0:00 Kansas just elected its first Democratic senator since 1932.0:04 Texas, its first since 1988.0:05 And in Mississippi, a Senate race is separated by a few dozen votes, out of nearly a million.0:12 This is the night that flipped Congress.0:14 As of about four in the morning Eastern time on Wednesday, November fourth, Democrats have won control of both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate.0:26 That outcome is confirmed by major news organizations, though counting continues across several states and final tallies remain unsettled.0:35 In the House, CBS News projected a Democratic majority a little after ten in the evening Eastern time, and the Associated Press has called the chamber as well.0:46 The magic threshold in the House is two hundred eighteen seats out of four hundred thirty-five.0:52 NBC News currently projects Democrats will finish with two hundred fifty-eight House seats.0:59 That figure is an estimate, and the final count is not yet certified, but the majority itself is settled.1:06 In the Senate, the decisive call came shortly before midnight Eastern, when the Associated Press projected that Democrats had captured the chamber.1:16 To understand the scale of what took place, look at the baseline math.1:20 Going into Tuesday, Republicans held fifty-three seats in the Senate.1:25 Because Republican Vice President JD Vance breaks ties in a fifty-fifty chamber, Democrats could not settle for an even split.1:33 They needed a minimum of fifty-one seats to secure outright control.1:38 As of four Eastern, both NBC News and Fox News count fifty-four Democratic seats and forty-four Republican seats, with two races still undecided.1:48 That majority was built on seven individual seats that flipped from Republican to Democratic hands.1:55 Those seven flips reshaped the Senate map, reaching into states that have voted reliably Republican for decades.2:02 In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Senator Roger Marshall.2:07 According to CBS News, Hamilton is the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Kansas since 1932.2:14 That is ninety-four years without a Democratic senator from that state.2:19 In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.2:24 CBS reports that Talarico is the first Democrat elected to the United States Senate from Texas since 1988.2:31 NBC News adds that no Democrat had won ANY statewide election in Texas since 1994.2:37 In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Darline Graham.2:42 CBS News characterized that race as a major upset, capturing a seat Republicans had held securely for years.2:49 In North Carolina, former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley, flipping a seat in a state that has seen closely contested federal races for several cycles.3:02 In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Senator Jon Husted, retaking a seat in a state where Republicans have held widespread statewide dominance in recent elections.3:14 In Iowa, Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Ashley Hinson, securing another Midwestern seat previously held by the Republican column.3:23 And in Maine, Democratic state lawmaker Troy Jackson defeated Republican Senator Susan Collins, ending her tenure after nearly three decades in Washington.3:34 The contest in Maine stands out because of the margin and the tenure involved.3:39 Senator Collins conceded the race shortly after midnight Eastern.3:43 In her concession statement, she said: "It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of Maine in the United States Senate." According to CBS News exit polling, local economic pressures played a direct role in that outcome.3:59 CBS reports that sixty-nine percent of Maine voters said tariffs have harmed their local economy.4:06 For an electorate with a large manufacturing, agricultural, and maritime base, that economic assessment weighed heavily on the race.4:15 Beyond the flipped seats, the night produced notable holds and historic milestones.4:20 In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed was projected the winner over Republican Mike Rogers, holding a seat for Democrats.4:28 According to CBS News, El-Sayed becomes the first Muslim senator in United States history.4:34 In Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff successfully defended his seat against Republican Representative Mike Collins, keeping a battleground state in the Democratic column.4:46 In New Hampshire, Democratic Representative Chris Pappas held an open Senate seat for his party, defeating Republican former Senator John Sununu.4:56 At the same time, Republicans held several competitive contests of their own.5:01 In Florida, Republican Ashley Moody held her seat against Democrat Angie Nixon.5:07 In Montana, Republican Kurt Alme defeated independent candidate Seth Bodnar, preserving Republican representation in that state.5:15 In Louisiana, Republican Julia Letlow won her contest against Democrat Jamie Davis.5:21 And in Nebraska, a race that CBS News had rated as a toss-up concluded with Republican Senator Pete Ricketts holding his seat.5:29 Ricketts was projected the winner over independent Dan Osborn, leading approximately fifty percent to forty-four percent with about eighty-seven percent of the expected vote counted.5:42 The shift in power extended directly into gubernatorial mansions across the country.5:47 In several major states, Democrats flipped governorships that had long been controlled by Republicans.5:54 In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Governor Greg Abbott, ending his tenure as governor and giving Democrats control of the executive branch in Austin.6:06 In Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, capturing the governor's office in Columbus.6:13 In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson.6:18 CBS News reports that Bottoms is the first Democrat to win a Georgia governor's race since 1998.6:24 And in Iowa, Democrat Rob Sand defeated Republican Zach Lahn, flipping the governorship in Des Moines.6:31 Republicans recorded their own notable victory in Florida, where Republican Representative Byron Donalds defeated Democrat David Jolly.
