CBS News projects Democrats will win the House. In Senate races, projections favor Democrats in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina and New Hampshire, and Jon Ossoff won re-election in Georgia. Alaska remains uncalled. Democrats need a net gain of four seats.
CBS News projects Democrats will take control of the House. Democrats need to net four seats to win the Senate majority, because Republicans hold a 53-47 majority and Vice President JD Vance would cast tiebreaking votes for the GOP in a 50-50 Senate. A four-seat gain would give Democrats control of the Senate. CBS News attributes the struggles of GOP candidates to an unpopular war in Iran and persistent affordability issues.
Senate flips and holds
CBS News projects Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race. Texas had not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988. Paxton had beaten Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff with a late show of support from Trump. CBS News also projects Democrat Sherrod Brown won the Ohio Senate race, defeating Sen. Jon Husted, flipping the seat for Democrats. Brown, a former senator, will return to the Senate two years after losing re-election.
CBS News projects Democrat Roy Cooper won the North Carolina Senate race over Michael Whatley, a Democratic flip after Sen. Thom Tillis opted not to seek reelection. CBS News projects Democrat Annie Andrews defeated GOP Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina, a flip for Democrats. Andrews, a pediatrician who had not held elected office, will be the next senator from a state that has not elected a Democrat since 1998. The race was upended when Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham died suddenly in July. The governor appointed his sister, Darline Graham, who ran with Trump's endorsement, stumbled on the campaign trail and lost to Andrews.
CBS News projects Sen. Jon Ossoff won reelection in Georgia, defeating GOP Rep. Mike Collins. The AP called the race quickly. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms also flipped Georgia's governorship. CBS News projected Democrat Chris Pappas won the New Hampshire Senate race over John Sununu. Pappas, who succeeds Jeanne Shaheen, is the first openly gay man elected to the Senate. The GOP held Senate seats in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Kentucky.
Races still in focus
The Alaska Senate race between GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola remained uncalled and a toss-up. Sullivan accuses Peltola's campaign of recruiting a second candidate named Dan Sullivan, an independent, to confuse voters, which her campaign denies. A judge rejected a Justice Department lawsuit over the issue on Sunday. A federal judge dismissed a Trump administration suit seeking to block certification if Sullivan receives fewer votes than Peltola.
CBS News rated the Michigan race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers a toss-up. Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed, endorsed Rogers, putting a must-hold Democratic seat in jeopardy. The two are vying for the seat of retiring Sen. Gary Peters. In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor, faced Sen. Roger Marshall. A Democratic victory would end 94 years of history, as Kansas last elected a Democratic senator in 1932.
In Maine, Troy Jackson replaced Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee and is challenging Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is seeking her sixth term. Platner was accused of sexual assault after the primary, denied it and eventually dropped out.
