US Midterms 2026: Hochul Wins New York, Republicans Hold Florida Senate Seat

Democrats secured four more governorships as US midterm results emerged on Tuesday, with Kathy Hochul winning another term in New York, Phil Weiser taking Colorado and Ned Lamont retaining Connecticut.

Republicans held Senate seats in Florida, Kentucky and Wyoming, keeping several contests in their column as the battle for control of Congress continued.

Hochul and Lamont return, Weiser wins Colorado

NBC News projected Hochul’s victory over Republican Bruce Blakeman in New York. In Connecticut, the network projected that Lamont would defeat Republican Ryan Fazio to secure another term.

Weiser won Colorado’s gubernatorial contest, also according to NBC News.

In Rhode Island, Fox News projected Democrat Helena Foulkes as the winner against Republican Aaron Guckian and a field of independent candidates, making her the state’s next governor.

The results kept all four governorships in Democratic hands.

Moody holds Florida for Republicans

Republican Senator Ashley Moody defeated Democrat Angie Nixon in Florida, CBS News projected.

With 98% of the reported vote counted, Moody had 4,156,406 votes, or 50.9%, against Nixon’s 3,914,706 votes, or 48%.

Moody, 51, was appointed to the Senate in 2025 after Marco Rubio left to become US secretary of state. A former Florida attorney general, she previously worked as a commercial litigator and federal prosecutor.

In Kentucky, Fox News projected Republican Representative Andy Barr as the winner against Democratic state lawmaker Charles Booker. The result kept the Senate seat in Republican hands.

Republican Harriet Hageman won Wyoming’s Senate race against Democrat James Byrd, NBC News projected. The network also called the state’s governor’s race for Republican Eric Barlow, who defeated Democrat Kenneth Casner.

Democrats retained a Senate seat in New Mexico, where incumbent Ben Ray Luján won re-election, according to NBC News.

Democrats eye House majority

Early House returns encouraged Democrats, although several races remained undecided.

CNN reported that two senior Democratic sources believed the party was on course to win at least 230 seats, above the 218 required for a majority. One source suggested the tally could approach 240 if Democrats held their leads in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District and Florida’s 9th.

Both districts backed Trump by double-digit margins in the 2024 presidential election. Their congressional races remained too early to call, and Republican sources cautioned against judging the scale of Democratic gains from the initial returns.

Control of the House and Senate will determine how much room Trump has to advance his legislative agenda during the final two years of his second term.

With inputs from ANI