Updated 11:16 p.m..
WASHINGTON — The Scioto Valley Guardian projects that Democrats will win control of the U.S. Senate, with the party positioned to flip enough Republican-held seats to erase the GOP’s current majority.
The projection comes as Democrats had already flipped four Senate seats by late Tuesday, according to unofficial results.
Combining called races with the 34 Democratic-caucus senators and 31 Republicans not on this year’s ballot, Democrats had 49 seats and Republicans had 37 as of late Tuesday, according to unofficial results. Republicans currently hold the Senate majority, 50 seats to 50, with the vice president breaking ties.
Twenty-one of the 35 Senate seats on the ballot had been called by the Guardian, with 14 races not yet projected. In those uncalled contests, Democrats were leading in four and Republicans in eight, according to unofficial returns.
The Guardian’s projection of Democratic control rests on those leads holding, combined with the seats already decided. It is not yet reflected in the number of races called outright.
Democrats’ flips Tuesday included North Carolina, where Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley 58.6% to 39.3% with 97% of the expected vote counted; South Carolina, where Democrat Annie Andrews ousted Republican incumbent Darline Graham 51.0% to 46.8% with 94% in; Texas, where Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton 59.2% to 39.2% with 67% in; and Ohio, where Democrat Sherrod Brown unseated Republican incumbent Jon Husted in a special election. Republicans had not flipped any Democratic-held seats as of Tuesday night.
Among other called races, Democratic incumbents John Hickenlooper of Colorado, Chris Coons of Delaware, Jon Ossoff of Georgia, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Ben Lujan of New Mexico, Mark Warner of Virginia, Edward Markey of Massachusetts and John Reed of Rhode Island won reelection, along with Democrats Chris Pappas in New Hampshire and Juliana Stratton in Illinois. Republican incumbents Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Shelley Capito of West Virginia also won reelection, along with Republicans Andy Barr in Kentucky, Kevin Hern in Oklahoma, Harriet Hageman in Wyoming and Ashley Moody in a Florida special election.
The closest uncalled Senate races included Maine, where Republican incumbent Susan Collins led Democrat Troy Jackson 50.4% to 49.5% with 39% of the expected vote in; Michigan, where Democrat Abdul El-Sayed led Republican Mike Rogers 51.0% to 47.2% with 32% in; Mississippi, where Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith led Democrat Scott Colom 50.5% to 47.3% with 83% in; and Nebraska, where independent Dan Osborn led Republican incumbent Pete Ricketts 49.4% to 45.1% with 46% in.
Alaska had not yet reported results, according to unofficial returns.
Closer to home, Brown’s victory over Husted gives Democrats their fourth Senate flip of the night. According to unofficial results from the Ohio Secretary of State, Brown led Husted 48.6% to 46.5%, with Libertarian William Redpath taking 2.8%, with 87% of the expected vote counted.
Ohio’s 15 U.S. House districts were also on the ballot Tuesday, with results from the Ohio Secretary of State still being finalized.
Live, county-by-county results for races across the country can be found at https://sciotovalleyguardian.com/national-election-results-2026/.
Results are unofficial until certified by the Ohio Secretary of State. Source: Ohio Secretary of State election night reporting. See the live map: https://sciotovalleyguardian.com/election-results-2026/
