Democrats have won control of both the House and Senate, currently projected to win at least 54 Senate seats, a net gain of seven with two races still undecided, and an estimated 258 House seats with dozens of races still undecided. This will be the largest Democratic Congressional majority since the first two years of the Obama administration.
Democrats Flip State Party Control
In addition to Congress, Democrats flipped governorships in several states, including Texas, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio and Iowa. Texas produced perhaps the night’s most striking results with Gina Hinojosa (D) defeating incumbent Greg Abbott (R) and Democrats in position to win the state house chamber and a sweep of statewide offices. Democrats also broke several Republican supermajorities, breaking veto-proof margins that will limit one-party control in several states.
- New Democratic Trifectas (Governor, Both State Legislative Chambers of Same Party): MI, MN, NV, WI
- States Where Trifectas are Now Divided Government (All Previously Republican Complete Control): GA, IA, NH, OH, TX
- State Legislative Chamber Change of Control to Democrat: MI (House), (MN House), NC (House), NH (House), WI (Senate and Assembly)
- Governors from Republicans to Democrats: GA, IA, NV, OH, TX
- Legislative Supermajorities Won by Democrats: CO (House), NV (Assembly), NY (Senate), VT (Senate and House)
- Legislative Supermajorities Lost by Republicans: FL (Senate), FL (House), IA (House), KS (House), MO (Senate and House), NC (Senate), NH (Senate), OH (House), SC (House)
These shifts are likely to produce a more active and varied state policy environment over the next several years. New Democratic trifectas could accelerate proposals around workforce standards and labor policy, health care and long-term care oversight, Medicaid and HCBS expansion, consumer protections, housing and affordability, long-term care financing reform, liability and legal issues, emergency preparedness, and oversight of private equity and ownership. At the same time, the expansion of divided government and loss of legislative supermajorities in several states could moderate more sweeping proposals by requiring greater bipartisan negotiation. Argentum will be working closely with our State Partners to engage proactively with state lawmakers, governors, and regulators, and we encourage all members to engage with our State Partners on these issues.
What This Means for Federal Policy and Oversight
The new Democratic Congress is likely to focus on core election issues of affordability, health care, cost of living and government accountability. We will be closely monitoring how the Trump administration responds, either to identify areas for bipartisan consensus or attempt to block the Congressional Democrats agenda, with President Trump suggesting both possibilities, saying Democrats will want to work with him while also emphasizing his willingness to use the veto.
Argentum is closely monitoring the impacts of the election and new Congress for potential new federal oversight efforts. Congressional committees will be able to hold hearings, conduct investigations, issue subpoenas and scrutinize administration policy. Long-term care is already positioned to be part of that agenda, notably with last week’s announcement by several Senate Finance Democrats in releasing a report examining nursing home ownership, staffing and oversight, along with a separate 81-page request for information addressing long-term care and the workforce. Importantly, that report recognized assisted living’s distinct, state-regulated and primarily privately financed model, but Argentum has cautioned that congressional scrutiny could expand beyond nursing homes into ownership, staffing, memory care and other senior living issues.
We anticipate federal long-term care legislation that may directly impact assisted living and potentially call for new federal regulations. This may be influenced by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published in July examining federal spending associated with services delivered in assisted living settings, which stemmed from a request made in January 2024 by several Democratic lawmakers on the U.S. Senate Aging Committee, following negative and misleading national media coverage of assisted living. Further, we anticipate that the GAO will issue another report on assisted living, likely within the next year, following a similar request made in March 2025 by Democratic members of the Aging Committee, who asked GAO to revisit questions related to assisted living oversight, Medicaid programs, critical incident reporting, and the role of federal involvement in the sector.
A New Congress with Many New Faces
The 120th Congress was on track to bring more than 100 new lawmakers to Washington, and defeats of incumbents will push that number higher. The incoming Democratic class is not ideologically uniform, and includes lawmakers with very different backgrounds, constituencies and policy priorities. It will be critical for senior living to introduce ourselves early and often, explain the residential and community-based nature of senior living, and demonstrate our role in addressing the nation’s aging, housing, affordability and workforce challenges.
New Senate Faces
- Iowa: Josh Turek (D), a state lawmaker, defeated Ashley Hinson (R)
- Kansas: Adam Hamilton (D), a religious leader, defeated Roger Marshall (R)
- Maine: Troy Jackson (D), a state lawmaker, defeated Susan Collins (R)
- Michigan: Abdul El-Sayed (D), a state public health official, defeated Mike Rogers (R), retaining the Democratic-held seat by retiring senator Gary Peters
- Minnesota: Peggy Flanagan (D) defeated Michele Tafoya (R), retaining the Democratic-held seat by retiring senator Amy Klobuchar
- New Hampshire: Chris Pappas (D), defeated John Sununu (R), retaining the Democratic-held seat by retiring senator Jeanne Shaheen
- North Carolina: Roy Cooper (D), a former governor and attorney general, defeated Michael Whatley (R)
- Ohio: Sherrod Brown (D), reclaimed a senate seat after being defeated for reelection in 2024, defeating Jon Husted (R)
- South Carolina: Annie Andrews (D), a medical doctor, defeated Darline Graham (R)
- Texas: James Talarico (D), a state lawmaker, defeated Ken Paxton (R)
Additionally, two Senate races remain undecided and may flip to Democrats:
- Mississippi: Scott Colom (D) narrowly leads incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) by fewer than 100 votes
- Alaska: Mary Petola (D), a former Democratic member of Congress is narrowly leading incumbent Dan Sullivan (R), where a winner may not be declared for weeks due to extended vote counting in rural areas and the state’s ranked choice voting system when no candidate has a majority of votes
House: The scale of turnover will extend well beyond the Senate. Democrats have secured the House majority and are currently projected to win an estimated 258 seats. With retirements, open seats and incumbent defeats added together, the new Congress will bring an unusually large freshman class and require a correspondingly large industry education effort.
Congressional Leadership Will Change
Democrats will take the gavels in the House and Senate. Committee leadership in areas particularly important to senior living, including health care, tax, housing, workforce, appropriations, aging and financial services, will shape both the legislative and oversight agendas. Argentum will be closely monitoring party caucus and committee leadership decisions in the coming weeks.
What It Means for Argentum’s Priorities
Our priorities will remain centered on two fundamental challenges facing senior living: improving affordability and access to senior living and addressing the workforce shortage.
Several congressional champions of Argentum priorities were defeated, including Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), who co-led the Caring for Seniors Act, Bryan Steil (R-WI), who co-chaired the House 21st Century Long-Term Care Caucus and led the Care Across Generations Act, and Mike Carey (R-OH), who led the Credit for Caring Act. Additionally, French Hill (R-AR), who championed our priorities in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, is narrowly leading in his still undecided race. We are currently working with the Department of Treasury on implementation of this legislation to ensure our concerns regarding Section 1001 are adequately addressed during the rulemaking process, and will submit formal comments.
Notably, the two leading sponsors of the Assisted Living ACCESS Act, to establish a new federal Medicaid benefit for assisted living, Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Representative Max Miller (R-OH), were defeated for re-election. That legislation (S. 4479 and H.R. 8662) would require state Medicaid programs to cover assisted living services the same as nursing facility services for any individuals who meet nursing facility–level care criteria. We raised concerns that this would strain communities, limit innovation, and ultimately reduce access to care for seniors. With both sponsors losing reelection, the legislation in its current form will not be carried forward into the new Congress and any renewed proposal will require reintroduction and new congressional support.
What You Can Do
Senior living faces a massive new education campaign, with scores of incoming lawmakers with limited familiarity with our communities, residents, workforce and regulatory model. Democratic congressional control will create new legislative opportunities and new oversight risks.
Argentum is calling on members to join the I Love Senior Living movement, participate in the Public Policy Fly-In this spring, work alongside our State Partners and invite lawmakers into senior living communities across the country. Community tours are particularly important because seeing senior living firsthand is often the most effective way to distinguish our residential model from institutional long-term care. Argentum’s Public Policy Council has already made community tours, policymaker education and the I Love Senior Living movement core components of its advocacy strategy.
The most important step members can take today is simple: stay informed, stay engaged and be an active Argentum Advocate. With a new Congress, new committee leaders, dozens of new lawmakers and sweeping political changes in the states, the industry’s ability to tell its story early will help determine how senior living is treated in the policy debates ahead.
All Argentum members are encouraged to join us for our post-election briefing webinar on Tuesday, November 10 on what this means for senior living and how our industry can prepare for the policy opportunities and challenges ahead.
Webinar Details
What: Argentum Advocates Post-Election Policy Briefing
When: Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ytyu7mpmSNyJ6CAcIvHByg