Democrats flip 43 House seats and win control

House control changes hands

Democrats won control of the House in the 2026 midterm elections after gaining Republican-held districts across several regions. As of Nov. 5, 43 seats had shifted to Democrats and two had shifted to Republicans, with dozens of races still awaiting a CBS News projection.

The Democratic gains stretched from suburban districts in the Northeast to South Texas. They included regular swing seats and districts that had recently favored Republicans by wide margins.

New maps shape the contests

The election followed mid-decade redistricting in several states. Texas Republicans moved multiple districts to the right at President Trump’s request, while California Democrats moved districts to the left. Other states also changed their congressional boundaries for party advantage.

Democrats recorded several gains under the new maps. In Missouri, Republicans had sought to make the 2nd District more favorable to their party, but courts rejected the revised map.

Eight notable Democratic gains

In New Jersey’s 2nd District, Democrat Zack Mullock defeated Republican Rep.

Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker defeated Republican Rep. Mike Turner in Ohio’s 10th District, ending his nearly 25 years in Congress. Democrat Don Leonard also defeated Republican Rep. Mike Carey in Ohio’s 15th.

Democrat Fred Wellman unseated Republican Rep. Ann Wagner in Missouri’s 2nd. Democrat J.D. Ford defeated Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz in Indiana’s 5th.

Democrat Zach Dembo won Kentucky’s open 6th District against Republican Ralph Alvarado. Democrat Mitchell Berman defeated Republican Rep. Bryan Steil in Wisconsin’s 1st, which had not elected a Democrat in more than 30 years.

In Nevada’s open 2nd District, Democrat Teresa Benitez-Thompson defeated Republican David Flippo, becoming the first Democrat in decades to represent Northern Nevada.