Here are the top US stories on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, a day after voters delivered a sweeping Democratic victory in the midterm elections.
1. Democrats seize Congress. Democrats won majorities in both the Senate and the House, ending the Republican trifecta. The party flipped at least seven Senate seats, including victories in Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina, and dozens of House seats from California to New Jersey. Two Senate races, in Alaska and Mississippi, remained undecided.
2. Texas turns blue. Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for a Senate seat, the party's first Texas Senate win since 1988. Democrat Gina Hinojosa ousted three-term Governor Greg Abbott and is set to become the state's first Latina governor. With about two-thirds of votes counted, Hinojosa led with 57.1 percent to Abbott's 41.7 percent, according to CBS News figures.
3. A night of historic firsts. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the Senate. In New Hampshire, Chris Pappas became the first openly gay man elected to the chamber. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat there since 1932. In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms became the state's first Black woman governor.
4. Ballot measures rebuke Trump priorities. Voters backed abortion rights in Missouri and Virginia, rejecting a Missouri measure that would have reimposed most abortion restrictions. Voters also rejected new Republican-drawn congressional maps in Missouri and turned down voter ID mandates in California and Colorado, while Florida voters approved a major property tax break.
5. Markets rally on divided government. US stocks jumped at the open, with the Dow up more than 1,000 points, as investors welcomed the clarity of the election result and the prospect of legislative gridlock. Treasury yields fell and the dollar weakened, while data centre stocks slipped on regulation worries.
6. Beyond the election. North Korea fired multiple missiles, according to reports, while Utah filed criminal charges against the betting site Kalshi over alleged unlawful gambling. President Trump also said he would offer preemptive pardons to Elon Musk and Department of Government Efficiency employees if Democrats target them, Bloomberg reported.
Sources: USA Today, Reuters, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Morningstar / Dow Jones.
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