Dems Score Stunning Midterm Wins

Politics State of the Union: In a “blue tsunami,” Democrats flipped the House, Senate, and several key governorships. Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images Tuesday’s midterm elections turned into a rout for Republicans, as Democratic candidates overperformed the polls to win in races across the country. With a few contests left to call, Democrats have secured at least 54 seats in the Senate and 228 seats in the House, giving their party control of both chambers of Congress. Democratic senators were elected in nearly every battleground state, including Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, James Talarico in Texas, Sherrod Brown in Ohio, Adam Hamilton in Kansas, Josh Turek in Iowa, and Troy Jackson in Maine. (At press time, Alaska had yet to be called.) Democratic candidates also flipped the governorships of Ohio, Texas, Georgia, and Nevada. The scope of Democrats’ victory is historic, particularly given their wins in deep-red states like Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina. The results have been widely interpreted as a rebuke of President Donald Trump, who has said he is “absolutely willing” to accept the results and “look[s] forward” to working with Democrats. Democratic messaging on affordability and war appeared to resonate with voters; compared to 2024, voters across virtually every demographic category shifted toward the Democrats, with the trends among Hispanic and 18 to 29-year-old voters—who shifted by 28 points and 32 points, respectively—being particularly dramatic. Exit polling suggested the economy was the top issue for most voters, followed by the state of democracy.