Democrats sweep Senate races in Texas, Ohio, and other GOP strongholds

Voters in Ohio, Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, and Iowa elected Democratic candidates to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, a result that defied expectations in states long considered Republican territory.

All five states were won by President Donald Trump by wide margins in the 2024 presidential election. This year, however, Democratic candidates secured victories in all five jurisdictions.

In Ohio, Amy Acton won the governor’s race, while Sherrod Brown claimed the U.S. Senate seat. Brown previously lost his seat to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024. He defeated incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted in this election.

The changes extended to other traditional Republican states. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton, a Methodist pastor, became the state’s first Democratic senator since 1932, defeating Republican Roger Marshall.

South Carolina elected pediatrician Annie Andrews to the Senate, marking the first Democratic victory in that chamber from the state since 1998. She unseated Republican Senator Darline Graham.

Texas saw the most extensive Democratic gains. James Talarico won the Senate seat against Ken Paxton. Gina Hinojosa defeated incumbent Governor Greg Abbott, and Vikki Goodwin replaced Vice Governor Dan Patrick. Nathan Johnson won the attorney general race against Mayes Middleton. No Democratic candidate had won a statewide office in Texas since 1994.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer described the outcome as a generational reconfiguration of the Senate map. Dan Patrick, the outgoing Texas vice governor, called the election a landslide in a statement. Republicans had not anticipated such losses at the start of the campaign cycle.