Early midterm results put Democrats ahead — but control of Congress is still undecided

Early results from the United States midterm elections on Tuesday showed Democrats ahead in the national House popular vote, with about 36.1 million votes to about 29.7 million for Republicans in Associated Press figures compiled with roughly a third of precincts reporting.

The most notable Senate result so far came in North Carolina, where Democrat Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley to flip a seat, according to results reported by the Associated Press and other outlets. Democrats also held important seats: Senator Jon Ossoff won re-election in Georgia, Chris Pappas won in New Hampshire, and Senator Mark Warner won re-election in Virginia, while Republican Ashley Moody held the Florida Senate seat.

In governors' races, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won in Georgia, becoming the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history, according to reports citing Associated Press results. Republican Byron Donalds won in Florida, becoming that state's first Black governor, and Democrat JB Pritzker won another term in Illinois.

But control of Congress remained undecided late Tuesday. A live projection updated at 9:31 p.m. ET put Democrats at 83 House seats called and leading in 112 more, against 71 called and 59 leading for Republicans, with 218 needed for a majority — and the Senate at 48 Democrats, 39 Republicans and two independents, with several races still uncalled. The Associated Press does not declare a winner simply because a candidate is ahead; it waits until the remaining votes cannot realistically change the outcome.

What it means for Canadians

For Canada, the count matters more than any single race. A Congress that checks the president's power would change the politics around tariffs and any Canada trade deal, while a Congress aligned with the White House would leave the president freer to set trade terms by himself. Either way, Ottawa's negotiating teams will be reading the final seat counts — not Tuesday night's early leads — before they judge what comes next.