Democrats seize Congress; Talarico flips Texas, El-Sayed becomes first Muslim senator

A blue wave, try a political earthquake. Democrats take back both chambers of Congress and pull off upsets in states that were once all but off limits. Plus Texas elects its first Democratic senator in 38 years and ousts its Republican governor. And President Trump has plenty to say about all of it. Congratulations to the Democrats, they did a good job. They've been looking for this one for 11 years. The stories that matter. The facts you can trust. From across the country to around the world, this is Unbiased Updates from Straight Arrow. Hey everybody, I'm Christian Bryant. It's Wednesday, November 4th. Thank you so much for starting your morning with us. The polls predicted a blue wave. What voters delivered last night was a lot bigger. Democrats dominated the midterm elections, winning control of both the House and Senate and dealing President Trump a major political defeat. And some of their biggest wins came in places where Republicans have been winning for decades. They say everything's bigger in Texas. Well, Democrats just pulled off one of their biggest wins there in decades. James Tallarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Texas since 1988. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed defeated Mike Rogers, becoming the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. Democrats also flipped Senate seats in Ohio with Sherrod Brown and in Maine with Troy Jackson. And then there's Kansas, which just elected its first Democratic senator since 1932. And in South Carolina, a state Trump won by 18 points just two years ago, Democrat Annie Andrews pulled off a stunning upset, defeating Republican Senator Darlene Graham. The House was another big win for Democrats who picked up seats in districts Trump carried just two years ago. With both chambers now in Democratic hands, Trump faces a very different Congress for the final two years of his presidency. And the Democratic wins extended to governor's races. In Georgia, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms made history as the first black woman elected governor in the United States. And Texas wasn't done making history. Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term Republican Governor Greg Abbott. As the results came in, Trump posted this on Truth Social, writing, I wasn't on the ballot, and if I was, we would have won in a landslide. In an interview with the New York Times last night, the president said he would accept the results. Quote, I am absolutely willing to accept those results. We'll work with the Democrats and we'll look forward to working with them. We'll probably work something out. And here's what he told Fox News. Congratulations to the Democrats, they did a good job. They've been looking for this one for 11 years, and they finally got it. But I don't view it as a hit on me. I think we've had the greatest two years in the history of the presidency in terms of the economy, in terms of all the things that we've done. But I say congratulations to the Democrats. They worked very hard and long as you can see we've got a lot to get through this morning including some races that are still Being counted like in Alaska, and we'll spare you the fancy election night graphics There's plenty to talk about without them so let's get into it starting with some of the biggest surprises in the Senate In Texas, President Trump went all in for Republican Ken Paxton, but even that wasn't enough to save the Senate seat. Paxton, the state's attorney general, lost to Democrat James Tallarico by nearly a million votes. And Tallarico, who's set to become the youngest member of the U.S. Senate, had a message for his supporters on election night. We just took back Texas. We just proved that all the money in the world is no match for This is for the people of Texas. We just showed that a politics of division is no match for a politics of love. Paxton, for his part, opened his concession speech with a message for the man who defeated him. Well, let me start off by congratulating James Tallarico. I will commit that I will be praying for him, that he will do good for Texas and this nation. Tallarico's victory ends a 38-year drought for Texas Democrats in U.S. Senate elections. And in Michigan, another historic first. Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Trump-backed Republican Mike Rogers, becoming the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. El-Sayed, a former public health official, will take over the seat held by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters in January. His religion became a target during the campaign, with Trump and Rogers calling him a jihadist. But in his victory speech, El-Sayed leaned into his faith. My name is Abdur-Rahman Muhammad El-Sayed. And I am so proud and honored to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan. Up until right about now, you might have noticed I always say, inshallah, or God willing, whenever the outcome of this race was mentioned. But today, tonight, we can turn that inshallah into a alhamdulillah. Oh, no. Alhamdulillah means praise be to God. As of early this morning, Rogers had not formally conceded the race. And in Maine, another longtime Republican senator is out. Susan Collins has lost her bid for a sixth term, ending a nearly 30-year run in Washington. And the Democrat who defeated her, Troy Jackson, a former logger who had just over 100 days to campaign. Jackson entered the race in July after Democratic nominee Graham Platner dropped out amid controversy. He went on to defeat Collins, the only Republican senator from a state Kamala Harris won in 2024. And in his victory speech, Jackson credited working class voters. We! We did it! A little more than 100 days ago, I stood in front of our convention and asked you to put your faith in a logger from Alley Gash. Well, tonight, tonight, again this morning, the people of Maine have elected that logger to the United States Senate. Collins conceded before the race was officially called, saying it had been the honor of her life to serve Maine in the Senate. And the Democratic wins did not stop there. Both North and South Carolina are sending Democrats to the U.S. Senate, flipping two Republican-held seats. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Senator Darlene Graham, who took over the seat held by her brother Lindsey Graham after his unexpected death in July. Andrews is the first woman elected to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate. She says she'll be a brick wall for her state, even if that means standing up to her own party. And in her victory speech, she had this message for voters. You have shown the nation what is possible. You have shown the nation that in this era of partisan divides, of vitriol and name-calling, In a politics dominated by billionaires and special interest groups and insiders in Washington DC that we will not bow down. Graham who had President Trump's backing won a special Republican primary in August to run for a full term. But last night she conceded defeat. I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am to have been our party's nominee and how hard our team fought and I am so very proud of them. And just across the state line, Democrat Roy Cooper also flipped a Republican Senate seat. The former North Carolina governor defeated Michael Watley, a former RNC chairman backed by President Trump. Cooper will replace retiring Republican Senator Tom Tillis, who decided not to seek another term after clashing with Trump over his tax and spending bill. It's the first time North Carolina has elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 2008. And in Alaska, one of the last Senate races still up for grabs with a ballot controversy adding an extra twist. Republican Senator Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola are locked in a close race with about two thirds of the vote counted. And even when the remaining ballots come in, we may still have to wait. Alaska uses ranked choice voting. If no candidate gets more than 50% of first choice votes, election officials will count voters next choices to determine the winner. That tabulation is scheduled for November 18th. And remember the controversy over two Dan Sullivans appearing on the ballot? So far, the other Dan Sullivan, retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan, has picked up less than 2% of the vote. Republicans alleged his candidacy was meant to confuse voters. Peltola denies knowing about any such plan. And a few more Senate races worth noting, including two Republican wins and a Democratic comeback. In Nebraska, Republican Senator Pete Ricketts defeated independent Dan Osborne, winning his first full term. The former governor was appointed to the Senate in 2023 after Ben Sasse resigned, then won a special election in 2024. In Florida, Republican Ashley Moody also won, defeating Democrat Angie Nixon. Moody was appointed last year to replace Marco Rubio when he became Secretary of State. She'll now serve the remainder of his term. In Georgia, Democratic Senator John Ossoff won reelection, defeating Republican Congressman Mike Collins with nearly 60% of the vote. Ossoff was the only Democratic senator up for reelection this year, in a state Trump won in 2024. In Ohio, Sherrod Brown is headed back to Washington. Just two years after losing his Senate seat, the Democrat defeated Republican Senator John Husted in a special election. Brown will serve the remainder of J.D. Vance's term, which runs through 2028. In Iowa, Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, flipping the seat held by retiring Senator Joni Ernst. Turek, a former Paralympic gold medalist, is the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Iowa since 2008. His win also ends 12 years of Republicans holding both of the state's Senate seats. In New Hampshire, Democratic Congressman Chris Pappas defeated former Republican Senator John Sununu. Pappas becomes the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate. And Kansas broke a nearly 100-year streak of only electing Republicans, with Adam Hamilton claiming Democrats' first win of a U.S. Senate seat for the state since 1932. Okay, now let's go over to the House. Democrats have won back control, reaching the 218 seats needed for a majority, with some races still uncalled. Blue shows the districts won by Democrats, red the Republicans, and some of those blue districts were solidly in President Trump's column just two years ago. Democrats flipped more than two dozen Republican-held seats, including multiple districts in Iowa, Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania. In Iowa alone, Democrats won three seats after Republicans held all four. And with the House and Senate now in Democratic hands, Trump faces a Congress that can block his agenda and possibly investigate his administration. The Democratic wins extended well beyond Congress. Five states flipped their governorships from red to blue. Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, and Texas all elected Democratic governors, ending years of Republican control. In Georgia, former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms becomes the first black woman ever elected governor in the United States. She's also the first Democrat to win Georgia's governorship in more than two decades. Georgia, we sent a message loud and clear. That we want a leader who will put Georgia first and who will stand up to all the chaos coming out of Washington, D.C. But even more importantly, you sent the message that in these times of division and acrimony, you believe in something foundational, and that is hope. And in Texas, one of the night's biggest upsets. Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term Republican Governor Greg Abbott, ending more than three decades of GOP control of the governor's mansion. Hinojosa won nearly 53% of the vote, becoming Texas' first Latina governor. And she did it by unseating one of the country's most prominent Republican governors and a longtime Trump ally. In her victory speech, Hinojosa had a direct message for the people who've been running And President Trump didn't spare Abbott after the loss. In a social media post, Trump blamed the governor for his own defeat, accusing him of becoming becoming a rhino, Republican in name only, over the past six months. In Ohio, another big win for Democrats. Former State Health Director Amy Acton defeated Trump-backed Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the race for governor. Acton won about 52% of the vote, defeating the billionaire entrepreneur and former presidential candidate. She campaigned heavily on the cost of living, and in her victory speech, said Ohioans are working harder than ever but still struggling to get ahead. She promised to make life more affordable regardless of party. But the campaign also took a deeply personal turn. Ramaswamy faced bipartisan backlash over an attack ad featuring Acton's estranged mother who accused her daughter of lying about her past. The two have been estranged for nearly 50 years. Ramaswamy defended the ad, but it was eventually pulled from the air. Acton now becomes Ohio's first female governor and the first Democrat elected to the office in 20 years. In Iowa, Democrats have won the governor's race for the first time in 20 years. State Auditor Rob Sand defeated Republican Zach Lawn, winning more than 55 percent of the vote. Lawn had the backing of President Trump and the Make America Healthy Again movement. But this is a state Trump won all three times he was on the ballot, including by more than 13 points in 2024. And Sand? He was already the only Democrat holding statewide office in Iowa. Now he's headed to the governor's mansion, ending nearly 16 years of Republican control. He'll still have to work with a Republican-controlled state legislature. Republicans did have some wins last night, though. In Florida, Trump-backed Republican Byron Donalds defeated Democrat David Jolly in the race for governor. And Donalds is making history, becoming Florida's first black governor and the first black Republican ever elected governor in the U.S. But it was a much closer race than expected. Donalds won about 50 percent of the vote, defeating Jolly by less than two points. He'll replace term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis in January, keeping the governor's mansion in Republican hands. Democrats haven't won a governor's race in Florida since 1994. Folks, quite a night and we're not done yet. Several races are still too close to call and we'll be tracking the results throughout the day. You can find the latest at SAN.com and on the Straight Arrow app. That's Unbiased Updates for this Wednesday. For the Unbiased Updates team and all of us at Straight Arrow, I'm Christian Bryant. Thank you so much for watching. Have a good one and we'll see you back here tomorrow.