Democrats prepare to take Congress after sweeping wins

House Democrats volition commencement 2027 with a sizable majority, but their nonstop borderline isn't clear, arsenic votes are inactive being counted successful cardinal races successful Maine, Montana, Florida, Alaska and elsewhere.

Here's however galore House seats CBS News projects for each party:

CBS News inactive rates 2 Senate races arsenic toss-ups: Alaska and Mississippi.

The Alaska contention betwixt GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola is inactive tight, and vote-counting could instrumentality immoderate time, partially owed to the state's ranked-choice system. The contention was shaken up past week by allegations that Peltola-linked operatives helped enlistee a campaigner with the aforesaid archetypal and past sanction arsenic Sullivan — which Peltola's run denied.

The Mississippi contention betwixt GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde Smith and Democrat Scott Colom wasn't expected to beryllium competitive, but  is razor-thin. State officials accidental thousands of ballots inactive request to beryllium counted, including outstanding absentee ballots that aren't owed for a fewer much days and "affidavit" ballots from voters whose eligibility needs to beryllium confirmed.

Here's wherever power of the Senate stands:

Democrats won power of the House of Representatives connected Tuesday by flipping much than 2 twelve Republican-held seats, picking up perennial plaything districts and seats that were erstwhile considered deep-red. The party's wins ranged from suburban areas successful the Northeastern United States to areas of South Texas that were erstwhile viewed arsenic progressively GOP-friendly.

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Republicans undertook a historical effort to redraw respective states' Congressional districts mid-decade successful an effort to support power of the House. That effort was rebuffed connected Tuesday nighttime arsenic the GOP was connected way to suffer each of the districts it tried to gerrymander. 

There were respective reasons that states undertook what had antecedently been a uncommon signifier of mid-decade redistricting. Republican efforts started erstwhile President Trump ordered Texas lawmakers to redraw their representation to nett up to 5 seats for the GOP. 

But contempt the all-out effort, Democrats won power of the House connected Tuesday, with CBS News estimating Democrats could extremity up with 251 to 268 House seats. 

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Republicans person begun trying to prime up the pieces from Tuesday's midterms, with apical GOP voices pitching themselves for enactment roles and offering theories connected wherefore the enactment lost.

House Speaker Mike Johnson announced connected a telephone with his unit that helium won't tally for number person adjacent year, a source acquainted with the substance told CBS News.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced helium plans to tally for Republican leader. He told his colleagues: "We volition request to beryllium honorable with ourselves astir what happened."

House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan besides threw his chapeau successful the ring, calling it a "staggering time for our Conference." He said he's "battle-tested" aft brawling with Democrats connected investigations.

Others offered diagnoses connected what went wrong. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, whose authorities shifted hard toward Democrats, called the results an "ass-kicking" and a "Watergate-level repudiation."

On his podcast, Cruz argued his enactment didn't code a "real economical disconnect" and that galore GOP politicians "seem similar they didn't recognize oregon they didn't care" astir the outgo of living.

In what could beryllium a looming intraparty debate, Vice President JD Vance said the "reason we mislaid is the war." He said galore Trump 2024 voters flipped to Democrats successful bid to extremity the Iran war, code cost-of-living issues, "Put America First" and alteration the U.S.-Israel relationship.

The apt statesmanlike contender wrote that "everyone knows wherefore we lost. And immoderate honorable speech astir wherever we spell from present indispensable commencement there."

(The president's son, Donald Trump Jr., reacted to Vance's post with "💯💯💯.")

Former Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told CBS News' "The Takeout with Major Garrett" that Tuesday's results were a "red rebellion" that she linked to people's frustrations with the economy. She said the GOP needs to bash immoderate "soul-searching."

"You don't triumph Texas, you don't triumph Kansas, you don't triumph South Carolina without Republican voters really crossing implicit and voting for the Democrats," she said.

President Trump's archetypal nationalist quality since the midterms was astatine the operation tract for his White House ballroom, wherever helium lauded the contractors and signed a alloy beam.

In remarks to reporters, Mr. Trump again blamed Republican candidates for the party's monolithic losses Tuesday night, saying determination was truthful overmuch "love" astatine his rallies.

"If I was connected the ballot, we would person won," helium said. "But they conscionable — you couldn't transportation that love. There was specified emotion astatine those rallies, it was incredible. And we weren't capable to transportation the emotion to candidates."

He besides said it's "largely true" that the GOP mislaid the House and Senate due to the fact that of the Iran war's interaction connected vigor prices, agreeing with Vice President JD Vance, but helium argued it was worthwhile, saying: "If I had to bash it again, I'd person to bash it again."

"You person nary choice; you person to bash it. You can't fto Iran person a atomic limb oregon everything that you spot present immoderate time mightiness not exist," the president said.

President Trump has been asking advisers astir him and connected the telephone whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should enactment successful his job, pursuing Republicans' catastrophic losses Tuesday night, aggregate sources acquainted with the substance told CBS News connected Wednesday.

Some White House aides person predicted immoderate of the blasted for GOP midterm losses volition beryllium trained connected Adm. Brad Cooper, the caput of U.S. Central Command, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, who some played large roles successful guidance connected the Iran war.

One root told CBS News that GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is being floated arsenic a imaginable replacement for Hegseth, arguing helium could spell done Senate confirmation successful the lame-duck play earlier Democrats instrumentality power of Congress.

Still, different sources said Mr. Trump hasn't decided to regenerate Hegseth.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said successful a connection that the president "has afloat assurance successful Secretary Hegseth." Asked if helium is considering replacing Hegseth, Mr. Trump told reporters: "No, I deliberation he's doing a precise bully job."

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Rep. Robert Garcia of California, who volition seat the House Oversight Committee adjacent Congress, laid retired 4 areas wherever the sheet volition absorption its investigative efforts. 

The overarching investigations see the Trump family's concern dealings, firm corruption, actions of the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. 

"I deliberation folks that request to beryllium acrophobic archetypal are medication officials that person caused existent harm. We're going to analyse the abuses," Garcia said astatine a quality league Wednesday, singling retired Stephen Miller, Corey Lewandowski, Kristi Noem and Trump household members.

Garcia acknowledged the Justice Department is improbable to prosecute radical who garbage to cooperate, but said House Democrats could writer successful civilian court.

Senate Democratic person Chuck Schumer, meanwhile, called the midterms a "generational remake of the Senate map," but said his party's astir important task is to respond to the mandate from voters by "prov[ing] ourselves worthy of their trust."

Previewing the party's plans starting adjacent year, the number person said: "Whenever Trump defies the volition of the American radical oregon the law, we volition motorboat investigations, instrumentality him to court, and entangle him successful legislative razor wire."

Many legislature Democrats are apt to beryllium enthusiastic astir investigating the Trump administration. But 1 mean incoming Democratic senator, Adam Hamilton of Kansas, told CBS News helium wants to walk much clip connected cost-of-living and different issues than investigations oregon impeachments, saying: "I bash not privation to walk the adjacent 2 years successful trials."

Asked astir the imaginable for Democrat-led investigations, White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said: "As the President has said, he's consenting to enactment with anyone to proceed delivering victories for hardworking Americans. If Democrats take to prosecute sham investigations and extremist near policies, they are choosing to enactment against the American people."

Democrat James Talarico connected Wednesday said his triumph implicit Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton successful the Texas Senate contention delivered a connection to Elon Musk, who spent much than $150 cardinal to boost Paxton's candidacy: "Texas is not for sale."

Hours aft his projected triumph implicit Paxton, Talarico told "CBS Mornings" that his triumph is an accidental to get large wealth retired of authorities "for good."

"The radical of Texas delivered a crystal-clear connection to the world's archetypal trillionaire: Texas is not for sale," Talarico said. "The powerfulness successful this state, successful this country, belongs to the radical and we've got to marque definite it stays that way."

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