Tuesday’s US midterm elections saw Democrats win majorities in both chambers of Congress, achieving a surprising victory in a longtime Republican stronghold.
There were many historic victories, from turning Texas blue to electing the country’s first Muslim senator. But the night also brought a major setback for US President Donald Trump and his allies. That included people who spent hundreds of millions of dollars supporting losing candidates.
Here are some of the election’s biggest winners and losers.
winner
Annie Andrews: In one of the night’s most surprising victories, Democrat Annie Andrews flipped a Republican-held Senate seat in deeply conservative South Carolina, defeating Trump-backed candidate Darline Graham.
Andrews, a pediatrician who advocated for health care and affordability, was the first Democrat elected to the state Senate since 1998 and the state’s first female senator. This victory was a major advance for Democrats and helped them take control of the Senate.
Abdul El-Sayed: Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan, becoming the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.
The former public health official overcame attacks on his faith and a bitter primary battle against Democrat Haley Stevens, who was backed by the establishment and then backed Mr. Rogers. “You chose hate, and Michigan chose hope,” El-Sayed told Rogers in his victory speech.
Chuck Schumer: After facing criticism from fellow Democrats for not pushing back hard enough against President Trump and anger from progressives over his support for arms sales to Israel, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is now poised to regain the majority leadership position.
Schumer helped field candidates such as Sherrod Brown and Roy Cooper, who flipped Republican-held Senate seats. He celebrated his victory Tuesday by saying, “I have five words for the American people: ‘Relief is on the way.'”
James Talarico: After years of Democrats trying to turn Texas blue, James Talarico finally pulled off a huge upset by winning a Senate seat in a state where Trump won by double digits just two years ago.
The 37-year-old former middle school teacher, state legislator, and Presbyterian seminarian gained national attention for using his Christian faith to challenge the religious right. But his campaign against Republican Ken Paxton also focused on the cost of living and corruption, including the influence of wealthy donors like Elon Musk, who supported Paxton.
losers
Vivek Ramaswami: Biotech billionaire and Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy lost the Ohio gubernatorial race to Democrat Amy Acton in light of a controversial attack ad that accused Acton’s estranged mother of lying about her difficult childhood.
What the ad omitted was that Acton’s stepfather was charged with raping her when she was a child, and her mother lost custody. The widely condemned ad dominated the final month of Mr. Ramaswamy’s campaign, and his team spent about $1 million to keep it running before it was finally withdrawn.
Haley Stevens: Michigan Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens lost to Abdul El-Sayed in the Senate primary and ended up on the losing side for the second time, endorsing Republican opponent Mike Rogers just two days before the election.
Mr. Stevens broke up with Mr. El-Sayed over his criticism of Israel and an ad linking U.S. military aid to soaring food prices, which Mr. El-Sayed denies. Mr. El-Sayed won anyway, but Mr. Stevens faced a wave of backlash from Democrats and resignations from his own team.
Elon Musk: The world’s richest man spent more than $400 million supporting the Republican Party, only to see them lose both houses of Congress. Among the candidates he supported was Ken Paxton, who lost the Texas Senate race to Democrat James Talarico.
Musk now faces a possible congressional investigation into Trump’s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and federal contracts with his companies, with Democrats also gaining the power to subpoena documents and call testimony under oath.
Donald Trump: Although Trump was not on the ballot, the midterm elections are a major blow to the final two years of his presidency, as Democrats gained control of both houses of Congress. Republican candidates supported by President Trump lost Senate races in long-standing states such as Texas and South Carolina.
The result means Trump will spend the remainder of his term confronting a Democratic-controlled Congress with the power to block his legislative agenda, investigate his administration and hold officials accountable for allegations of fraud.
