Five bombshell defeats for Donald Trump as 'Blue Tsunami' crushes Republicans in US midterm elections

Donald Trump’s Republican party has suffered a series of crushing defeats in the US mid-term elections.Trump was labelled a “failed lame duck president” by Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff and other party leaders after the Democrats seized control of both the US Senate and House of Representatives.The midterms, which determine which party controls Congress, were seen as a referendum on the controversial president.Trump has been labelled a “failed lame duck president” following the defeatsAPThe elections saw a series of notable firsts. Georgia and Florida each elected their first Black governors, while Democrat Chris Pappas became the first openly gay man elected to the Senate after winning in New Hampshire.Here are the five biggest Republican defeats from the midterm elections.Texas turns BlueDemocrat James Talarico dramatically beat Republican Ken Paxton to win the US Senate seat in Texas, the first such victory for a Democrat since 1988.Fellow Democrat Gina Hinojosa was elected Governor of Texas, in a remarkable double victory. Hinojosa also becomes the first Latina to be elected as a US governor.Democratic candidate James Talarico celebrates with supporters after winning the Texas race during the midterm election AFP/GettyHispanic voters around the US-Mexico border switching support in great numbers from Trump to the Democrats was a huge reason for the upset.Mr Talarico, a former schoolteacher, had made the rising cost of living under Republican leadership a central theme of his Senate run.More than half a billion dollars were spent across both sides in the most expensive US Senate race in history, with Mrs Paxton losing the race despite a super PAC supporting his campaign receiving a $158m (£117m) donation from Elon Musk.Michigan elects first US Muslim senatorAbdul El-Sayed won the US Senate race in Michigan, defeating Republican Mike Rogers to become the country’s first ever Muslim senator.Mr El-Sayed’s victory came following a bitterly fought race, during which his detractors had launched a series of attacks against him.Abdul El-Sayed has become the first ever Muslim senator in the USGettyMr Rogers had portrayed Mr El-Sayed as a communist, criticising his stance on Israel and his Muslim faith, while Trump alleged he was a “jihadist” and suggested he would need to walk through a metal detector to get into the Senate.Read MoreMr El-Sayed had campaigned on a platform that included universal health care and a wealth tax on billionaires, and said that his opponents had chosen to be divisive because they didn’t have an answer to the problems he said they created.He also overcame controversy within his own party - with his Democratic primary rival, Haley Stevens, endorsing Mr Rogers just two days before the election.In a video posted to X, she had said: “I don't belong in Abdul's campaign. Who we are as Michiganders is not hate and is not what we are getting out from our Democratic nominee right now. That's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers.”Ohio Governor now Blue after bitter election raceIn another bitterly contested race, Democrat Amy Acton defeated billionaire Republican Vivek Ramaswamy to become Governor of Ohio.Ms Acton became the first Democrat in two decades to win the governorship, and is the first ever woman to win the race.Ohio has voted for Trump in the last three presidential elections, but has elected Ms Acton following personal attacks against her from the Ramaswamy campaign.Amy Acton defeated Vivek Ramaswamy in OhioLSThe campaign featured a personal attack from Ms Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, who accused her daughter of lying for “her entire life”.The advert did not include allegations made by Ms Acton that her stepfather, Arthur’s husband, had sexually abused her as a child. Reports have previously stated that he left the state before a warrant could be executed and he died in 2004.Despite the furore, the ad was defended by Trump and Vice-President JD Vance, but was heavily criticised by many, including Ohio's incumbent Republican Governor Mike DeWine.The editorial board of Ohio news outlet the Columbus Dispatch endorsed Ms Acton after the advert was aired, describing it as "revolting and unsettling".Kansas votes Democrat for first time in almost a centuryAdam Hamilton took a closely-fought Senate seat in Kansas, giving the state its first Democratic senator for nearly a century. Mr Hamilton narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Roger Marshall to become the first Democrat elected to represent Kansas in the Senate since 1932.Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Adam HamiltonGettyMr Marshall’s campaign has suffered following reports that he had sued hundreds of his patients for unpaid bills, including dozens who were arrested after missing court dates.Farmers in the state are also understood to have driven up the Democrat vote, with complaints about the high cost of tariffs following the conflict in the Middle East.Republicans lose South Carolina for first time this centuryAnnie Andrews defeated Republican Darline Graham to give the Democrats their first Senate victory in South Carolina this century.Following the sudden death in July of her brother, longstanding Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, Ms Graham had been appointed to fill his vacant seat for the rest of his term by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.Democratic US Senate candidate Annie Andrews celebrates winning the South Carolina seatGettyLindsey Graham had been elected to the Senate in 2002 and was a long-serving senator known for his hawkish foreign policy views.But despite Darline Graham’s efforts, she failed to hold on to the seat in the midterm election. The huge swing, partly due to a huge Black voter turnout, has given the Democrats their first victory in the state for 28 years.