Merkley Holds Oregon, Cotton Holds Arkansas as Democrats Seize the House

Oregon stays blue and Arkansas stays red. Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley and Republican Senator Tom Cotton both won reelection to the U.S. Senate in Tuesday's midterms, NBC News projected, holding serve for their parties in two states that never really wobbled.

The real earthquake hit Kansas. Democrat Adam Hamilton knocked off incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall, CNN projected — the first time Democrats have flipped that Senate seat in 94 years. Hamilton is a pastor making his first run for elected office, and he pulled it off in a deep-red state while President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance both campaigned against him.

Then came the House. Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged Republicans had lost their majority as results rolled in, handing Democrats control of the chamber. Johnson pointed to the math: in the past 90 years, only one sitting president has seen his party gain or hold House seats in the first midterm of his presidency. 'It's very, very difficult to overcome, and it looks like history will hold tonight,' he said.

Trump is already signaling he'll play nice. He told the New York Times he will accept the results and work with Democrats. 'We'll probably work something out,' he said. Earlier, in a social media post, he claimed the GOP would have won 'in a landslide' if his name had been on the ballot.

With Merkley and Cotton safely back in Washington, the Senate map is still in play — but the House has already changed hands, and Johnson's concession sealed it.