Democrats have won control of both the US Senate and the House of Representatives, the BBC reported. Tuesday's midterm elections give the party control of Congress for the rest of President Donald Trump's second term. The results are projections, and full vote tallies are not yet known.
Millions voted with only minor disruptions, according to Semafor. Early turnout was higher than in recent midterms. Semafor said counting in Maine and Alaska could take days. According to the BBC, Democrats recorded big swings in Texas, Kansas, Ohio and South Carolina. Trump won all four states comfortably two years ago.
Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House, is now set to become speaker if his colleagues keep him as their leader. He would take over from Republican Mike Johnson. "Today begins the great American comeback," Jeffries told supporters.
Trump struck a conciliatory tone in interviews with US media during the evening, the BBC reported. He said Democrats did a "good job". He also said he would accept the results and looked forward to working with the opposition. As president, he can still veto bills they pass. Trump distanced himself from some Republican candidates, saying some of them "were not my friend". He said the US-Israel war on Iran, which has pushed up consumer prices in the US, had affected the vote. "Iran was a piece of it," he said.
One of the biggest upsets came in Maine. Republican Senator Susan Collins, who had held the seat for three decades, lost to Democrat Troy Jackson, a logger. US media reported that Collins conceded and said serving the state for 30 years had been the "honour of my life".
Democrats won two statewide races in Texas. James Talarico took a Senate seat and Gina Hinojosa won the governor's race, the BBC said. The wins end a string of defeats that lasted almost two generations. Hinojosa becomes the state's first Latina governor. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton became the state's first Democratic senator in nearly a century.
In Georgia, former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms beat billionaire Republican Rick Jackson in the governor's race. She becomes the state's first black governor and the first woman elected to the post. Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff also won a second term in the state.
In New Hampshire, Democrat Chris Pappas beat former Republican Senator John Sununu. He became the first openly gay man elected to the Senate. In Florida, Republican Byron Donalds became the state's first black governor after Trump endorsed him. It was one of the party's few bright spots of the night.