Marta Santiváñez
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump "might need to clean house at the White House and pick some advisers that have a clear path for him", a friend and supporter has told the BBC.

Christopher Ruddy, founder of the conservative US network Newsmax, says the president "is not a man that reflects".

"He's got two drives - fast and faster - in his gearbox. I think he's going to continue trying to pursue his policies by executive order and I think there's going to be a lot of battles."

Speaking to an election special on BBC Radio 4 and World Service, Ruddy - who has known Trump for more than 20 years - advises him to "use the Bill Clinton model: work with the Democrats, develop policies and programmes where you move things forward".

"But it takes two to tango," he adds, "and there has to be a willingness".

Lily Jamali
North America Technology Correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Elon Musk looms large in tonight’s election results.

Musk spent a historic $455m (£337.6m) - at least - to support Republican candidates and conservative causes, according to an analysis of federal campaign disclosures by OpenSecrets.

In the Texas Senate race, Musk spent more than $200m (£148m) to support Republican Ken Paxton, who lost tonight against Democrat James Talarico.

Musk relocated his residence and some business interests to the state a few years ago.

In his victory speech this evening, Talarico told supporters: "We just sent a message to every billionaire mega donor, every trillionaire mega donor, and every corrupt defender of this broken political system in this state and in this country: power belongs to the people."

Earlier, after several hours of silence on his social media platform X, Musk posted: "Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time."

Shaimaa Khalil
North America correspondent in Anchorage, Alaska

Image source, Reuters

The Bee Gees’ "Stayin’ Alive" is playing now at Dan Sullivan’s watch party in Anchorage.

There were cheers and applause when the Republican senator took the stage a little earlier, and the mood in the room is still festive. Sullivan called it a "gratitude" speech. The victory speech will have to wait, if it happens at all.

"We knew it was going to be close," he tells supporters. His campaign remains cautiously optimistic. The race is still neck and neck, and Republicans here are hoping Alaska will buck the national trend and stay red.

Mary Peltola was dancing on stage at her own watch party earlier. With Democrats now projected to win both chambers of Congress, a Peltola victory would give them another Senate seat and widen their majority.

If Sullivan holds on, it’ll be a bright spot for Republicans on a bruising night. But the fact that they’re still waiting to see whether they can keep a seat they once would have expected to win comfortably tells you how vulnerable they’ve become, even in traditionally red Alaska.

Sareen Habeshian
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

Democrats picked up a string of victories in Republican strongholds, including in Texas, Ohio, and Kansas.

Here's where things stand in key Senate races across the country:

• Democrat Adam Hamilton is projected as the winner of Kansas' Senate seat. The state last elected a Democrat almost 100 years ago
• Former Paralympian, Democrat Josh Turek, is projected to be the next US Senator from Iowa and will flip the seat held by Republican Senator Joni Ernst
• The Maine Senate seat will go to Democrat Troy Jackson, flipping the seat previously held by Republican incumbent Susan Collins, who has served in the seat for nearly 30 years
• Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is projected to win a Michigan Senate seat, edging out Republican candidate Mike Rogers
• The Ohio Senate seat flipped in favour of Democrat Sherrod Brown
• In Texas, Democrat James Talarico takes the Senate seat
• In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican incumbent Darline Graham - sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham
• The Alaska Senate race remains a toss-up - stay with us as we learn more

The Michigan Senate seat is projected to go to the Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, CBS says.

Claiming victory a little earlier, El-Sayed told supporters: "You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates... Michigan, I cannot wait to serve you."

El-Sayed will be the first Muslim to serve in the US Senate.

What these results mean for US-Russia relationspublished at 07:26 GMT

07:26 GMT

Steve Rosenberg
Russia editor

Image source, Getty Images

Will the results of the midterms have consequences for the Kremlin?

"President Trump will remain president until the end of his term and will carry out his foreign policy," President Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told me on Monday.

The message seemed to be: whatever the outcome, Moscow is expecting business as usual.

President Trump may not have delivered exactly what Russia wants – a signed and sealed peace deal on Ukraine on Russia’s terms – but his foreign policy has produced plenty of positives for the Kremlin.

The US president recently froze some anti-Russia sanctions, agreed to buy Russian diesel and he has been far more critical of Volodymr Zelensky than of Vladimir Putin.

But earlier this week Russia’s Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper predicted that, if the Republicans lost control of Congress, Donald Trump would “get bogged down in numerous investigations initiated by the Democrats" and that it was "unlikely he’ll be able to pursue the policies he considers right, including on Russia."

Image source, Reuters

Former President Barack Obama says his party's sweeping victory is evidence that Americans want change.

Writing on X, Obama says: "Tonight, the American people sent a clear message — they want a politics that brings people together rather than divides them, and leaders who offer concrete solutions to the challenges they face."

Obama has campaigned with several Democratic candidates in swing states like Michigan and Georgia.

He adds: "Our job now is to roll up our sleeves, make changes wherever we have the power to do so, prevent further damage, and lay the groundwork for the future."

The Republican Party is projected to have won the Senate contests in Idaho and Montana, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

Kurt Alme is projected to have won for the Republicans in Montana, with Jim Risch retaining his seat in Idaho.

It's been an extraordinary night for the Democrats in the US midterms.

The BBC's US partner CBS News projected the Democrats would win the House just after 03:00 GMT on Wednesday (22:00 EST Tuesday).

The results in the Senate are beyond what the Democrats would have expected, with a series of wins in Republican strongholds - including South Carolina, Kansas, Texas, Iowa and Ohio.

There are still two toss-up seats to come in Alaska and Maine. Even Mississippi is now on a knife edge, according to CBS News. Here's a look at where things stand in the key battlegrounds:

Nada Tawfik
North America correspondent in Detroit, Michigan

Image source, Reuters

Abdul El-Sayed’s supporters went wild when he took the stage to celebrate his claimed victory. (As a reminder, votes are still being counted and a winner is not yet projected.)

Their cheers were deafening and they chanted his name in jubilation.

A sea of iPhones were held up to take in this moment of history: a Muslim man who could be elected to the Senate. Several people in the crowd embraced, filled with emotion.

They repeated his slogans back to him like they were at a concert: "Money out of politics, money in your pocket and Medicare for all."

El-Sayed told the crowd that the campaign against him had been one of the ugliest seen in their lifetime and thanked them for their support. Progressives are celebrating his success as a massive win.

One of them told me that they never want to hear again that progressives can’t win.

Image source, Getty Images

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has just addressed supporters in Michigan, claiming victory in a race that is still too close to project.

"You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates," he tells the crowd, thanking them for their support.

"Michigan, I cannot wait to serve you," he says, going on to attack his opponent for running a campaign that made his Muslim faith a central issue.

"They went all in on one of the ugliest campaigns we've seen in a long time," he says, accusing them of attacking him "because of my name and my faith".

He continues: "They wanted an America that is too small for some of us. We know that this is an America that is big enough for all of us."

We're still awaiting full results in El-Sayed's race against Republican Mike Rogers - it has not yet been projected.

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier tonight, Rogers appeared before supporters to urge them to go home because "it's going to be a long night".

"There is a path for us to win this thing," Rogers said. "Go home and get some sleep, and when you wake up you're gonna be a winner."

Democrat Jocelyn Benson is projected to win the Michigan governor's seat, retaining the post for the Democratic Party, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News.

The Senate race in the state between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers has not yet been called, with El-Sayed ahead and 78% of the votes counted.

Freya Scott-Turner
Live reporter

US midterm election results are coming in thick and fast. Held at the half-way point of a president's term, this is as a measure of how happy Americans are with Donald Trump's presidency so far.

If you're just waking up, here's what you need to know.

• Democrats take Congress: First securing a majority in the House of Representatives, the Democrats have also won the Senate after a series of victories in Maine, Iowa, Ohio, Kansas and Texas

• Republican strongholds turn blue: Democrats won Senate races in states like South Carolina, Kansas and Texas - seats that have been held by Republicans for decades. Kansas hasn't had a Democratic Senator for almost 100 years
• Democrats sweep Texas: With James Talarico winning the Senate and Gina Hinojosa being elected Governor, Democrats have two-state wide victories in Texas that, for almost two generations, has been as red as they come, notes our chief North America correspondent
• Shock in South Carolina: Democrat Annie Andrews' Senate defeat of Republican incumbent Darline Graham - sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham - wasn't on anyone's radar and is a shocking upset for Republicans
• America has spoken pretty loudly in rejecting Donald Trump's last two years in office, says our North America editor Sarah Smith. Tonight is not just a Democratic wave - we are looking at a seismic shock
• Trump congratulates Democrats: Dialling into Fox News, the US president said he was "a little surprised" but that the opposition "did a good job" and said there are "many, many things" that he could work with them on

• More to come: Votes are still being counted in key Senate races like Michigan, and Alaska - where polls only closed a short while ago
• What now for Trump? A government controlled by the Democrats could have a real impact on the president. Congress could launch investigations into his finances or even try to impeach him for a third time

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from Washington DC

There's an extremely tight race for US Senate unfolding in Mississippi right now.

Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just a razor-thin margin of 28 votes.

The race hasn't been called yet, but 97% of votes have been counted. There's still enough room for Hyde-Smith to gain the lead, but either way, it will be a nail-biter.

In a usually safe Republican state, this is an unexpected turn of events.

There is no mystery about why this happened - voters in the US are angrypublished at 06:29 GMT

06:29 GMT

Sarah Smith
North America editor in Washington DC

Image source, Getty Images

Not even the most optimistic Democrat had dared to hope that they could achieve results as dramatic as these. They won control of both Houses of Congress by scoring remarkable victories in places that had long been considered reliable Republican strongholds.

We were prepared for a long wait, possibly for days, before we knew who had won control of the Senate. It was the scale of the Democratic victory that allowed their win to be declared before midnight in the US.

It would have been remarkable for Democrats to win in either Iowa or Ohio. Possibly Texas or Kansas. To win all four of these states is stunning.

There is no mystery about why this happened. Voters all over the US are angry about the cost of living and blame Donald Trump for that. Believing that it was his decision to go to war with Iran and his trade tariffs that pushed up prices.

He has posted on social media saying, "I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" He spent weeks urging supporters to pretend that he was running. Making himself the focus of the Republican campaign at time when he had record low approval ratings was always very risky. And appears to have backfired.

He now says he will become Mr Veto. He can use the power of his presidential veto to stop any bills passed by the Democratic congress becoming law. But the Democrats can now block any legislation he wants to pass.

They can also launch congressional investigations into some of his most controversial decisions and the ways in which he and his family have profited since he returned to the White House.

A short while ago, polls closed in Hawaii, marking the final polls to close in the 2026 midterm elections.

Democrats are projected to take back the Senate and House of Representatives from the Republicans, but there are still more results rolling in.

Stay with us.

Helena Humphrey
Reporting from Bangor, Maine

Image source, Reuters

It’s a pretty sorry atmosphere here at Senator Susan Collins’ watch party in Bangor, Maine.

The house lights are back on, they’re playing Closing Time, and it doesn’t appear the senator will be coming out to address her supporters.

Instead, she’s issued a statement saying she’s called Democrat Troy Jackson to congratulate him and promise a smooth transition.

But this isn’t just the end of an election night. It’s the end of a Senate career stretching back to 1997.

In his victory speech, Jackson recalled asking voters to put their faith in him just over 100 days ago, after the original Democratic nominee, Graham Platner, withdrew amid sexual assault allegations, which he denies.

Jackson pitched this as a battle between the working class and the political establishment.

And with cost-of-living concerns dominating conversations at polling stations across Maine today, it seems Susan Collins has finally run out of time.

The BBCs US news partner CBS is rating that the Alaska Senate race and the Alaska governor's race are currently toss-ups.

The Maine Senate seat is projected to go to the Democrat, Troy Jackson, CBS News says.

It’s a flip from Republican incumbent Susan Collins, who has served in the seat for nearly 30 years and is the longest-serving Republican woman in US Senate history.