Why It Matters
Democrats expanded their position across several Southern states in the 2026 midterms, including Georgia, where Keisha Lance Bottoms won the governor’s race and Democrats swept statewide offices. Texas, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina together represent more than a third of the electoral votes needed to win the White House.
What Happened
Democrats flipped U.S. Senate seats in North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas, while Mississippi’s Senate contest remained too close to call. Annie Andrews won a Senate seat in South Carolina, and Scott Colom led Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi by less than 1,200 votes.
In Georgia, Jon Ossoff won by 18 points, Bottoms won the governor’s race, and Democrats captured every statewide elected office. Democrats also gained control of the state utility regulator and were set to win a majority in the state House.
Republican-led House redistricting efforts backfired in Alabama, North Carolina, Texas and Florida. Democrats were poised to gain several Southern House seats, while Republican House supermajorities ended in Florida and South Carolina. Dozens of Democratic pickups were reported in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Tennessee’s redistricting divided Memphis among three districts. Justin Pearson came within a few thousand votes of winning there. In Alabama, Shomari Figures won a new district that had favored President Trump by 14 points by nearly 8 points.
Republicans retained Florida’s governor’s seat and U.S. Senate seat. Republicans also won one targeted seat by Wednesday night, while nine targeted seats were identified in Texas and Florida.
By the Numbers
Nov. 3 — election night watch party date in Atlanta
2026 — year of the election referenced in the Cary, N.C., caption
2028 — presidential election year discussed
270 — electoral votes needed to win the White House
18-point — Jon Ossoff’s Georgia victory margin
20-point — Roy Cooper’s North Carolina victory margin
nearly 8 points — Shomari Figures’ Alabama victory margin
less than 2% — Jamie Davis’ margin of loss to Julia Letlow
less than 1,200 votes — Scott Colom’s lead over Cindy Hyde-Smith
three — districts into which Memphis was split
nine — targeted seats in Texas and Florida
more than a third — share of the 270 electoral votes represented by Texas, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina
Zoom Out
The results placed Southern states at the center of the next presidential contest. Pete Buttigieg, Raphael Warnock and Andy Beshear campaigned for nominees in tight races, while Ted Cruz and JD Vance focused on the South.
Black voter participation soared in primaries held after the Supreme Court ruling. In Louisiana, Democrat Jamie Davis narrowly lost to Julia Letlow by less than 2%, despite President Trump having won the state in 2024 by more than 15 points.
Ashley Kennedy Shelton of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice in Louisiana said household costs were driving political engagement. “Everybody’s spending more money on their electricity bills, their gas bills, their food bills,” Shelton said. She added that “politics is absolutely doing them, and they have to get involved.”
What’s Next
The Southern results will shape party organizing and candidate recruitment ahead of the 2028 presidential election. Mississippi’s Senate race remained unresolved, while the reported House gains and changes in state legislative control will determine the region’s political balance.