Democrats Projected to Win House; Jeffries Set to Become First Black Speaker
Two results from the 2026 midterms carry historic firsts for Black representation in both chambers of Congress, reshaping the leadership landscape heading into the 120th Congress.
Democrats are projected to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives in Tuesday's midterm elections, according to Decision Desk HQ as reported by Bloomberg. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York is expected to become the next Speaker of the House, a position that would make him the first African American to hold that office in the history of the United States Congress.
The House speakership has existed since the First Congress in 1789. No African American has previously held the position in the more than 230 years since, according to the congressional record. Jeffries has served as House Minority Leader since January 2023, following the retirement of Rep. Nancy Pelosi from leadership.
Separately, Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton won her U.S. Senate race on Tuesday, defeating Republican Don Tracy, per the Associated Press as cited by Axios. Stratton's victory means that, when she is sworn in during January 2027, three Black women will serve simultaneously in the U.S. Senate for the first time in the institution's history.
The Senate has operated since 1789. The first Black woman ever elected to the body was Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois, who served from 1993 to 1999. It was not until 2021 that two Black women served in the Senate at the same time, according to Axios. Stratton's arrival would bring that number to three.
Stratton's win in Illinois is particularly notable given the state's history. Carol Moseley Braun, the first Black woman in Senate history, also represented Illinois. Stratton will be the second Black woman elected to the Senate from that state.
The two results, taken together, represent a shift in the demographic composition of federal legislative leadership. Prior coverage from The Congressional Times noted that Democrats and Republicans contested House and Senate seats across the country on 2026 Midterm Day, with control of both chambers in question heading into election night.
The precise seat count determining the House majority remains in progress as of publication. Decision Desk HQ is a nonpartisan election data firm that aggregates vote returns and projects outcomes based on reported results. Bloomberg cited Decision Desk HQ as the source of the House projection. The final certified seat totals will be recorded in the official congressional record and by the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In the Senate, the number of seats Democrats and Republicans will each hold in the 120th Congress is not yet fully determined as vote counts continue in several states. The composition of the Senate as a whole will be reported by the Senate Office of Public Records once races are called and certified.
For the House, the transition of power, if the projection holds, would be formalized when the 120th Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2027, at which point a Speaker vote would take place on the House floor. That vote is recorded in the Congressional Record. Jeffries would need a majority of votes cast by members present to secure the speakership.
What remains unknown: the final certified margin in the Stratton-Tracy Senate race, the full roster of Senate seats won by each party in the 2026 cycle, and the exact House seat totals that will determine the size of the Democratic majority. Those figures will be available through the Illinois State Board of Elections, the Senate Office of Public Records, and the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives as state certification processes conclude.