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Democrats Win U.S. House Majority in 2026 Elections, NBC and CBS Project
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5 Western Mainstream3 Local Western1 OtherThis article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Democrats win control of the U.S. House, with NBC and CBS projecting a majority. NBC projects about a 75-seat Democratic majority in the House.
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9 outlets told this the same way.
Democrats win House
Democrats won control of the U.S. House in the 2026 election, CBS News projected, after Republicans failed to defend their narrow majority as affordability issues remained a factor.
“Democrats have won control of the House in the 2026 election, CBS News projects.”
NBC News projected overall control of the House of Representatives and said its estimate indicates Democrats will ultimately wind up with a 75-seat majority.
Democrats are poised to win at least 255 seats, while its Decision Desk model uses past and current vote counts and does not use any polling, including exit polls, in its estimation.
The Guardian described the House as a 435-member chamber with Democrats needing 218 seats to win control, and it said the elections were for seats in every even year.
CNN said Democrats have flipped control of the House, but it added that remaining races not yet projected will determine the strength of the Democratic majority.
Seat math and close races
The House has 435 voting seats, and Democrats needed 218 seats to win control, while elections were for seats in every even year. The Guardian said the Senate had a 100-member upper chamber with 33 of the 100 members being elected regularly this year, along with two other special elections. Republicans had the Senate majority before the election, and senators serve six-year terms.
The New York Times said Democrats need to win 14 districts, that they have won 12, and that they are favored in 36, while it said Republicans need to win 40 districts. The New York Times also said it could be days, or even weeks, before the result of competitive races is known.
Oversight and political stakes
Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the presumptive Speaker of the House, has signaled plans for aggressive oversight if Democrats are able to take back Congress. Jeffries’ plans include congressional investigations into business deals by figures close to the Trump Administration and public hearings on overreach by immigration-enforcement agencies. The results of the midterm elections could also offer a preview for the 2028 presidential landscape and an early test for potential Democratic nominees up for reelection in their respective states.
Democrats have won enough seats to take control of the House of Representatives, effectively halting President Trump's legislative agenda for his last two years in office. NBC News said its Decision Desk is continuing to project races and that it has projected overall control of the House of Representatives even as it continues to project individual races.