Democrats won numerous Republican-held congressional districts in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, including seats previously considered difficult to capture, while several outstanding races could expand the party’s House majority.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WASHINGTON — Democratic victories in traditionally Republican congressional districts have reshaped the U.S. House following the Nov. 3 midterm elections, with candidates defeating longtime incumbents, capturing open seats and winning races in districts that supported President Donald Trump in 2024.
Democrats have secured control of the House, with the final distribution of seats dependent on outstanding election results. If current leads hold, the party could control as many as 261 seats, compared with 174 for Republicans.
The results include Democratic pickups in North Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, Wisconsin, Texas, Indiana, New Jersey, Iowa, Ohio, Missouri and Montana.
Fourteen contests illustrate the breadth of the party’s electoral gains, including several districts where Republican candidates entered the election with substantial advantages based on previous results.
North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District
Democrat Richard Ojeda defeated seven-term Republican Rep. Richard Hudson, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, in a district that had supported Republican candidates in previous elections.
Ojeda, a former Army major and West Virginia state senator, challenged Hudson after relocating to North Carolina. Hudson’s defeat was particularly significant because he headed the Republican organization responsible for recruiting candidates and supporting House campaigns nationwide.
Colorado’s 5th Congressional District
Democrat Jessica Killin defeated Republican Rep. Jeff Crank in the Colorado Springs-based district, which includes several major military installations.
Killin, a former Army captain, campaigned on issues affecting veterans and military families while criticizing the administration’s policies. Her victory transferred a traditionally Republican congressional seat to Democratic control.
Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District
Democrat Teresa Benitez-Thompson defeated Republican David Flippo in the race to replace retiring Republican Rep. Mark Amodei.
The victory made Benitez-Thompson the first Democrat elected to represent Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District, giving Democrats all four seats in Nevada’s congressional delegation.
Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District
Democrat Mitchell Berman, an emergency room nurse making his first campaign for public office, defeated Republican Rep. Bryan Steil by nearly four percentage points.
Steil had won his four previous congressional elections by margins of at least nine percentage points. The district was previously represented for two decades by former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and had not elected a Democrat since 1993.
Texas’ 23rd Congressional District
Democrat Katy Padilla Stout defeated Republican Brandon Herrera by approximately eight percentage points in a district that had not elected a Democrat since 2012.
Herrera became the Republican nominee after Rep. Tony Gonzales decided against seeking reelection following his acknowledgment of an affair with a former congressional staff member.
Texas’ 9th Congressional District
Democrat Leticia Gutierrez defeated Republican Alex Mealer by more than 15 percentage points in a district redrawn by the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature in 2025.
Republican lawmakers had revised the district’s boundaries as part of an effort to improve the party’s electoral prospects. Gutierrez, a former Houston city government employee, won despite entering the race with limited institutional support.
Indiana’s 5th Congressional District
Democratic state Sen. J.D. Ford defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz by 3.4 percentage points in a district centered on communities north of Indianapolis.
Spartz had defeated her Democratic opponent by 18.6 percentage points in 2024. Ford’s victory represented a nearly 22-percentage-point shift in the district’s congressional election margin over two years.
The district had supported Trump by approximately 17 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
Ohio’s 10th Congressional District
Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker defeated longtime Republican Rep. Mike Turner by approximately 1.6 percentage points.
Turner, a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, had represented the Dayton area since 2003. The district supported Trump by approximately seven percentage points in 2024.
Knickerbocker, an Air Force veteran and nurse practitioner, defeated the incumbent in a district that had remained under Republican congressional representation for more than two decades.
Ohio also produced another Democratic pickup in the state’s 15th Congressional District, where Don Leonard defeated Republican Rep. Mike Carey.
Unofficial results showed Leonard receiving approximately 51.9% of the vote compared with Carey’s 45.3%, a margin of roughly 6.6 percentage points.
Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District
Democratic state Rep. Lindsay James defeated Republican Joe Mitchell by approximately 3.9 percentage points in the race for the seat vacated by Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, who entered the U.S. Senate contest.
Although Iowa’s 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts had been considered competitive, the Republican-leaning 2nd District had been viewed as a more difficult opportunity for Democrats.
James’ victory means Democrats are positioned to hold three of Iowa’s four U.S. House seats and one of its two Senate seats.
Iowa had been competitive in presidential elections before shifting toward Republicans during Trump’s political career. The 2026 congressional results marked a substantial change from the state’s previous federal election outcomes.
New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District
Democrat Zack Mullock, the mayor of Cape May, defeated Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew in South Jersey.
Van Drew was originally elected as a Democrat in 2018 before switching parties in 2019. He subsequently won several elections as a Republican, including a victory by nearly 17 percentage points in 2024.
Mullock campaigned on economic issues and criticized Van Drew’s support for Trump’s tariffs and the administration’s military policies.
Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District
Democrat Fred Wellman defeated Republican Rep. Ann Wagner by approximately 4.9 percentage points in Missouri’s suburban St. Louis congressional district.
Wagner had represented the district since 2013 and had repeatedly won reelection despite demographic and political changes in the surrounding suburbs.
Unofficial results showed Wellman receiving approximately 51.1% of the vote compared with Wagner’s 46.2%.
The contest attracted less national attention than races in states with competitive Senate or gubernatorial elections because Missouri had no major statewide offices on the 2026 ballot.
Wellman’s victory transferred a longtime Republican-held suburban seat to Democratic control.
Colorado’s 4th Congressional District
Democrat Eileen Laubacher held a narrow lead over Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert as ballot counting continued.
With approximately 98% of the expected vote counted, Laubacher led by roughly 0.9 percentage points, a difference of fewer than 3,500 votes.
Boebert had not conceded the race. Although CNN projected Laubacher as the winner, the Associated Press had not called the contest as of Nov. 12.
Responding to questions about the election, Boebert said, “The fat lady ain’t sung yet.”
Boebert moved from Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District to the more Republican-leaning 4th District for the 2024 election. She had been expected to retain the seat in 2026.
A former close ally of Trump, Boebert had broken with the president on certain issues, including her support for Rep. Thomas Massie’s effort to compel the release of federal records involving convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Laubacher’s lead remained subject to outstanding ballots and certification procedures.
Colorado Democrats also captured Republican-held seats in the state’s 5th and 8th Congressional Districts.
Montana’s 1st Congressional District
Democrat Sam Forstag defeated Republican Aaron Flint and Libertarian Nick Sheedy in the open-seat contest to replace retiring Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke.
Forstag received approximately 50% of the vote, compared with roughly 47% for Flint, according to reported election results.
His victory made him the first Democrat elected to the U.S. House from Montana in 32 years.
The district had been held by Republicans, and Zinke had previously served as Trump’s secretary of the interior before returning to Congress.
Forstag’s election gave Democrats representation in Montana’s congressional delegation after an extended period without a Democratic House member.
House Majority to Expand Following Democratic Pickups
The Democratic victories occurred across districts with different electoral histories, including longtime Republican strongholds, competitive suburban communities and areas where the GOP had benefited from redistricting.
Several Democratic candidates defeated incumbent Republicans who had won their previous elections by double-digit margins. Others captured open seats vacated by retiring Republican lawmakers or candidates seeking different offices.
Republicans recorded some pickups of their own, including former Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s victory in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. Those gains, however, were substantially outnumbered by Democratic victories.
The final House composition remains dependent on outstanding ballot counts, recounts and certification procedures. Democrats have already secured the 218 seats necessary for a majority and will assume control of the chamber when the 120th Congress convenes Jan. 3, 2027.
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