most dramatic new breakthrough came in Texas. The Associated Press declared James Talarico the Senate winner, adding a third Republican-held Senate seat to the Democratic pickup column after North Carolina and South Carolina. Control of Congress remained unsettled as the western vote count began.
The results had already changed the shape of the election. Democrats were winning beyond the familiar battlegrounds, forcing Republicans to absorb losses in states long central to their national coalition.
Texas and the Carolinas redraw the Senate fight
Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, AP reported. His victory followed Annie Andrews’ win in South Carolina, where she defeated Republican incumbent Darline Graham.
In North Carolina, Roy Cooper defeated Michael Whatley, capturing another Republican-held seat. The former governor’s win gave Democrats an early opening; South Carolina and Texas widened it.
Democrats also protected two closely watched seats: Jon Ossoff’s in Georgia and the open New Hampshire seat won by Chris Pappas.
House gains build, with the final balance still open
AP’s national election report described Democrats flipping more than a half-dozen Republican-held House seats as counting continued. Those pickups do not account for any Democratic-held seats lost elsewhere.
Among the breakthroughs were Jamie Ager in North Carolina’s 11th District and Zach Dembo in Kentucky’s 6th District. Those wins extended the Democratic advance beyond statewide contests.
The expanding House battleground put districts across the country at the center of the fight over the next Congress.
Governors show the reach, and limits, of the shift
Georgia delivered a major Democratic gain when Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Rick Jackson for governor. Bottoms becomes the first Black woman elected governor in the United States, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
On the West Coast, AP declared Democrat Xavier Becerra the winner in California. Democrats also held governorships in Pennsylvania with Josh Shapiro and New York with Kathy Hochul.
Republicans had important wins of their own. Byron Donalds kept Florida’s governorship in Republican hands, and Ashley Moody won the state’s Senate special election, according to AP’s national reporting. The emerging wave had not erased Republican strength everywhere.
Georgia’s down-ballot shift reaches the utility board
Georgia supplied evidence that the Democratic advance extended below the top of the ticket. The AJC reported that Democrats won control of the Public Service Commission, with Shelia Edwards’ victory and Peter Hubbard’s reelection giving the party three of its five seats.
The paper also reported Democratic victories for secretary of state, school superintendent, labor commissioner and insurance commissioner. But Republican Rick Allen held the Augusta-area 12th Congressional District against Ceretta Smith.
The stakes reach beyond party labels. A Democratic congressional majority would reshape negotiations with President Donald Trump over legislation, spending and oversight.
Race calls in this report are attributed to news organizations. Vote totals remain unofficial until election officials complete their canvasses and certifications. Follow the GCG election tracker for continuing coverage.