12 charts show how the Democratic party flipped the House and Senate, Fortune reports

A sweeping Senate shift

Democrats gained control of the Senate after winning seven seats in North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio and Maine. The party needed a net gain of four seats, and many Democrats had viewed 2026 as a test. Senate control gives Democrats an effective veto over Trump’s nominees for the rest of his term. Democratic strategist Jen O’Malley Dillon said in April that early developments put the party in a good position, provided it did not “screw it up.”

Democrats reclaim House control

All 435 House seats were contested. Democrats began with 214 seats and flipped 25 Republican-held seats; CBS estimated the party could reach 259, compared with the 218 Republicans held going into the election.

Democratic wins included battleground districts in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Kentucky and Colorado. Republicans had controlled the House since 2023. With both chambers under Democratic control, the party will oversee congressional investigations into presidential powers. The article says many voters believed Congress was not doing enough to check Trump; 94% of those who disapproved of him felt that way.

Voters register opposition to Trump

Trump was not on the ballot, but many voters treated the midterms as a referendum on him. Across age groups, 39% to 60% said their congressional vote was meant to oppose Trump, while 7% to 22% said it was intended to show support.

Opposition was highest among voters aged 18 to 29, at 60%. Voters 65 and older were most likely to say they were backing Trump, at 22%, but opposition still prevailed in that age group.

Trump’s approval rating was 29% on Oct. 20, described as the lowest for any president since George W. Bush reached 25% in October 2008. Trump wrote on Truth Social that Republicans would have “won IN A LANDSLIDE” if he had been on the ballot.

Age and issues shaped votes

Democrats won voters under 65. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, Democratic House candidates received 72% to Republicans’ 25%, though this group made up 11% of the electorate. Voters aged 30 to 44 backed Democrats 60% to 36%, while those aged 45 to 64 favored them 51% to 47%.

Voters 65 and older, who made up 35% of the electorate, narrowly favored Republicans, 51% to 48%. About four in 10 voters named the economy as the country’s top issue; the share was 50% among Black voters and 45% among voters aged 30 to 44.

About eight in 10 voters who named democracy as the top issue backed the Democratic House candidate. Immigration was the clearest Republican issue: 79% of voters who named it most important supported the GOP. Voters focused on the economy were nearly evenly split between the parties.