WASHINGTON — Democrats were projected to capture the House of Representatives on Tuesday, according to CBS News, delivering a major setback to President Donald Trump while the battle for Senate control remained unresolved. The size of the projected Democratic House majority was still unclear as counting continued.

Democrats secured an important Senate pickup in North Carolina, where former Gov. Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley, The Associated Press reported. Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff also won reelection in Georgia, denying Republicans a major pickup opportunity.

In another significant development, CBS and CNN projected that Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina, according to MarketWatch. That would give Democrats a second Republican-held Senate seat, alongside North Carolina, although control of the chamber had not been established in the reporting reviewed for this update.

Republicans entered the election with a 53–47 Senate advantage. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to reach 51; Republicans can retain control with 50 because Vice President JD Vance can break ties.

Updated with reporting available at 10:40 p.m. Eastern / 9:40 p.m. Central, Nov. 3.

What happened in the House?

Democratic gains extended into Republican-held territory, including Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District. Democrat Zach Dembo won the open seat against Republican Ralph Alvarado, AP reported. The seat had been held by Republican Rep. Andy Barr.

In North Carolina, Democrat Jamie Ager defeated Republican Jennifer Balkcom to flip a western North Carolina congressional seat, according to AP.

CBS also projected that Democrat Manny Rutinel defeated Republican Rep. Gabe Evans in Colorado’s 8th District. Together, those results showed Democrats gaining ground across geographically different battlegrounds rather than relying on a single state.

The projected House takeover would give Democrats the power to block Republican legislation and control committee investigations when the new Congress convenes in January. It would also end Republicans’ unified control of Congress, even if the GOP holds the Senate.

Which Senate races still matter?

Texas, Kansas and Michigan were among the most consequential unresolved contests in the latest reporting.

CBS rated Texas “likely Democratic,” with state Rep. James Talarico facing Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. The network rated Kansas as leaning Democratic, where Adam Hamilton was challenging Republican Sen. Roger Marshall. Michigan, featuring Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers, remained a toss-up in CBS’s assessment. Those ratings were estimates, not winner calls.

Democrats also received a projected defensive victory in New Hampshire, where CBS called the open Senate seat for Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas over Republican former Sen. John Sununu.

Other important contests included Ohio, where former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown challenged Republican Sen. Jon Husted; Maine, where Republican Sen. Susan Collins faced Democrat Troy Jackson; Iowa, featuring Republican Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek; and Alaska, where Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan faced Democrat Mary Peltola. No verified winner call for those races was obtained for this update.

Each Republican-held seat Democrats capture moves them closer to the majority. A Republican pickup in Michigan would offset one of those gains.

Early national voter findings pointed to substantial dissatisfaction with Trump and the direction of the country.

According to AP’s voter polling, roughly six in 10 voters disapproved of Trump, and about seven in 10 wanted Congress to check presidential power. Younger voters and Hispanic voters, groups that moved toward Trump in 2024, favored Democratic House candidates: approximately seven in 10 voters younger than 30 and six in 10 Hispanic voters backed Democrats.

Those findings suggest Democrats benefited from an electorate seeking a counterweight to the president. They do not establish why every individual race changed hands.

Texas offered one early example of Republican vulnerability. The Texas Tribune reported that Talarico led Paxton by 21 percentage points in Tarrant County’s early-vote returns. That was a partial count, not a final county result or a statewide outcome.

Candidates respond as results arrive

Cooper addressed supporters in Raleigh after his North Carolina victory, emphasizing action in Washington.

“I’m not going to Washington to be something; I’m going to Washington to do something,” he said, according to AP.

In Georgia, Mike Collins acknowledged his defeat to Ossoff.

“The results may not be what we wanted tonight, but y’all, that’s OK. I’m going to continue to serve,” Collins told supporters, according to election-night coverage published by WBRZ.

The results followed sharply contrasting closing campaign messages. At a weekend Houston appearance, Talarico emphasized anticorruption proposals and invoked David and Goliath: “Houston, you are my slingshot,” he said in remarks published Tuesday by Texas Politics.

Paxton framed the contest as a national ideological battle, warning: “if we lose Texas, we lose America.”

In Michigan, Rogers campaigned Monday in Rochester Hills, highlighting an endorsement from Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens. El-Sayed addressed a United Auto Workers event, emphasizing solidarity across social and political divisions, WDIV reported Tuesday.

DOJ monitors all 50 states; voting continues despite disruptions

The Justice Department said approximately 1,000 election monitors and observers were deployed across all 50 states Tuesday, describing the operation as its largest ever and its first covering every state.

The Civil Rights Division coordinated the deployment to monitor compliance with federal voting-rights laws, including protections against intimidation and discrimination and requirements for access for voters with disabilities. The deployment covered selected jurisdictions, rather than every polling place.

AP reported that Election Day proceeded with relatively few disruptions overall, although flooding forced polling-place changes and technical problems affected voting or counting in several locations. Some polling hours were extended in Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

In New York’s Westchester County, scanners rejected ballots, prompting officials to secure completed ballots for later counting while voting continued. Officials’ explanations evolved during the day; AP’s later account linked the problem to a software update.

At the University of Texas at Austin, two fire alarms interrupted voting at the Texas Union polling location. Voting resumed after an evacuation lasting about 10 minutes, and university police investigated the alarm activations as a criminal offense, MySA reported.

These disruptions did not establish that votes were altered or that an election outcome was affected.

What remains unresolved?

The immediate questions are the size of Democrats’ projected House majority and whether they can secure enough additional Senate victories to control both chambers.

Close margins, outstanding mail ballots and ranked-choice procedures can prolong the count. AP calls races only when it determines trailing candidates cannot catch up. A candidate’s lead—or a network’s assessment that a race leans toward one party—does not carry the same meaning as a winner call.