Democrats Seize Control Of U.S. Congress As Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Seat

Midterms flip Congress

Democrats seized control of both chambers of Congress in the United States midterm elections, with the Democratic Party taking the House of Representatives and the Senate after Tuesday’s legislative elections. Elon Musk mocked the Democratic victory on social media by writing, "I guess my space lasers to interfere in the elections didn’t work this time," as projections showed Democrats gaining historic majorities.

ABC News projected that Democrats would take control of the Senate and the House, and the Associated Press projected that Democrat and Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford would win the governor’s race in Nevada. Democrat Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim senator in U.S. history after defeating Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race with 52% of the votes, and he celebrated at his Detroit headquarters saying, "Michigan, we did it!"

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Trump, Democrats, and reactions

President Donald Trump told Fox News that he would work with Democrats after the midterm results, saying, "Congratulations to the Democrats," and adding, "I would do that. Yeah, I think the Democrats want to work with me."

Barack Obama celebrated the results by stating, "Tonight, the American people sent a clear message: they want a policy that unites people rather than divides them," after Democrats gained control of both chambers.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, "China is willing to continue working with the United States" after the midterm elections in which Trump’s Republicans lost control of both chambers.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius congratulated Democrats on what he described as their "historic victory" in Congress, while also emphasizing that the election results would not mean an immediate change in the American administration or its handling of international files.

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What power means next

The Democratic Party’s control of the House and Senate gave Democrats leverage over legislation and oversight, because the House and the Senate help pass laws and approve government spending while each chamber has powers the other does not. The Senate’s role in confirming Trump’s nominations to top government posts became a central stake, and the Al Jazeera analysis said Democrats can block the president from appointing allies as ambassadors, cabinet members and federal judges, including on the Supreme Court.

The same analysis said the party that holds the majority in the Senate also gets to control committees that can launch investigations, demand documents and summon witnesses to testify. Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats in the House would take office in January to "serve the American people," after the elections left Republicans facing a "crushing defeat" in the BBC’s framing of the results.

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