Jeffries says Democrats are near a House comeback as exit polls show anger over Trump’s Iran war

WASHINGTON, DC: Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Tuesday, November 3, that his party was close to reclaiming control of the US House of Representatives as voters headed to the polls in the 2026 midterm elections, with results yet to be announced.

Democrats need a net gain of three seats to overturn the Republican majority in the chamber. Jeffries said that early voting figures and turnout across several states had given the party confidence.

The Democratic leader's remarks came as exit polls pointed to widespread dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump's handling of the economy, inflation and the war with Iran.

Hakeem Jeffries predicts Democrats’ House victory

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, November 3, Jeffries said Democrats were approaching a potential change in control of the lower chamber, while cautioning that the party was not taking the outcome for granted.

“We’re on the brink of a dramatic change of direction in this country,” Jeffries said during an earlier visit to a volunteers' booth in Washington.

“We’re on the brink of Democrats taking back control of the House of Representatives. We’re going to deliver a Congress that actually puts the American people first."

The House minority leader later told reporters that Democrats "are on the verge" of reclaiming the House, adding that they "take nothing for granted".

"We're going to continue to run through the finish line," he said, pointing to what he described as strong early voting figures and turnout across the country.

"The early vote numbers were strong, and today's vote numbers all across the country are strong in blue states, in swing states and in red states."

However, Jeffries declined to predict how many seats Democrats could gain, saying that "we're working hard to get to 218, and then to win as many seats as we can on top of that."

Asked whether he would contact Trump if Democrats secured a majority, he said, "we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

He also said that the first person he intended to call after the election was "my mother."

Democrats need a net gain of three seats in the House and four in the Senate to take control of both chambers.

A House majority would give the party greater legislative leverage to challenge Trump's agenda and launch investigations into his administration.

Jon Ossoff leads Georgia Senate race amid voter discontent

Exit polls conducted by market research organisation SSRB for major US broadcasters showed significant voter dissatisfaction with the country's direction and the administration's handling of key issues.

CBS News exit polls put Trump's approval rating at 38%, the lowest recorded for a sitting president in a midterm election.

The survey also found that approximately three-quarters of voters were dissatisfied with the direction of the country, while negative views of the economy had worsened compared with two years earlier.

A majority of respondents also believed the United States was wrong to launch military action in Iran.

In Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff was projected to defeat Republican challenger Mike Collins and secure another term. Ossoff had made the rising cost of living a central issue in his campaign, criticising Collins for supporting Trump's tariffs.

Collins, meanwhile, blamed former President Joe Biden for higher living costs and defended his support for the administration's war in Iran.

The contest was among the first major Senate races projected on election night. Georgia voted for Trump in 2024 after narrowly backing Biden in 2020.

Republicans had hoped to make the race more competitive but reportedly shifted resources to other contests as polling indicated that Ossoff held a lead.