The Situation Room - November 4th

Good morning everyone,

I’m Atlas, and welcome to The Situation Room! We cover the most high impact geopolitical developments every Wednesday!

Today’s topics:

• Democrats Projected To Win Both Chambers Of Congress As Senate Flips Reach Seven

• Trump Says U.S. Aid To Israel Will End After 2026, Catching Israeli Officials By Surprise

• Greenland’s Parliament Approves Security Agreement With U.S. And Denmark, Sending It To Danish Lawmakers

Democrats Projected To Win Both Chambers Of Congress As Senate Flips Reach Seven

_{By: Atlas}

Democrats are projected to win control of the House and the Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections, ending Republican control of Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s second term.

The scale of the result shows in the numbers. Democrats flipped seven Republican-held Senate seats and 29 House seats, while Republicans had flipped no House seats as of early Wednesday.

House majority secured overnight

Democrats reached the 218 seats needed for a House majority early Wednesday when Johnny Garcia defeated Carlos De La Cruz in Texas’ 35th Congressional District, a seat redrawn in 2025 to favor Republicans.

As of early Wednesday, Democrats held 231 seats and Republicans 144, with 60 races uncalled. Democrats are projected to finish with at least 258 seats, which would require winning 27 of the remaining races and would leave Republicans at no more than 177. Before the election, the House had 218 Republicans, 214 Democrats, one independent and two vacancies.

Senate majority built on seven flips

Democrats are projected to hold 54 Senate seats to Republicans’ 44, with races in Alaska and Mississippi still uncalled. Democrats flipped seats in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.

In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race called early Wednesday. Jackson, a former Maine Senate president and logger, became the nominee in July after primary winner Graham Platner withdrew. Collins conceded, saying she called Jackson “to assure him that my staff and I will work to ensure a smooth transition.”

In Ohio, former Sen. Sherrod Brown defeated appointed Republican Sen. Jon Husted in a special election for the remainder of Vice President JD Vance’s term. The race was called at 10:11 p.m. CST.

In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, becoming the first Texas Democrat to win a Senate seat since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988. Talarico had 55.2% to Paxton’s 42.9% with 96% of the expected vote counted.

In Iowa, Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Ashley Hinson, 50.5% to 46.4%. In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton unseated Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, the first Democratic Senate win in that state since 1932. In North Carolina, former Gov. Roy Cooper won with 58.7%, and in South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, 51.1% to 46.7%.

Democrats held Michigan’s open seat, where Abdul El-Sayed defeated former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, 52.5% to 45.5% with 96% counted. Rogers was endorsed two days before the election by Rep. Haley Stevens, the Democrat who lost the August primary to El-Sayed. El-Sayed will be the first Muslim U.S. senator.

Alaska’s race, between Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola, remains uncalled. The Justice Department sued last month to block certification of the result if Sullivan lost, citing a second candidate on the ballot named Dan Sullivan. A federal judge dismissed that suit on Sunday.

Democrats flip key governorships

Democrats flipped governorships in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas, giving the party a majority of governorships for the first time in 16 years.

In Georgia, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson and will be the first Black female governor in U.S. history. In Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy to succeed Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, in a race called at 9:49 p.m. CST. Rob Sand won in Iowa and Gina Hinojosa won in Texas.

Trump and Republican leaders respond

Trump told Fox News he was “a little bit surprised” by the results. “I thought we would do better,” he said. He attributed the losses in part to gasoline prices tied to the conflict with Iran. “I don’t think it’s the war, Bret, I think it’s the gasoline price,” he told anchor Bret Baier. AAA put the national diesel average at $6.32 a gallon on Oct. 23, up 74% from a year earlier.

Trump said he would work with Democrats while relying on his veto. “They’ll send over things that are insane and I’ll veto them,” he said. “And after a couple of months of vetoes, they’ll go out and they’ll say, ‘How do we get this stuff done?’ And we’ll work together.” On Truth Social, he posted, “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!”

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday night that Republicans had needed “to defy more than a century of midterm history.” Asked whether Johnson should continue leading House Republicans, Trump said, “I think he’s done a good job, they’re going to have to make that decision.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who will lose that title when the new Congress convenes, wrote on X that “Senate Republicans will not stand idly by as the far-left, socialist wing of the Democrat Party attempts to unwind everything we’ve done.”

Democrats look to January

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “Against all odds, we Democrats have won the Senate,” and added, “Relief is on the way.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in line to become the first Black speaker of the House, said voters “want a Congress that’s going to deliver for the American people, and that is exactly what House Democrats will do as soon as we get into office in January.”

The new Congress is scheduled to convene on Jan. 3, 2027, when the House will elect a speaker. Sixty House races and the Senate contests in Alaska and Mississippi remained uncalled as of early Wednesday.

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