Trump, economy discontent fuel blue wave as Democrats projected to take Congress

House control shifts toward Democrats

Democrats are projected to gain enough seats to control the House of Representatives. All 435 seats were on the ballot for two-year terms in the 120th Congress, with 14 races rated toss-ups by ABC News.

Republicans currently hold 220 seats, compared with 215 for Democrats. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said “change” is coming and could become the first Black speaker of the House if elected in January. The article’s final quotation is cut off.

Discontent with Trump and economy

Two weeks before the midterms, Trump’s approval rating was 37%, its lowest of his presidential term, while his 62% disapproval rating was a record high across both terms, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll. The poll found that 65% of Americans disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy, a record high across his two terms. Trump said he would have won “IN A LANDSLIDE” if he had been on the ballot, and said he would work with Democrats.

Projected Senate victories

In Texas, Democrat James Talarico is projected to defeat Republican Ken Paxton. ABC News says Talarico would be the first Democrat to win a statewide Texas race in more than 30 years; the last Democratic U.S. Senate election victory there was in 1988.

Former North Carolina governor Roy Cooper is projected to defeat Republican Michael Whatley, flipping the seat. Georgia incumbent Jon Ossoff is projected to win reelection against Republican Mike Collins, and Kansas Democrat Adam Hamilton is projected to defeat incumbent Roger Marshall.

The article says 35 Senate seats are in play and that the outcomes of several races will determine control of the chamber. It also says Democrats needed four additional seats to shift the balance, while Republicans could lose up to three and retain a majority with Vice President JD Vance’s tie-breaking vote.

Other races and election details

In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa is reported to have denied Gov. Greg Abbott a fourth term. The article also identifies races in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia as important to House control, alongside contests in districts redrawn by Republican legislatures in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky and Virginia.

The report contains an inconsistency: its opening says Democrats will gain control of the House, while its headline refers to Democrats taking back Congress; elsewhere, it says Senate control remains undecided and depends on several races. It also includes an unrelated item about two college students found dead after going missing while hiking, without further details in the text.