US Senate midterms: Democrats win seats in North and South Carolina

Democrats made gains in several US Senate races on election night, 4 November, in the midterm elections. Republicans, the party of President Donald Trump, entered the vote with a 53-47 majority in the Senate, the upper chamber of Congress, and Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to take control. Polling suggested Democrats could win the House of Representatives, but the Senate battle is expected to be close. Races in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas are also being closely watched.

North Carolina

Democrat Roy Cooper, a former two-term state governor, won North Carolina's Senate race comfortably. He defeated Michael Whatley, the Trump-backed Republican, who is a former chair of the Republican National Committee and has never held elected office. Cooper campaigned on the high cost of food and energy while the president's approval ratings were falling. Cooper, 69, will succeed Republican Thom Tillis, who announced his retirement after breaking with Trump over cuts to Medicaid, the US public health insurance programme, in the president's tax and spending law.

South Carolina

In South Carolina, pediatrician Annie Andrews narrowly beat Darline Graham, who was seeking to keep the seat permanently after the death of her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham, in July. Darline Graham had been appointed to the seat by Governor Henry McMaster on Trump's recommendation. Andrews is the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in South Carolina since 1998, according to media projections, with NBC News and CNN calling the race for her.

Georgia

Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, 39, the youngest member of the Senate, won a second term by defeating Republican Mike Collins. He was the only Senate Democrat seeking re-election in a state Trump carried in 2024. Ossoff ran as a sharp critic of Trump and raised more than $100 million.