Former President Barack Obama said Americans sent a clear message in the November 3 midterm elections. Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, ending Republican control of the House and Senate. Democrats flipped at least seven Senate seats and more than two dozen House districts, and some races were still being counted Wednesday morning. The result leaves President Donald Trump facing a Democratic-controlled Congress for the last two years of his term.
In a social media statement, Obama credited the wins to candidates who focused on public service, shared values and their communities' needs instead of political division. He wrote that voters want politics that brings people together and leaders who offer concrete solutions.
In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate race, and Gina Hinojosa defeated incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott. Talarico's win was the first time Texas elected a Democratic U.S. senator since 1988. Hinojosa's win ended decades of Republican control of the governor's office. Democrats also won Republican-held governorships in Georgia, Ohio and Iowa.