Schumer Says Democrats Have Won the Senate After Midterms

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats have won the Senate, calling the result a "generational remake of the Senate map." He spoke to reporters on Nov. 4, 2026, outside the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in Washington, D.C.

Schumer said the Democratic wave that brought Democrats control of the House and Senate is changing the chamber's makeup. "Against all odds, we Democrats have won the Senate," he said in remarks posted by the Senate Democrats' office. NPR reported that Democrats picked up Senate seats in Iowa, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas, all states that President Trump had previously carried. Democrats also won a Senate race in Kansas, a state that had not sent a Democrat to the Senate in 94 years.

Democrats now hold a 54-seat Senate majority, counting two independent senators who work with the party. Two races, in Alaska and Mississippi, had not been called as of Nov. 4.

Schumer is expected to become Senate Majority Leader, the top job for the party that controls the chamber, when the new Congress begins in January.

Schumer said Republicans followed President Trump "over the cliff." He also said, "The days of Trump's supplicant Senate are over."

Schumer said Democrats intend to bring down the cost of living, end the Iran war and open investigations into the White House over corruption allegations. "We are going to work hard to drive costs down with the president or without him," he said.

Asked about the mandate voters gave the party, Schumer said, "These voters did not give us the majority so we can do whatever we want." He added that "Americans voted for change."