Democrats Seize Control of Congress and Statehouses in Historic 2026 Midterm Sweep

TUESDAY'S ELECTION MARKS A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT IN POWER AS DEMOCRATS WIN BROAD CONTROL OF CONGRESS AND STATE GOVERNMENTS. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS THAT DEMOCRATS HAVE SECURED MAJORITIES IN BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE. IN THE HOUSE, DEMOCRATS WON 233 SEATS TO REPUBLICANS' 138, WITH 64 RACES REMAINING UNCALLED AS OF 4:12 P.M. ET ON WEDNESDAY. IN THE SENATE, DEMOCRATS WON 20 SEATS TO REPUBLICANS' 13, WITH TWO RACES STILL UNCALLED. THIS GIVES DEMOCRATS CONTROL OF BOTH CHAMBERS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TWO YEARS.

THE VICTORY IN THE HOUSE WAS DRIVEN BY A WAVE OF GAINS IN BATTLEGROUNDS AND GOP-LEANING STATES. DEMOCRATS PICKED UP SEATS IN TEXAS, WHERE THEY TOOK CONTROL OF THE STATE HOUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2002. THEY ALSO WON OR RETAINED FULL CONTROL OF BOTH LEGISLATIVE CHAMBERS IN MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, AND PENNSYLVANIA, KEEPING THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE FOR TRIFECTAS IN ALL THREE STATES. IN NEVADA, THEY GAINED CONTROL BY WINNING THE GOVERNOR'S SEAT AND RETAINING THE LEGISLATURE.

DEMOCRATS ALSO TOOK GOVERNORIAL OFFICES IN GEORGIA, IOWA, OHIO, AND TEXAS. THIS MARKS A SIGNIFICANT PARTISAN SHIFT IN STATE GOVERNMENTS. KATIE OWENS HUBLER, DIRECTOR OF ELECTIONS AND REDISTRICTING AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES, CALLED IT THE BIGGEST SINGLE-ELECTION CHANGE OF PARTISAN POWER IN STATE GOVERNMENTS SINCE 2010. DEMOCRATS WILL HOLD AT LEAST 28 GOVERNORSHIPS IN 2027, ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.

THE ELECTION WAS FRAMED AS A REFERENDUM ON PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S SECOND TERM. VOTERS CITED HIGH PRICES, THE WAR IN IRAN, AND CONCERNS ABOUT GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION AS KEY FACTORS. THE AP VOTER POLL FOUND THAT ABOUT SIX IN 10 VOTERS DISAPPROVE OF HOW TRUMP IS HANDLING THE PRESIDENCY. IN LOSING OHIO, IOWA, MAINE, AND NORTH CAROLINA, MAJORITIES SAID THE REPUBLICAN SENATE CANDIDATES WERE "TOO SUPPORTIVE" OF THE UNPOPULAR PRESIDENT.

TRUMP BACKED REDISTRICTING IN EIGHT STATES TO HELP REPUBLICANS HOLD A HOUSE MAJORITY, BUT THE STRATEGY FELL FLAT. REPUBLICANS LOST MOST OF THE DEMOCRATIC-HELD SEATS THEY HAD TARGETED TO FLIP. FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER, CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC REDISTRICTING COMMITTEE, SAID THE PLAN "WAS SYSTEMATICALLY DISMANTLED." VOTERS IN TEXAS, ALABAMA, AND FLORIDA REJECTED THE NEW BORDERS, WHILE COURTS IN MISSOURI SCUTTELED THE EFFORT.

DEMOCRATIC LEADERS PROMISED A 100-DAY AGENDA FOCUSED ON LOWERING COSTS FOR GAS, GROCERIES, AND OTHER GOODS. HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER HAKEEM JEFFRIES, WHO WOULD BECOME THE FIRST BLACK SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, TOLD SUPPORTERS, "WE HEAR YOU." HE SAID THE PARTY WOULD WORK HARD TO DELIVER ON THE DRAMATIC CHANGE VOTERS DESERVE. DEMOCRATS ALSO VOWED TO LAUNCH A ROBUST OVERSIGHT AGENDA TO HOLD THE PRESIDENT'S CABINET ACCOUNTABLE.

TRUMP GAVE EXTENDED COMMENTS WEDNESDAY ABOUT A WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM PROJECT INSTEAD OF THE ELECTION RESULTS. HE INSISTED THAT IF HE WERE ON THE BALLOT, HE WOULD HAVE WON. ON SOCIAL MEDIA, HE INSISTED, "WE WOULD HAVE WON IN A LANDSLIDE!" VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE BLAMED THE WAR IN IRAN FOR THE REPUBLICAN LOSSES, WHILE TRUMP SUGGESTED HE COULD WORK WITH DEMOCRATS BUT THREATENED TO USE THE VETO POWER.

THE ELECTION RESULTS HAVE GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS. BRITISH PRIME MINISTER ANDY BURNHAM HOPED THE RESULTS WOULD FOCUS MINDS ON ENDING THE IRAN WAR, WHICH HAS SENT FUEL PRICES SOARING. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLodymyr ZELENSKIY SAID HE HOPED GAINS BY DEMOCRATS WOULD GENERATE MORE HELP FOR UKRAINE. GOVERNMENTS AND POLITICIANS AROUND THE WORLD REACTED TO THE DEMOCRATIC WIN, WHICH COULD HAVE MAJOR IMPLICATIONS FOR GLOBAL TRADE, SECURITY, AND ENERGY PRICES.

DEMOCRATS BROKE OR PREVENTED REPUBLICAN SUPERMAJORITIES IN NINE LEGISLATIVE CHAMBERS IN EIGHT STATES. THIS MEANS REPUBLICANS WOULD NEED HELP FROM DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS TO OVERRIDE A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR'S VETO IN IOWA, OHIO, AND NORTH CAROLINA. THE WINS COME AFTER DEMOCRATS LOST NEARLY 1,000 STATE LEGISLATIVE SEATS DURING PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S TENURE, A SLIDE THEY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO REVERSE FOR SEVERAL CYCLES.

NEWLY ELECTED GOVERNORS, INCLUDING WISCONSIN'S DAVID CROWLEY AND MINNESOTA'S AMY KLOBUCHAR, SAID THEY WANTED TO WORK WITH REPUBLICANS. KLOBUCHAR TOLD SUPPORTERS, "I AM NOT INTERESTED IN MOVING MINNESOTA TO THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT; I WANT TO MOVE US FORWARD." SHE ADDED, "SPOILER ALERT: YOU MAY NOT LIKE EVERY SINGLE THING I DO." DEMOCRATS ARE NOW POISED TO REASSERT THEMSELVES AS A COEQUAL BRANCH READY TO CHALLENGE TRUMP AND REVERSE COURSE.

THE ELECTION SAW A HISTORIC LEVEL OF POWER IN STATEHOUSES, WITH DEMOCRATS FLIPPING THIS MANY SEATS NATIONWIDE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE 1980S, ACCORDING TO HEATHER WILLIAMS, PRESIDENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATIVE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE. THE PARTY WILL FOCUS ON ISSUES THAT MATTER TO MIDDLE-CLASS VOTERS, SUCH AS IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND INCREASING ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, PARTICULARLY IN RURAL AREAS.