Democrats win both houses of the US Congress
In Tuesday's midterm elections, Democrats took control of the House and the Senate — the first time in 20 years a Republican president has lost both.
- Democrats: 228 House seats per AP, majority is 218
- Democrats: 54 Senate seats, majority is 51
- Last time a Republican president lost both houses: 2006
What happened
Americans voted on 3 November in the midterm elections, held halfway through a president's term. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 Senate seats were up for grabs, along with 36 governor races.
By Wednesday, the Associated Press tally showed Democrats with 228 House seats (218 is a majority) and 54 Senate seats (51 is a majority), with a few races still being counted. They flipped seats in states such as Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Michigan and South Carolina.
Some firsts
Abdul El-Sayed won in Michigan and becomes the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor of a US state, in Georgia, and Deb Haaland the first Native American woman governor, in New Mexico.
President Trump told Fox News the Democrats "did a good job".
Why it matters for India
Congress writes US laws and approves spending, so the president now needs the other party for most new laws. Analysts quoted in Indian media expect it may limit how freely tariffs can be used, while Indian IT firms are watching for any change in the H-1B visa debate. Indian markets rose sharply at Thursday's open as investors reacted.
