Democrats projected to take both chambers of Congress after midterms

Democrats are projected to control both chambers of the US Congress following the 3 November midterm elections, according to NBC News. Reports available on 4 November put the party at at least 54 Senate seats and 222 House seats; those are provisional minimum totals, with counting still under way.

The projected Senate gains include seven seats previously held by Republicans: Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Maine, Iowa and Kansas. The Kansas result would give the state a Democratic senator for the first time since 1932.

Alaska and Mississippi remained unresolved in the reporting supplied for this article. A network projection is a call based on the available election evidence, rather than the final certification of a result. Further counts may change the seat totals.

The projected outcome would leave President Donald Trump facing an opposition-controlled Congress for the final two years of his term. Democratic majorities would change who directs congressional committees, investigations and the legislative agenda, while budget and policy decisions would require negotiations across the branches of government.

NBC, NPR and Reuters described the cost of living and the war with Iran as factors in the result. Those are the outlets’ assessments of the election, rather than findings about why every voter made a particular choice.

Market reports also recorded a higher closing level for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and lower oil prices. The election count and those market movements were still developing when the reports were published.