By Eleanor Ever Loyal
The count has answered the governing question. The Associated Press called the Senate for Democrats late Tuesday night and the House early Wednesday morning. Control of both chambers changes hands when the new Congress begins on January 3, 2027; until then, the current Congress — and its deadlines — still govern.
The Day Ahead
Congress. Neither chamber meets today. The House is in a district work period, and the House Press Gallery lists the next votes for Monday, November 9. The Senate’s next sitting is a pro forma session Thursday, November 5, at 10:30 a.m. Eastern, with no business expected (Senate Daily Press schedule). Both chambers return for business on Monday, November 9; the Senate is scheduled to resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 2347, with a cloture vote at approximately 5:30 p.m. Eastern.
The White House. The published daily guidance lists a closed-press day: executive time at 8:00 a.m. Eastern and policy meetings at 11:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. No public events are listed, and the Wall Street Journal reports the President has no public events today.
The Supreme Court. The Court hears argument at 10:00 a.m. Eastern in Guerrero v. Johnson (No. 25-1003), from the Fifth Circuit. The case asks when a state prisoner may file a second federal habeas petition based on a new constitutional rule the Court has made retroactive — specifically, whether the claim counts as previously unavailable when the petitioner could have raised it in an earlier petition even though it would not have succeeded then. The underlying claim concerns Atkins v. Virginia (2002), which bars executing people with intellectual disabilities.
The Pentagon. No Defense Department public briefing is listed in the sources checked this morning.
The Federal Register. Today’s issue includes a National Credit Union Administration final rule removing a provision of its regulations on federal credit unions’ statutory lien authority (FR Doc. 2026-22536).
What Moved
The Senate changed hands. According to Associated Press race calls, Democrats flipped seven Republican-held seats — North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, and Maine — and lost none. The named results include Roy Cooper over Michael Whatley in North Carolina, Annie Andrews over Senator Darline Graham in South Carolina, James Talarico over Ken Paxton in Texas, Sherrod Brown over Senator Jon Husted in Ohio, Adam Hamilton over Senator Roger Marshall in Kansas, Josh Turek over Representative Ashley Hinson in Iowa, and Troy Jackson over Senator Susan Collins in Maine, whose race the AP called at 1:02 a.m. Eastern Wednesday. Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s open seat, and Republican Senator Pete Ricketts held Nebraska against independent Dan Osborn, in a race the AP called at 3:27 a.m. Eastern.
The House followed. The AP called the House for Democrats at about 1:30 a.m. Eastern Wednesday. Its balance-of-power tracker this morning counts 222 House seats won by Democrats and 138 by Republicans, with Democrats leading in 41 of the districts not yet called and Republicans in 34; 218 of 435 make a majority.
The responses. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the results a “generational remake of the Senate map,” according to AP reporting. President Trump, in a Wall Street Journal interview late Tuesday, acknowledged that the war in Iran was partially to blame for Republican losses, the Journal reported. Steven Law, a Republican operative and former chief of staff to Senator Mitch McConnell, told the Journal: “You can’t deny this is an historic and catastrophic loss for the Republican Party that will take years to dig out of.” Those are the participants’ own characterizations; the certified results come later from the states.
The courts. The Supreme Court heard argument Tuesday in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy (No. 25-581), the Colorado universal preschool case. No decision is expected today; today’s argument is Guerrero, above.
The Power Count
The incoming Senate stands at 54 seats for Democrats, including the independents who caucus with them, and 44 for Republicans, according to the AP tracker, with two races uncalled. Democrats entered the election needing a net gain of four; they gained seven. In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by fewer than 50 votes out of more than 925,000 cast, with about 96 percent of the expected vote counted and affidavit ballots still to be reviewed; the AP has not called the race. In Alaska, Republican Senator Dan Sullivan leads Democrat Mary Peltola by about 1,600 votes with about 72 percent counted; Alaska’s ranked-choice tabulation is scheduled for November 18. Neither race affects control — only the final margin. The current Senate, 53 Republicans to 47 Democrats, remains in place until January 3, 2027, as does the current House.
One Thing to Watch
The lame-duck calendar. The current Congress returns on November 9, and the stopgap funding measure keeping the government open expires December 11. Everything the outgoing majorities still intend to pass — and everything the incoming majorities intend to wait for — now runs through those two dates. Watch what leadership schedules for the first week back: it will show, in the record, which items each side believes cannot wait for January.
— Eleanor Ever Loyal
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