Democrats win House control after flipping 43 districts, including long-held Ohio seats

Democrats have taken control of the US House of Representatives after Tuesday’s midterm elections, ousting Republican incumbents in suburban, rural and once reliably conservative districts, according to CBS News.

By the network’s count, 43 districts have so far shifted to Democrats and two to Republicans. CBS News stressed that winners in dozens of races had yet to be projected, so the final tally of seats could still change.

Incumbents toppled

Several of the defeats came in districts where Republicans had won comfortably two years ago. In Ohio, Rep. Mike Turner lost the 10th District to Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker, ending a congressional career of almost a quarter of a century. Elsewhere in the state, Democrat Don Leonard beat Rep. Mike Carey, and Brian Poindexter defeated the embattled Rep. Max Miller in the northeastern 7th District.

In southern New Jersey, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who won by 16.9 points in 2024, lost to Democrat Zack Mullock in a seat widely considered solidly Republican. Indiana’s Victoria Spartz lost to J.D. Ford, one of several election-night surprises, CBS News said. In Pennsylvania, five-term Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate who broke with President Donald Trump over Iran, lost to Democrat Bob Harvie, while in New York Rep. Mike Lawler was beaten by Cait Conley.

Democrats also settled old scores. Elaine Luria won back her Virginia seat from Rep. Jen Kiggans, and Iowa’s Mariannette Miller-Meeks lost to Christine Bohannon in their third straight meeting. With three Iowa flips, the state’s delegation will go from entirely Republican to three Democrats and one Republican.

Maps and motives

The contest was reshaped by the mid-decade redistricting push that began last year. Texas Republicans moved several districts rightward at Trump’s request, California Democrats shifted theirs to the left, and other states adjusted maps for partisan advantage. CBS News said Democrats still notched several wins under the new lines, while Republican gains have been limited so far. In Missouri, the courts threw out a map that would have made a St. Louis-area seat redder, and Democrat Fred Wellman unseated Rep. Ann Wagner there.

The BBC examined whether anger over artificial intelligence infrastructure played a part. A voter poll for AP and a group of news organisations found that 56% of respondents called data centres a crucial or major factor in their vote, and 76% said they would oppose a new one in their community. Opposition was markedly stronger among Democratic voters.

Other concerns ranked higher: 90% cited government corruption and 89% the cost of living. BBC Verify noted that Democrats flipped Senate seats in Texas, Ohio and Iowa, all with more data centres than the median state, but concluded it was impossible to say how many votes or seats the issue delivered. Democrats elected in Texas, Georgia and Ohio had called for tighter rules on the facilities.

What remains open

The final size of the Democratic majority depends on the outstanding races that CBS News had not yet called. Analysts quoted by the BBC expect new state leaders to attach conditions to data centre construction, though several predicted negotiation rather than outright bans. OpenAI said on Thursday it would fully cover its own electricity costs.