The Blue Wave: Why? and What's next?
Details
RESULTS
From Reuters:
## 99%
The Democratic wave covered huge swaths of the country. Republicans lost ground in 99% of the roughly 2,200 counties where most votes had been counted by Wednesday morning, according to tallies compiled by Reuters and USA Today, which are partnering this year to collect live election results. The party lost votes in rich and poor areas, in cities and in suburbs.
## 64 counties
Every majority-Hispanic county that had nearly finished counting swung heavily in Democrats' direction. Among the 64 such counties with Senate contests, the Republican share of the vote was 14 percentage points less than what Trump won in 2024, a considerably larger swing than in the rest of the country.
## 10
Republicans had hoped to cement their House majority by redrawing district boundaries in a handful of states to make them more favorable to the party’s lawmakers. That effort has so far fallen short. Of the 15 Democratic-held seats Republicans had targeted, none has changed hands. Democrats won 10 of the seats and five others remained undecided on Wednesday morning.
## ZERO vs. 24+ competitive races
Republicans have not won any of the House or Senate races that were widely seen as competitive before voting began on Tuesday. Democrats have won more than two dozen competitive House races, plus a handful that were thought to have favored Republicans.
## Most seismic shift by a voter group: Young people
In the 2024 presidential race, Trump scored major gains for a Republican among voters under 30, who had been a Democratic-leaning group. He split them about evenly with Democrat Kamala Harris and carried a majority of young men.
But they didn't stick with the GOP the next time around. In the midterms, more than 7 of 10 younger voters cast their ballots for Democratic House candidates.
Notably, that included more than 6 in 10 younger voters who are White, a demographic that Trump had won by 10 points. And nearly 6 in 10 younger men, a reversal after Trump had carried 56% of them in 2024.
WHY?
Brookings Institute:
With some ballots yet to be counted, it is already clear that the 2026 midterm election was a historic victory for the Democrats and a devastating referendum on President Donald Trump and his party.
- Voters turned against the GOP over Trump’s low job approval, high prices tied to tariffs and the Iran war, immigration enforcement that went too far, and growing concerns about corruption.
- Democrats’ sweep of the 2026 midterms was driven less by Republican voters switching sides than by discontented Republicans staying home while motivated Democrats turned out.
- Progressives and moderates both won in 2026, leaving open which kind of Democrat is most electable.
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-democrats-won-big-and-why-2028-remains-an-open-question.
WHAT NOW?
BBC:
Election night was a fever dream for Democrats. In January, reality will set in. A shift in the balance of power in Washington doesn't necessarily mean Democrats will immediately get to start checking items off their legislative wish list. Democrats have Congress, but Republican President Donald Trump still has the power to reject legislation.
The Democrats should not consider what just happened "a mandate," US Senator Chris Coons told the BBC, warning that the party was still "deeply unpopular. We need to prove we can get stuff done, actually deliver answers to their concerns and questions about low wages and rising costs in particular."
A president must sign most legislation in order for it to become law. Trump has the power to reject legislation passed by Congress that he does not support, and Congress can only override him with a supermajority from both chambers - margins Democrats alone will not have despite their success on Tuesday.
OPINION (from another source). Losing the midterms won't make Trump weaker — it will only make him more aggressive. Part of the reason is temperament: Governing is hard, and Trump has always been more at home at the rally podium than behind the Resolute Desk. That preference has been indulged more often this term: loyalists have replaced the first administration's "adults in the room," and Trump doesn't have another election ahead of him — at least, not a constitutional one — to moderate him.
Something that Dems can get done:
Congressman Robert Garcia of California will soon lead a powerful oversight committee in the House, with the power to make Trump's last two years in office quite difficult. "Lawyer up," the Democrat said in a statement as victorious results poured in on election night.
Committees in both the US Senate and House have investigative powers, which they could use to delve into alleged conflicts of interest and other actions by the president and those close to him. On Tuesday, Garcia rattled off a list of possible targets: Trump's family, "corporate corruption", alleged abuses by the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the government's handling of the Epstein files.
The Senate also has the power to confirm or block the president's cabinet and judicial nominations.
***https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq1kdgnn2xdeo***
In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," Bernie Sanders said holding the Trump administration "accountable" is important — but addressing affordability must take priority.
"We cannot spend all of our time investigating Trump," Sanders said. "We've got to stand up for working-class families, make a real difference in their lives."
"What I think this election was about, is the American people not only expressing disgust with Trump and his policies, but are demanding real change, no more tinkering around the edges," said Sanders. "And what the American people are saying: Look, we are working long hours. We're worried about our kids. We can't afford healthcare. We can't afford housing."
But Sanders, who serves on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), also told CNN's "State of the Union" that he would be "open" to a proposal by Sen.-elect Annie Andrews (D-S.C.) to impeach Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
"At the very least, I think, he is the most dangerous secretary of the HHS in history and he needs to be held accountable," said Sanders.
***https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/sanders-warns-democrats-spending-too-163612898.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall***
QUESTIONS:
Is this the end of MAGA's power?
What should the new Congress concentrate on first?
Can Democrats improve their reputation?