Here’s how Democrats won House seats they didn’t expect to capture

Upsets in North Carolina and Colorado

Richard Hudson, a seven-term North Carolina congressman who led the National Republican Congressional Committee, lost his own race. Republicans struggled in the state after party organizations withdrew support from Senate candidate Michael Whatley, who faced Democrat Roy Cooper.

Hudson lost the 9th District to Richard Ojeda, a former Army major who had served at Fort Bragg and gained attention on social media during Donald Trump’s first term. In Colorado Springs, Democrat Jessica Killin, a former Army captain, defeated Rep. Jeff Crank by campaigning as a moderate and criticizing his support for Trump.

Nevada shifts to Democrats

Teresa Benitez-Thompson became the first Democrat elected to represent Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District. She ran as a moderate with deep northern Nevada roots against Republican David Flippo, whose campaign faced accusations over his military record and late financial disclosures.

Flippo had aligned himself with Trump and moved from southern Nevada to run after Rep. Mark Amodei announced his retirement. Amodei declined to endorse him and called him a fraud. With Benitez-Thompson’s victory, Democrats won every one of Nevada’s congressional seats for the first time.

Wisconsin race defies history

Mitchell Berman, an emergency room nurse running his first campaign for office, defeated Republican Rep. Bryan Steil by nearly 4 points. Steil had won his previous four elections in the southeastern Wisconsin district by at least 9 points, and no Democrat had won it since 1993.

Berman drew on voter anger and his middle-class background to overcome the district’s Republican history. Steil was widely viewed as a potential future U.S. Senate candidate, making the result significant for Wisconsin politics.

Texas victories against expectations

In another Texas contest, Democrats and donors considered the seat likely lost after the state legislature redrew its boundaries at Trump’s urging. Democrat Leticia Gutierrez, who had worked in Houston city government, faced well-funded Republican military veteran Alex Mealer. Gutierrez said people believed the map had been drawn for Republicans, but the account ends before giving the race’s result.