Washington, Nov 4 (AP) Democrat Annie Andrews has won an upset victory over Republican Darline Graham for a Senate seat in South Carolina, a sign that dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump has seeped into even some of the most conservative states.
Andrews’ victory is a defeat for Trump, who backed Graham despite doubts within his party, and it puts Democrats one seat closer to the four they need to retake control of the chamber.
Democrats have also flipped a seat in North Carolina and won key races in Georgia and New Hampshire on Tuesday as they tried to recapture majorities in Congress and break Republicans’ unified hold on power in Washington.
Graham was appointed to the Senate in July after her brother, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, died unexpectedly, and she decided to run for a full term of her own. Andrews, a doctor, will be the first woman elected to the Senate from South Carolina. She’s the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in the state in more than 20 years.
Democrats who once saw the political map as an almost impossible lift are now hopeful that a Senate majority is within reach, even though their path runs through several more conservative states.
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff won reelection in Georgia, defeating Rep. Mike Collins and denying Republicans a seat they had once seen as a top pickup opportunity. Rep. Chris Pappas won a Senate race in New Hampshire, defeating former Sen. John Sununu to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
Polls are still open in some states across the country as voters — angry over high prices and the war in Iran and concerned about government corruption — cast their ballots in midterm elections that will serve as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s second term.
The elections could drastically shift power in Washington. Democrats were cautiously optimistic as they watched Republicans spend the campaign’s final stretch pumping tens of millions of dollars into states and districts that Trump won handily two years ago.
They're betting that discontent over Trump’s failure to stop inflation and perceptions that he's focused more on gilding the nation’s capital than easing their pain at the pump will turn the tide in their favor.
Republicans held out hope their money advantage would help stem the tide, but they were bracing to lose control of the U.S. House and fighting to hang onto the U.S. Senate — an outcome that seemed unlikely earlier this year, given a map widely seen as favoring their party.
Several Democratic senators easily won reelection, including Sens. Cory Booker in New Jersey, Ed Markey in Massachusetts and John Hickenlooper in Colorado. Democrat Juliana Stratton was elected to replace Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin.
On the Republican side, Sen. Ashley Moody won a special election in Florida to finish the term of Marco Rubio, who became Trump’s secretary of state in 2025. Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman won a Senate seat in Wyoming, replacing retiring Sen. Cynthia Lummis.
In the House, Democrat Jamie Ager beat Republican Jennifer Capps Balkcom in North Carolina to give the party its first House flip. Another Democratic flip came in New Jersey, where former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett defeated Rep. Tom Kean, who missed four months of votes in Washington this year as he underwent treatment for depression, a diagnosis he did not disclose until his return.
Control of Congress is up for grabs
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Democrats need a net gain of four seats in the Senate to win the majority. They need three in the House.
More than 59 million people had already cast ballots before Tuesday, according to an Associated Press analysis, surpassing early-voter turnout from 2022.
Trump, whose party has struggled when he's not running to turn out the low-propensity voters who have fueled his victories, told voters to act as though he's on the ballot, even as many Republican candidates kept their distance.
Trump's aggressive campaign schedule had him visiting the reddest states, including Kansas, Mississippi and South Carolina, underscoring his party’s challenges.
On Tuesday, he declared in a Fox News Channel interview that “inflation is solved” — even though consumer prices rose 3.6% in September from a year earlier, the Commerce Department reported last week.
“I think the results are going to be better than you think,” Trump predicted.
The White House said he gathered in the evening with key members of his Cabinet and top political advisers for an East Room reception to watch the results come in. (AP) AMS
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)