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Kansas and Texas victories underline Democrats' congressional breakthrough

Ireland's election coverage pairs gains in Republican strongholds with Trump's acknowledgement that the Iran war affected the result.

Channel: RTÉ News ·

IrelandStory of November 5, 2026Trari Newsroom

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Democrats take Congress after a wave of midterm election victories | RTÉ News

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

2:04Election projections and candidate speeches show Democratic gains alongside Republican concessions.
4:32Trump's telephone response acknowledges Iran's role in the losses while defending his actions.
5:28Washington voters give their reactions at a watch party and outside the Capitol.
7:34Republican commentator Jennifer Ewing examines policy missteps and internal party divisions.
11:11Brendan Boyle discusses Democrats' economic priorities and plans for congressional oversight.
14:32Boyle calls impeachment a political loser, distinguishing it from the oversight agenda.

Victories in Kansas and Texas help illustrate the scale of the Democratic breakthrough in a report from Ireland's RTÉ News (Raidió Teilifís Éireann): Republicans have lost control of both chambers of Congress, including seats in states long associated with their party.

Washington correspondent Jackie Fox reviews the changed electoral map from outside Capitol Hill. A sequence of projections and speeches captures the contrast between Republican disappointment and Democratic celebration. House Speaker Mike Johnson tells supporters he is disappointed too, while Texas senator-elect James Talarico presents his victory as a message to those at the top.

Donald Trump's response introduces a qualification to the celebrations. In a telephone interview with Fox News, the president acknowledges that the Iran war played a part in the Republican losses, while defending his decisions: "Part of it was Iran, but at the same time, people understood the importance of what I've done with Iran." The report also identifies rising fuel prices as a factor he acknowledged.

Fergal O'Brien takes the coverage into Washington, interviewing people at a watch party and outside the Capitol. Republican commentator Jennifer Ewing then joins Fox to examine policy missteps and divisions within the party.

The final extended interview turns from the result to how Democrats should use their new power. Brendan Boyle, the re-elected Democratic congressman from the Philadelphia area, discusses economic priorities and congressional oversight. But he draws a distinction between scrutiny and pursuing Trump's removal: "Well, look, I think impeachment is a political loser."

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