Democrats secure House majority in rebuke to Trump

Democrats won control of the House of Representatives with what could be their largest majority in nearly two decades, NBC News projects, as voters delivered a stunning rebuke to President Donald Trump and Republicans. The House projection is based on an analysis that Democrats will win approximately 248 House seats, an estimate that could still tick up or down by a few seats but will be well beyond the 218 needed to secure a majority.

Democrats needed to win a net of just three seats to take back the majority. They flipped many more GOP-held seats, most in districts that Trump carried in the 2024 election. A trio of GOP incumbents in Pennsylvania were defeated. Democrat Bob Brooks knocked off GOP Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in the 7th Congressional District; Paige Cognetti beat GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan in the 8th District; and Democrat Janelle Stelson ousted GOP Rep. Scott Perry in the 10th District.

In Virginia, Democratic former Rep. Elaine Luria won back her old seat, defeating Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans in the Virginia Beach area. In Colorado, Democratic state Rep. Manny Rutinel defeated GOP Rep. Gabe Evans. And in North Carolina, farmer Jamie Ager defeated GOP state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom in a district Trump won two years ago by more than 9 percentage points.

Balkcom took over as the GOP nominee after Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards dropped his bid for re-election following harassment allegations. The Democrats’ victory was widely seen as a referendum on Trump’s unpopular policies, including his tough immigration crackdown, the eight-month Iran war and tariffs on U.S. allies that drove up the price of gas, groceries and other goods.

When the party takes control of the chamber on Jan. 3, it will mark the first time in Trump’s second term that he won’t have full control of Congress. Since he returned to the White House, Trump has tested the limits of his executive powers, dismantling federal agencies cuts through the Department of Government Efficiency, unilaterally imposing sweeping tariffs and rescinding congressionally approved funding, all while the GOP-controlled House and Senate mostly looked the other way.