By David Le, Staff Writer
Voters delivered a striking rebuke of the Republican Party in the 2026 midterm elections as the final two years of President Donald Trump’s administration will be governed with Democratic leadership in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The president has promised to be “Mr. Veto” in a phone call with CBS News as Democrats seek to pass new policies with their new Congressional majorities.
Major issues such as the cost of living, the economy, and the war in Iran has impacted any chances Republicans have to hold to an already slim majority in the House. With the Democrats taking the speaker’s gavel, Hakeem Jeffries seeks to be the first African American Speaker of the House when the new Congress is seated.
Across the nation, Republicans struggled in recent House races. In some states such as Florida, North Carolina, and Texas, gerrymandered districts that would have voted for Trump by double-digit margins were won by Democrats. In the Tampa Bay area, longtime Representative, Kathy Castor, held her seat in Florida’s 14th Congressional District despite new district boundaries that would have theoretically favored Republicans.
Democrats have won at least 253 House seats as of writing on Nov. 6, with 22 still yet to be called. At least 41 districts with a sitting Republican representative flipped blue as voters expressed discontent at the polls.
The Senate races in Mississippi and Alaska still have outstanding ballots that are yet to be counted, such as a strong performance by Democrat Scott Colom in Mississippi could potentially unseat incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.
The AP Voter Poll reported that 39 percent of voters cited the economy as the biggest issue facing the nation, as Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran left voters dissatisfied with Trump’s promises on inflation during his 2024 presidential campaign, which have gone largely unfulfilled. Independent voters swung massively towards Democratic candidates, as 43 percent of independents cited their vote expressing opposition towards the president.
Since the start of the war in February 2026, instability in the Middle East has caused the price of gas to go from an average of $2.98 to $4.15 by election day. Diesel fuel increased from $3.76 to $6.29, affecting farmers and grocery prices due to higher transport costs.
The coalitions that Trump built in his political comeback to the White House two years ago were erased, with a prominent example in the Texas Senate race as Democrat James Talarico picked up many voters who cited inflation affecting their pocketbooks. Exit polls showed voters who were impacted by inflation broke for Talarico as opposed to his rival, the Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Paxton’s weaknesses included being impeached by his own state legislature for bribery, obstruction of justice, and abuse of office. He also faced personal scandals that contributed to his former wife, State Senator Angela Paxton, filing for a divorce on “biblical grounds.” Paxton’s loss represented one of Trump’s many handpicked candidates to lose, as incumbent John Cornyn was defeated in a contentious primary earlier this year.
Democrats flipped at least seven Senate seats (as of writing) in critical races such as Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, and Maine, among others. The hostile political environment for Republicans in the run-up to the election was marred by Trump scoring a 36 percent approval rating according to CNN exit polling, the lowest of any president during a midterm election.
One of the biggest surprises happened in South Carolina’s Senate race as Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, defeated Republican Darline Graham. She was chosen by Governor Henry McMaster with Trump’s endorsement to finish her late brother Lindsey Graham’s term after he unexpectedly died in July 2026.
“Graham had no legislative experience, and she didn’t raise very much money. She didn’t know much about foreign policy or politics,” said Francis Orlando, political science professor at Saint Leo University.
In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed will become the first Muslim-American senator, prevailing over Mike Rogers in a closely watched race to succeed retiring Senator Gary Peters.
The race was dominated by the late controversy of El-Sayed’s Democratic primary opponent, Hailey Stevens, endorsing Republican rival Mike Rogers. Stevens faced backlash from the party despite her previous statements to support the Democratic ticket.
Josh Turek’s victory in Iowa was the final seat Democrats needed to confirm a majority in the Senate by defeating Republican Ashley Hinson. He will replace incumbent Jodi Ernst, who did not run for re-election.
Next door in Kansas, pastor Adam Hamilton defeated Republican incumbent Roger Marshall to win in a state that has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932. Marshall was dogged by patient-billing scandals during his time as a medical provider. Similar energy and economic hardships drove voters towards Hamilton as farmers struggled with fuel and fertilizer costs.
In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown won his race against Republican Jon Husted, returning to the Senate after losing his seat two years ago against Bernie Moreno.
Susan Collins’ streak of outperforming expectations of pre-election polls and unfavorable races was finally ended by Democrat Troy Jackson in Maine, while Roy Cooper easily defeated Republican Michael Wheatley to be North Carolina’s senator, replacing the retiring Thom Tillis.
The fallout from the midterms continues as Republicans have blamed the war in Iran, defense secretary Pete Hegseth, and other GOP members as the party suffered a blowout.
The race for the 2028 presidential election has started as Democrats and Republicans jockey themselves to be the nominee in the road to the White House. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Vice President JD Vance criticized the war as he positioned himself as a contender for the GOP nomination.
“If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest,” Vance wrote. “But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.”
Senator Ted Cruz, speaking on his podcast, summed up the election as being out of touch with voters.
“Too many Republican politicians seem like they didn’t understand, and they didn’t care,” Cruz said. “Food is too high. Gas is too high. Diesel is too high. Insurance is too high. Life is too high.”
