Midterms: Historic victory in Georgia

Midterm elections are taking place in the USA. All 435 members of the House of Representatives and around a third of the Senate will be re-elected. 36 of 50 governorships are also up for election, and state legislatures are being re-elected in all 50 states.

According to projections, the Democrats will win the majority in both chambers of parliament, including the contested Senate. According to current projections, the Democrats will receive at least 231 of 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 54 of 100 seats in the Senate. Texas “flipped” after North and South Carolina, and now Kansas, Iowa, Ohio and Maine are also certainly blue. Four new governorships also go to the Democrats.

With their majority in the Senate and House of Representatives, they will be able to limit the president's options for action in the future. They could block new funding or set up investigative committees.

What else did we think about during the day on Tuesday? Everything could have been tight and tight and strange. And then such a clear matter for the Democrats, unbelievable!

Now almost all battles have been fought and counted. Only two of the Senate seats are still open - although one of them is a huge surprise: In Mississippi, it will probably take some time to determine the election victory: 96 percent of the votes have been counted, that's around 920,000 votes in total, and the Democratic challenger Scott Colom is ahead with 43 votes.

And in Alaska, the electoral system alone ensures that no winner has yet been determined. Currently, with 71 percent of votes counted, Republican Dan Sullivan leads Democrat Mary Peltola by 1.2 percentage points. But in Alaska, it takes a majority of over 50 percent to win outright. If no one does, what is counted is what those who did not vote for either of the two main candidates indicated as their second preference. This is inherently complicated and doesn't get any better if one of the other candidates has the same name as the Republican candidate. The result is that this too takes time.

So far we know for sure that the Democrats have gained at least 7 Senate seats and have a clear majority with at least 54 seats.

Counting for the House of Representatives is still underway in various constituencies across the country. But with at least 27 gains, the Democrats have a clear majority with at least 231 of 435 seats, and the speakership is changing from Republican Mike Johnson to Democrat Hakeem Jeffries.

And the Democrats have also made clear gains in the 36 gubernatorial elections: in Texas, Nevada, Iowa, Georgia and Ohio, the color of the executive branch is changing from Republican red to Democratic blue in five states. Georgia in particular seems important because it theoretically gives both Democratic senators, Raphael Warnock and the now re-elected Jon Ossoff, the opportunity to run for president in 2028 without having to fear that their seat will then be filled by a Republican governor with a successor from the opposite side.

The picture is less clear when it comes to the many referendums that are voted on in the states. The Californian vote on a billionaire tax had previously received the most attention. Counting is still going on there too, but with only 44 percent approval after 60 percent of votes counted, things aren't looking good. And while voters in Missouri and Virginia defended the right to abortion in referendums, Idaho clearly voted against it, and majorities in Arizona and probably Colorado also voted for harsh anti-trans policies.

We will report on what all of this means, whether and how the Democrats know how to use their new power in Washington, whether Donald Trump – who denies any blame for the Republican defeat – allows his policies to be restricted in any way. But no longer in this live ticker, which we hereby close for today. Of course, the reporting continues on taz.de and in the Epaper, and editor-in-chief Barbara Junge, New York correspondent Sebastian Moll and US editor Bernd Pickert will meet again in a few hours to discuss this historic election in the “Bundestalk” podcast; Martina Mescher moderates, tomorrow can be found wherever there are podcasts.

The opposition Democrats in Israel have congratulated the Democratic Party in the USA on its victory in the midterm elections. In a statement, the left-liberal party linked this to the hope of a rapid improvement in relations between the two countries, which had suffered greatly under the right-wing conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The day before the US elections, Trump announced that he would end billions in aid to Israel. (maf/rtr)11.27 a.m.: Spain's Prime Minister sees the end of the right-wing extremist wave, German politicians agree

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sees the results of the US midterm elections as a rejection of right-wing politics. Voters in the USA voted against measures that “only make people poor,” said Sanchez, referring to the defeats of US President Donald Trump’s Republicans. US citizens have had enough of hate, sexism and climate change denial. The right-wing extremist wave that has inspired conservative movements on both sides of the Atlantic is collapsing rather than growing.

You can also hear something similar from the SPD and the Greens in Germany. The Green Party co-chairwoman Franziska Brantner, for example, described the emerging election results in the USA as a “fantastic victory for the Democrats”. It was worth showing that there is an alternative to US President Donald Trump and his policies, “which have harmed citizens not only in the USA but worldwide,” Brantner told RBB24 Inforadio. A “stop sign against Trump and his billionaires” was shown during the election. The parliamentary director of the SPD parliamentary group, Dirk Wiese, also viewed the Democrats' victory in the US midterm elections as a hopeful sign against global right-wing populism. (maf/rtr)

Voters in the USA have shown US President Donald Trump the limits of his power. A foreign policy change in Washington is not to be expected, says USA expert Stormy-Annika Mildner, director of the transatlantic think tank Aspen Institute Germany in Berlin. “The election results are not an all-clear for Europe,” she says. One should not misunderstand the results as a return to traditional American foreign policy. “Especially in foreign policy, we should not overestimate the influence of Congress: Trump will stick to his America First policy.” (maf/afp)

In the US midterms, the Democrats won back both chambers of Congress. It is a clear vote against Trump's policies - which are now becoming even more dangerous, comments taz foreign editor Bernd Pickert. (taz)

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf sees the US election as a rejection by citizens of the war with his country. “The Americans have said ‘no to war’ and we support this message,” Ghalibaf wrote on the online platform X. The government in Washington must not ignore the will of the public and therefore not attack Iran. He threatened the US leadership with a “nightmare” if it ignored the will of the people to serve “international donors and blackmailers.” (maf/rtr)

It's a historic night in the conservative state. The Bible-based Talarico gets the Senate post, the hitherto relatively unknown Hinojosa the governor's office, writes taz-USA correspondent Hansjürgen Mai from Washington.

Elon Musk is making fun of himself after the crushing defeat of the Republicans he massively supported in the US congressional elections: “I guess my election interference space lasers didn’t work this time,” the tech billionaire wrote on the online platform X on Wednesday.

The richest man in the world had pumped almost half a billion dollars into President Donald Trump's Republican campaign for the midterm elections in the USA. In the Senate race in the southern state of Texas alone, Musk supported Republican Ken Paxton with more than $200 million (178 million euros). (ras/afp)

Hakeem Jeffries becomes Speaker of the House of Representatives and celebrates. But he has to expect headwinds from the White House and from his own ranks, writes taz-USA correspondent Sebasian Moll from New York.

The significance of the Democratic victories in South Carolina and Texas, as well as the strength of Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, can hardly be overstated. Since Republicans implemented the Southern Strategy in the 1960s, the South has been considered a safe bet for conservatives. This Tuesday's election could be the beginning of a turning point here. (sem)

The many fears that the Trump administration would intervene in or manipulate the election have not come true. Apart from the failure of a ballot scanner in New York and a few idle bomb threats, the election was extremely calm and regular. Apparently the prediction has come true that if the Democrats win overwhelmingly, it won't be worth it for Trump to sabotage the election. However, there are still two months until the new parliament takes office. (sem)

Mass has also been said in Michigan: The left-wing Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is moving to the Senate in Washington for the state. During the election campaign, not only his Republican rival Mike Rogers, but also President Trump portrayed him as a Muslim Brother and radical jihadist. After 85 percent of votes were counted, he is ahead with 52 percent to 46 percent. (pt)

According to a CNN poll, a whopping 89 percent of African Americans voted for the Democrats, after Trump made strong Republican gains among this demographic just two years ago. Trump's aggressive policies against DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), as well as the gerrymandering that took away their voice in many places, have backfired. Politico speaks of a “blacklash”. (sem)

Although Michigan has not yet been clearly decided, Abdul El-Sayed shouts “We did it” to his supporters with a broad grin. Then he does something he doesn't do that often: he ends the first lines of his speech with "Alhamdulillah!" That means “Praise be to God,” he explains – “for those on the right,” he adds with a wink.

During the election campaign, El-Sayed was harshly attacked by the Republicans because of his religion. He was insulted as a “jihadist” and accused of anti-Semitism. Now he thanks his followers for sticking by him anyway: "You placed your bet on the most unlikely of all candidates. You welcomed me into your homes, into your churches, your synagogues, your veterans' and union halls [...]. You gave me your trust, your faith and your kindness." He hopes that he can take all of this with him to Washington as a senator in the service of his constituents. (fsh)

It would be the ultimate bombshell: Even in heavily Republican Mississippi, the Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom is currently in the lead - with 28 votes and 97 percent counted. No matter what happens, Democrats will consider that the map of possible swing states for 2028 after these midterms may look very different than expected. (pt)

It's not just both chambers of Congress that are in disarray. Governorships are also being reassigned; 36 out of a total of 50 were up for election. In four of them, the Democrats wrested the positions from the Republicans: Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas will be governed democratically in the future.

In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms scores a historic victory against billionaire Rick Jackson and becomes the first black woman to lead a state. After 30 years of Republican government in Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa wins against Greg Abbott and becomes the first Latina governor. Amy Acton wins the otherwise reliably Republican Ohio against Vivek Ramaswamy, who was noticed in the election campaign with the toughest smear campaigns. And in Iowa, Rob Sand wins against Republican candidate Zach Lahn. (ras)

The AP voter survey suggests that young people and Hispanics in particular have turned away from Republicans compared to Donald Trump's election victory two years ago. The under-30s were evenly split between Trump and Kamala Harris. Now seven out of ten young voters said they voted for the Democratic candidates in the House of Representatives election.

The Republicans also performed weaker among Hispanics: only about a third said they supported the Republicans in the election for the House of Representatives in their own constituency. Two years ago, about four in ten voted for Trump. Nationwide, around six in ten Hispanic voters said they voted for the Democratic candidates in the House of Representatives election.

According to post-election surveys, the economy and the state of democracy were the most important issues for most voters. This was followed by migration, health care and much later came crime and foreign policy. (fsh)

It's 9:15 p.m. in Anchorage, Alaska, and past midnight in Chicago. All polling stations are closed, now all that is left to do is count. But it is already completely obvious: the democratic blue wave, the “Bluenami”, has overrun even states with traditionally staunchly Republican voters. The dimensions of this election defeat become clear on the “magic wall” of the TV channel CNN.

Instead of dithering for weeks, there is already a clear result: the Democrats have won both chambers of Congress. Texas “flipped” after North and South Carolina, and now Kansas, Iowa, Ohio and Maine are also certainly blue.

If this isn't the quick "landslide victory" that colleague Bernd Pickert wrote about before the election... (ras)

Susan Glasser, in a pointed op-ed in the New Yorker, points to Trump's last speech before the election, in which he bragged about renovating the reflecting basin on the Mall. Now he still has two years to complete his other big projects: his Trump Arch and a world-class golf course. However, there can no longer be any talk of making America “great” again. (sem)

Now they are making progress with the counting in Michigan. With 74 percent of votes counted, Abdul El-Sayed is ahead with 51.7 percent of the votes against 46.3 percent. At his election party, enthusiastic supporters are eagerly waiting for his victory to finally be confirmed and for him to speak to them. (pt)

Alaska is also the last state to close polling stations. Democrat Mary Peltola is currently leading against Republican candidate Dan S. Sullivan with 54.1 percent to 42.8 percent of the vote. Daniel J. Sullivan received 1.5 percent of the vote. I'm sorry, what? Yes, you read that right: There are two Sullivans on the ballot in the congressional election, alongside the incumbent Republican Senator Dan and the completely unknown retired teacher Daniel.

The Republicans suspect that this is a maneuver by the Democrats. “My opponent's campaign is literally designed to mislead, lie and defraud the people of Alaska,” the Republican candidate told reporters Tuesday in Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. “We are witnessing the largest voter fraud scandal in the history of the state of Alaska – perhaps one of the largest in the history of the U.S. Senate.” Peltola denies having any knowledge of the maneuver. (ras/ap)

Even in conservative Missouri, voters are defending the right to abortion. It was not until 2024 that the federal state also decided in a referendum to enshrine this right in the state constitution. A right-wing initiative had now called for a referendum to take back this right and also to ban any gender reassignment treatment for trans people. The initiative failed by 55.2 to 44.8 percent. (pt)

The successful Democratic candidate in Texas, James Talarico, a deeply religious pastoral candidate, speaks to his supporters in biblical equations. In this battle of David against Goliath, the Texans were his slingshot, he says, and tells a few moving anecdotes from his life. Actually a classic campaign speech - even if it should actually be over now. Someone has to tell him. (pt)

Anyone who is a Democratic supporter on the corresponding mailing lists is bombarded with begging emails several times a day in the months before important elections. Surely this should be over by now? Nope. Mail from 20 minutes after midnight, Washington time:

"We can't believe our eyes. Democrats have already flipped SIX Senate seats BLUE in North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa and Texas.

We are beyond proud of this team. Whether you’ve donated, knocked doors, made calls, sent texts, or volunteered at campaigns – thank you for being a part of this movement.

You have changed the course of history tonight.

We hope you’re filled with as much joy and hope as we are. If you’re ready to turn that hope into action, please, consider chipping in a $7 investment to power our work to keep control of Congress and take back the White House in 2028. We can’t let this blue tsunami end tonight – we need you on our team.”

Anyone who still doesn't unsubscribe from these lists is really hardcore. (pt)

From Portland, Maine, a CNN reporter reports that longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins called her Democratic challenger Troy Jackson and congratulated him on his election victory. That's actually early: In Maine, only around 65 percent of the votes have been counted. However, Jackson is ahead with 52.2 percent compared to Collins' 47.7 percent. This means that the Democrats gain another Senate seat, now there are seven. (pt)

In Michigan, where left-wing Democrat Abdul El-Sayed would like to become the first Muslim senator in the United States, only 44 percent of the votes have still been counted. That's because of Wayne County, the county that includes Detroit. About 18 percent of the state's population lives here, and the area votes Democratic but counts terribly slowly. Only 3 percent of the votes have been counted - and that's probably why the difference between El-Sayed and the Republican candidate Mike Rogers is only 50.0% to 48.1%. A stupid shaky game that should have clearly gone in favor of El-Sayed. Incidentally, it would not be a gain for the Democrats; the seat was already Democratic beforehand. (pt)

In Iowa, too, the Democrats are taking a Senate seat from the Republicans. The Democrat Josh Turek, supported by former US President Barack Obama, prevailed against Ashley Hinson, reports the AP agency after the television stations.

Success is crucial for the fight for the majority in the 100-seat chamber of parliament. Iowa was long considered a politically contested state, but in recent elections it had increasingly developed into a Republican stronghold. (dpa)

Fox News host Sean Hannity blames the war in Iran for the Republican defeat and claims the fundamentals of the economy are solid. He downplays the result as a typical midterm result in which the opposition always does well. Trump, meanwhile, is raging against Fox, questioning the forecasts and complaining that Fox is “spending far too much time on the deranged Democrats.” He tries to intervene in a broadcast by sending the presenter Greg Gutfield a text message. His studio partner, Jessica Tarlov, who called Trump "stupid as a rock," says, "Just push that away." (sem)

All blue hell is breaking loose in the outside area of ​​the Metrobar. The Democrats won the Senate. People throw their arms in the air and alternately shout “USA, USA” and “F*CK DONALD Trump”. A young man wrapped in a US flag tries to explain the election results to someone over the noise on the phone. People fall on each other's necks around him.

“This is the best result we could have hoped for!” says Rohan Singh from Michigan. "I was hoping we'd get the Senate, but I thought we'd have to wait until tomorrow morning to be sure." In the 26-year-old's home state, the result for the left-wing Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is still a while away. But Rohan is confident here too. (fsh)

Controversial left-wing streamer Hasan Piker gives an interview on Democracy Now. "Trump got too comfortable after his narrow victory in 2024. He thought he was popular. But the American people saw what we saw - and found it abhorrent." As for the left-wing agenda, he says: “We just want moderate social democratic changes, which many countries have long enjoyed.” (sem)

Trump writes on Truth Social that if Texas Governor Greg Abbott hadn't become such a "RINO," he would have won. RINO stands for Republican in Name Only. Abbott, of all people, one of the most blatant right-wing agitators and anti-immigrants! The fact that Trump has appeared in Texas dozens of times in the last few weeks and told people to vote as if his name was on the ballot - doesn't matter. But it looks like the voters did exactly that. (pt)

The 2026 midterm elections are the worst blow for a US government party in a long time. Republicans lose majorities in both houses of Congress. The Democrats currently have 50 seats in the Senate - the Democratic victory in Iowa is likely to be confirmed next (NBC has already confirmed this, the New York Times and CNN have not yet), so they have the majority. And a few seats are added.

It was expected that the Republicans would lose the House of Representatives. It is already clear at this time that this is happening - and that the current Democratic parliamentary group leader Hakeem Jeffries will be elected Speaker of the House in the next Congress. “America is back!” exclaimed Jeffries at a Democratic election party. How big the majority will be will become clear in the next few hours.

Remarkable: The Democrats' victory is so clear that so far there has been no sign of the feared sabotage actions and challenges by the Republicans. (pt)

Hakeem Jeffries speaks to his voters in Washington. The representative from New York will be the new Speaker of the House of Representatives and therefore the most powerful Democrat in the country. "The American people have spoken, north and south, east and west: They have had enough of extremism and corruption. This is not a blue moment, nor a red one. This is a red, white, and blue moment. Today, America won." (sem)

Perennially Republican Kansas is sending Democrat Adam Hamilton to Washington, the first Democratic senator in 94 years. (pt)

Now it's getting really crazy. In Texas, not only does James Talarico win the Senate seat, the Republicans also lose the governorship. Greg Abbott, one of the most conservative governors in the USA, has been voted out; instead, Texas has the first Latina to lead the state, Gina Hinojosa.

And in Ohio, Trump's deputy JD Vance's former Senate seat also goes to the Democrats. Craziness!! (pt)

Texas goes to the Christian critic of capitalism James Talarico. This is the first time since 1988 that a Democrat has won the race for a Senate seat. His opponent Ken Paxton was intensively supported by Donald Trump. (fsh)

Trump's candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was defeated in the Ohio gubernatorial election. The new governor will be Democrat Amy Acton, who was subjected to a particularly disgusting smear campaign during the election campaign. (pt)

In Colorado, Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros is elected to Congress with 78.3 percent of the vote. In an interview with Democracy Now she says "Trump is a lunatic, a disturbed person who has no respect for human life. We must hold him accountable." (sem)

"I wasn't on the ballot, and if I had been, we would have won a LANDSLIDE VICTORY! Thank you for your attention to this matter," writes US President Donald Trump on Truth Social. His miserable popularity ratings and the many Republicans who wanted nothing to do with him in the election campaign speak a different story. (fsh)

Did Kansas just elect Adam Hamilton, the first Democratic senator since 1932? With 88 percent of the votes counted, Hamilton is ahead 53 percent to 44 percent. (sem)

On CNN, Jon King and Jake Tapper are already talking about the characteristics of a wave, and the expert panel is discussing whether Trump can somehow cope with his role as a “lame duck”.

By the way, if you're a fan of Jon King's "magic wall", you can now look at it on your own computer, which is fun. (pt)

According to post-election surveys, Trump's voter base is showing signs of dissolution. Accordingly, the Republicans recorded significant declines in the midterm elections among black males, Latinos, younger voters, evangelical Christians and voters without a college degree. Support for the party among 18- to 29-year-olds fell to 25 percent from more than 40 percent in 2024. Among Hispanics it fell from almost half to around a third, and among black men from 21 to 13 percent. However, another age group voted in large numbers and could help the Republicans limit their losses: people over 65 made up a larger share of voters in the midterm elections than in 2024. They are leaning slightly towards Trump's party. (rtr/ras)

On the Upper West Side of New York, the mood at an Episcopalian church congregation's election party is ecstatic. Wine glasses clink, fists are raised in the air. One guest says “American voters have finally woken up.” There is a growing feeling that this is the beginning of Trump's end. (sem)

“Tsunami, tsunami, tsunami!” scream the kids in front of the TVs in the Metrobar in Washington DC as Annie Andrews wins the Senate seat for South Carolina. The Democrats have now gained 2 seats in the Senate. For a majority they need 4. (fsch)

In the Metrobar in Washington DC, which is sure to vote Democratic, in the event of a blue wave everyone gets a pizza for nothing. Millennials in baseball caps squeeze into an old subway car and wait for the results, which will be broadcast on a screen on NPR. When Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms is announced as the “projected winner” in Georgia, the crowd goes wild.

The clear star of the evening: James Talarico, whose chances in the Senate race in Texas are getting better and better. “He's a Christian but not a Christian nationalist,” says a young man in a cowboy hat and an “I'm a Talafreako” T-shirt. He prefers not to say his name for professional reasons. “I believe he will do the right thing for the working class,” he adds. (fsh)

Here in New York the polls have just closed. In Florida, the election ended two hours ago. In hardly any other state have the Republicans redrawn electoral districts as aggressively as they did there. Nevertheless, Democrats have won three of the four new electoral districts for the House of Representatives and are ahead in the fourth. Something similar is expected for Texas and North Carolina. It's not easy to suppress the schadenfreude. (sem)

In Virginia, people are taking back in a referendum what the conservative Supreme Court took away from them in 2022: With around two-thirds of the vote, voters decide that reproductive rights, including abortion, should be enshrined in the state constitution. (pt)

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms wins in Georgia and becomes the first African-American female governor in the United States. In Florida, Republican Byron Davis, also African-American, won. These are two black governors in the Deep South. (sem)

From now on we will be following the US election night, on site and on the computer. In New York Sebastian Moll is at the start, in Washington DC Hansjürgen Mai and Fabian Schroer, in Berlin Bernd Pickert is at the computer, and Raoul Spada incorporates everything into the ticker and follows the agencies.

At this point, Democrats appear to have already achieved their first goal: they will control the House of Representatives. They only had to take three seats from the Republicans. There are already four so far, and according to CNN's ongoing calculations, Democratic candidates are ahead in 59 other previously Republican constituencies.

In order to take control of the Senate, Democrats must take at least 4 seats from Republicans and not lose any. They already have one: North Carolina is sending Democrat Roy Cooper to Washington.

The Democrats are currently ahead everywhere they think they have a chance of making gains. If it turns out to be anything like this, today it will actually be a “Bluenami”, a landslide victory for the Democrats.

The Union Pub directly behind the Capitol in Washington is as loud as a football game. The sound on the approximately 50 televisions that broadcast the current polls on CNN is turned up to full volume, but you still can't understand a word. Politicians, government employees and a lot of media people with cameras meet here. You think they all have to be Democrats. But in line in front of the men's bathroom, a man in a polo shirt says to his friend: "If Abdul El-Sayed wins in Michigan, he will immediately introduce Sharia law." (fsh)

The midterm elections on November 3rd could be decisive for the future of the USA. But what exactly happens? America editor Bernd Pickert explains what is important.

In the USA it's not just about the two chambers of Congress. Numerous governorships and state parliaments are also being re-elected. When will there be which results? The most important questions and answers about election night.

If the US Democrats win the congressional elections, the Republicans can sabotage a lot. Some tricks are illegal - some are simply bizarre. US correspondent Sebastian Moll the worst of all losers in the White House.