Blue wave swamps state legislatures in red and purple states

Tuesday’s midterm elections proved to be a nightmare for Republicans, not just in Congress, where they lost both chambers, but in state legislatures across battlegrounds nationwide, marking a sweeping rebuke to red power.Democrats are set to gain governing trifectas in five swing states, where they control the governorship and both chambers of the legislature. Republicans are set to lose trifectas in multiple states, including Texas, New Hampshire, Georgia, Ohio, and Iowa. In every state except New Hampshire, the GOP lost hold of their trifecta because voters favored a Democratic governor.New Hampshire saw an interesting dynamic, with Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) winning her bid for reelection, but Democrats appearing to be on track to flip both chambers of the state legislature blue. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) lost to Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. In Georgia, Republican Rick Jackson lost his battle to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) to Keisha Lance Bottoms. In Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy lost to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton. In Iowa, Republican businessman Zach Lahn lost his race to succeed Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) to Rob Sand.Democrats gain trifectas: Arizona Democrats made historic gains in state legislatures and are on track to clinch trifectas in Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, and Nevada.In Arizona, Democrats are poised to claim their first trifecta in state history, after Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) won her reelection bid against Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and her party appeared to be on track to flip both chambers of the state legislature blue. The development could mark the first time in 60 years Democrats will have total control of the Arizona legislature, signaling a sweeping repudiation of Republicans in the battleground state.Democrats needed to flip three seats in the Senate and four seats in the House to achieve a majority. As of Wednesday morning, early counts indicated Democrats would go from holding 13 of 30 seats in the Senate and 27 of 60 House seats to securing 20 Senate seats and 36 in the House.Oscar De Los Santos, the Democratic leader in the state House of Representatives, said Tuesday night his party had clinched the majority in both legislative chambers.Seats that Democrats appear to be on track to flip include Legislative District 2 Senate, LD 4 Senate, LD 4 House, LD 13 Senate, LD 13 House, LD 14 Senate, LD 14 House, LD 16 Senate, LD16 House, LD17 Senate, LD17 House, LD 23 House, LD 27 Senate, and LD 27 House, according to the Arizona Mirror.Wisconsin In Wisconsin, the Democratic Party appeared to claim its first trifecta in nearly two decades, after early results indicated it was on track to flip both chambers in the state legislative blue.Voters pushed a Democrat, David Crowley, into the governor’s seat, while appearing to end the majority Republicans have held in the legislature since 2011.“For two years we’ve said that the Wisconsin Senate was the most flippable chamber in the country, and tonight voters across the state proved that to be true,” Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein said.Democrats are on track to flip three Republican seats in the Wisconsin state senate, appearing to hold a total of 18 seats as of Wednesday morning. Democratic state Rep. Robyn Vining defeated Mike Roberts in the 5th Senate District. Democrat Trevor Jung defeated Republican Jim Croft in the 21st Senate District. Democrat Jenna Jacobson won the 17th District State Senate seat, defeating Republican incumbent Howard Marklein.The party flipped all eight targeted seats in the state House, handing them a 53-46 majority there and ousting all Republican incumbents in districts that Democrat Kamala Harris won in the 2024 presidential election.Among Republicans ousted were state Reps. Shannon Zimmerman in the 30th Assembly District, Pat Snyder in the 85th Assembly District, Clint Moses in the 92nd Assembly District, Todd Novak in the 51st Assembly District, Bob Donovan in the 61st Assembly District, and Benjamin Franklin in the 88th Assembly District, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.Democrats won two additional open seats in the 21st and 53rd Assembly Districts, where incumbent Republicans did not seek reelection.Pennsylvania In Pennsylvania, Democrats said they gained a trifecta by flipping the state Senate. Democrats needed to flip just three seats in the chamber to win a majority, and claimed victory this week, securing control over the entirety of the state legislature and the governor’s seat.Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA), an expected 2028 presidential contender who handily won his own reelection bid, claimed the 26-24 win in the state Senate, as his party could be on track to secure three pick-ups, ending 32 years of GOP control over the chamber.If Democrats are right, they’ll install Bucks County Clerk of Courts Eileen Hartnett Albillar in Senate District 6, Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley in Senate District 16, and Brian Wrightson in Senate District 40.Michigan In Michigan, Democrats gained a trifecta by winning a new majority in the state House, after Republicans controlled the chamber for the past two years. Democrats secured at least 60 seats in the 110-seat House, ousting at least five GOP incumbents, as results continue to come in.“Securing this historic Democratic trifecta — only our second in 40 years — sends a clear message that Michiganders want leaders who are focused on lowering costs and getting things done,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) said.The development means Democrats are regaining sweeping power after winning their first Democratic trifecta in Michigan in 40 years in the 2022 elections, before Republicans flipped the state House in 2024.House Republicans ousted Tuesday include state Reps. Rylee Linting in the 27th district, Jamie Thompson in the 28th district, Steve Frisbie in the 44th district, and David Martin in the 68th district, and Mark Tisdel in the 55th House district.Minnesota In Minnesota, Democrats are on track to sweep its third trifecta in state history by reclaiming full control over the state House. A close divide in the chamber had previously warranted a power-sharing agreement between the two parties.The development marks the party’s second trifecta in the state in four years, with Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) win in the governor’s race against Republican Lisa Demuth keeping the gubernatorial seat blue.Results are still coming in, but Democrats have gained two seats so far in the state Senate, holding a total of 34. In the House, Democrats have secured 72 of 134 seats as of Wednesday morning. Among the seats Democrats flipped were Abdi Daisane’s victory over GOP candidate Mike Conway in St. Cloud’s 14A, and Leah Hanson’s victory over Republican state Rep. Erica Schwartz in St. Peter’s 18A.Nevada TRUMPWORLD SEARCHES FOR SCAPEGOATS AFTER BLUE WAVE WIPEOUTIn Nevada, Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford flipped the governor’s seat blue, handing his party a trifecta in a blow to Gov. Joe Lombardo’s (R-NV) bid for reelection.Democrats already held majorities in the state legislature. Lombardo’s loss hands Ford a unified government and comes after the Republicans had flipped the governor’s seat red in 2022.