Political News
Reports on political developments, legislation, and leadership. The Daily Signal provides news and conservative analysis of American politics.
-
news
Democrats Gain Two House Seats in Virginia, Easily Retain Senate Seat
Democrats apparently flipped two of Virginia’s 11 House seats, adding them to the nationwide blue wave. The slate featured a mix of easy-to-call races with some nail-biters, as counting stretched into the night. In the 1st District, Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor declared victory in her race against Republican 10-term incumbent Rep. Rob Wittman…. -
news
Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Race
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed will defeat Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s closely watched U.S. Senate race Tuesday, projects Decision Desk. The candidates competed for an open seat after Democrat Sen. Gary Peters announced last year he would not run for reelection. El-Sayed, a Michigan native who will become the first Muslim member of the U.S. Senate,… -
breaking
Maine Gets New Senate Leadership as Jackson Overthrows Collins
Maine Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Sen. Susan Collins in one of the nation’s most closely watched midterm races, claiming a Senate seat she held for nearly 30 years. Decision Desk HQ projected Jackson as the winner at 1:10 a.m. EST, with 76% of the vote in and Jackson leading Collins with 53% of the vote… -
opinion
Winners and Losers From the 2026 Midterms
There’s no sugar-coating it: Republicans lost badly in the 2026 midterms, suffering stunning defeats in states once considered reliably red and seeing Democrats take control of both chambers of Congress. President Donald Trump encouraged Americans to vote like he was on the ballot, and many may have done so. Democratic socialists and a resurgent religious… -
news
California Stays Blue: Biden’s Former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra Wins Governor’s Race
Summary California will remain under Democrat leadership for another four years, as former Biden administration official Xavier Becerra has defeated Republican Steve Hilton in the race for governor. Decision Desk HQ called the race for Becerra at 11:13 p.m. EST, with Becerra leading Hilton by 64.6% to 35.6%. The result was expected, as the latest… -
breaking
Democrats Take the Senate
Democrats are projected to control the Senate in 2027 after picking up several seats in Tuesday night’s midterm election. As of 6 a.m. Eastern, the Democrats will hold 54 seats, the Republicans 44, with races in Alaska and Mississippi still to be decided. Decision Desk HQ made the call just after 11 p.m. EST. With… -
analysis
What Democrat Control of House Means for Trump
Democrats are projected to retake control of the House in Tuesday’s midterm elections, threatening impeachments and investigations of the president and administration officials. Democrats will now control committees and hold subpoena power, with the ability to launch investigations, hold hearings, and impeach the president and members of his Cabinet. “Lawyer up,” Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif.,… -
news
Democrat James Talarico Flips Texas Senate Seat Blue
Democrat James Talarico has defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for the Texas Senate seat, projects Decision Desk HQ. According to Decision Desk HQ, with 68% of votes counted, Talarico received 55.3% to Paxton’s 43%, marking the first time a Democrat has held the seat since 1988. Talarico, a Democrat state representative from Austin, won… -
breaking
Democrats Recapture the House, Speaker Johnson Worries They’ll Turn It Into a ‘Circus’
Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives as New York Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries appears headed toward a speakership.   “America is back,” Jeffries declared. As of 6 a.m. Eastern, Democrats have won 228 seats to the Republicans’ 139, with 68 races still to be called. Only 218 seats are needed for a majority…. -
breaking
BATTLE FOR CONGRESS: Trump Responds to Stinging GOP Senate Defeats
Watch for live updates here on the dramatic battle between Democrats and the GOP for control of Congress. 1:50 a.m.—Any GOP optimism to defy history and win the 2026 midterms faded early on Tuesday night. Then, any optimism that the election wouldn’t be a blue wave also faded, as the wave turned into a tsunami…. -
breaking
SOCIALISM WATCH: DSA Expands Reach in House
LIVE UPDATES: Race calls and election updates on Democratic Socialists of America candidates and their allies. All times Eastern. 1:20 a.m.—The Democratic Socialists of America claimed 84 wins from the 2026 midterms, from ballot initiatives to state and local races, to seven races for the U.S. House of Representatives. The DSA built power in local… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: The Left Tried to Bury Trump. Instead, It Fueled His Greatest Comeback.
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal senior contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for the Daily Signal. I haven’t talked much about my latest book that came out Sept. 8, roughly seven weeks… -
news
Legal Whiplash: Trump Scores Win in California Voter Roll Fight Over 20,000 Noncitizens
In an Election Day win for President Donald Trump’s administration, a judicial game of ping-pong in California has moved in his favor. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals cleared the way for the Justice Department to continue its probe of California voter rolls, including a warning to election workers against counting illegal votes. The… -
news
‘HUNT YOU DOWN’: Crackdown on Illegal Voters Continues Up to Election Day
Summary Homeland Security Investigations made Election Day announcements of two more arrests of noncitizens for allegedly casting illegal votes in previous years. This follows dozens of arrests, mostly this year, for voting offenses by noncitizens. “If you vote illegally in this country, and you are NOT eligible to vote, @DHSgov will find you, hunt you… -
news
📺 Who Will Control Congress? Watch the Results LIVE
Americans will decide the balance of power in Washington on Tuesday, and the Daily Signal will be there as the results come in. Beginning at 7 p.m. ET, national correspondent Tony Kinnett will host five hours of live midterm election night news on the Daily Signal’s YouTube channel and through the nationally syndicated “The Tony… -
news
Ballot Scanner Problems Hit Heart of Key Battleground House District on Election Day
Westchester County, New York, experienced ballot scanner problems Tuesday morning during in-person voting in one of the nation’s most competitive U.S. House races. The Westchester County Board of Elections announced that voting machines were not accepting paper ballots at polling locations throughout the county. Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, the incumbent, is defending his seat against… -
news
Trump Ends Billions of Military Aid to Major US Ally
President Donald Trump said the U.S. will no longer provide $4 billion in yearly aid to Israel starting in 2027. “You can consider it barter. You can consider military aid or cash. Look, we give them $4 billion of things and money, and they don’t need it,” he said in a Fox News interview. “And I… -
news
Trump’s Midterm Travel Runs Circles Around Obama, Biden
President Donald Trump has held more than 30 events from Oct. 1 to Election Day as part of his “midterm blitz,” far exceeding the travel of his Democrat predecessors. Trump has held 30 events in 20 states in 32 days. From Oct. 1 to Nov. 1, he visited Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Florida (twice), Georgia (twice),… -
news
Mike Johnson Stumps in Virginia With 2 Candidates in Swing Districts
House Speaker Mike Johnson wrapped up his 2026 midterm campaign with a pair of stops in Virginia. On Monday, the Republican appeared with Rep. Rob Wittman in the 1st District and Rep. Jen Kiggans in the 2nd District. Johnson came to the commonwealth armed with a list of accomplishments he attributed to this 119th Congress…. -
opinion
Who Let the Dogs Out?
Summary In April 2016, Gov. Terry McAuliffe committed an act of populism so transparent that it was overturned by the Supreme Court of Virginia that July. He claimed that since the Virginia Constitution gave his office the role of restoring individuals’ voting rights after their sentences were completed, he could issue an executive order restoring…