(Photo courtesy of Makayla Mahoney) Outside of U.S. Capitol building on March 6, 2026.
Keith Smykil
Connector Contributor
Voters this past Tuesday issued a resounding rejection of the GOP, giving democrats control over both houses of congress. Going in, pollsters were expecting a strong performance by the democratic party, but many on both sides of the isle have been shocked at the sheer magnitude of the backlash.
A common thread among voters was opposition to the Trump administration. Heading into the midterms, President Trump asked voters to “think about me being on the ballot,” and they seem to have taken his advice, though clearly not to the expected result. Many of the key gains were in the states that elected the president in 2016 and helped him be reelected in 2024: swing states in middle America such as Iowa, Ohio and Kansas.
Voters key concerns were the cost of living, with working class families that make up Trump’s base being particularly effected. The numbers reflect a widespread distaste for both rising costs and the effects of the war in Iran.
The basic outcome has already been decided, with Democrats enjoying a healthy majority in both the senate and house. In the senate, the Democrats picked up 7 seats and are currently leading in the two that have yet to be called: Mississippi and Alaska. The house generally holds more safe seats in blue areas, but even there they picked up 44 seats, with another 19 looking to be split between both parties.
Contrast that to the Republican gains, with only two districts in Texas switching since 2024. Most of the states with major gains are ones that Republicans will need to win going into 2028. These include longtime battlegrounds like Minnesota and Georgia but also states that have recently become safer Republican bets, like South Carolina.
Even in races that went their way, the margins have thinned considerably. Once safe seats have become contested elections. This is even after the public attempts at gerrymandering by incumbent Republican states, hoping to secure more seats against exactly the kind of blue wave that has now occurred. Seats moved in this way largely didn’t change much, and many turned in the opposite direction.
Democrats are already planning to put their new numbers to work. Several public mentions of legal action against the Trump administration have been floated, alongside proposals for lowering costs.
Alongside the overwhelming nature of the victory, a number of historic firsts took place. In Georgia, the governorship went to Keisha Lance Bottoms after a landmark race, making her not only the first black women elected governor in Georgia, but in the United States at large. Another came closer to home with the election of Chris Papas in New Hamshire as the first openly gay senator.
Other races were notable due to their controversial nature. The race in Michigan was upturned three days from the election with the endorsement by a democratic primary contender of her Republican opponent against the eventual winner, Abdul El-Sayed, who became the first Muslim elected to the senate. To that end, the race has also been taken as a watershed victory for the American progressive movement, with El-Sayed’s victory proving the viability of socialist candidates in battleground states, perhaps making way for a larger moment.
This outcome has implications for the upcoming 2028 presidential race. With Trump’s two terms of presidency coming to an end, there is fierce debate within both the Republican party and the MAGA movement about who will succeed him. The Democratic party has similarly been going through a crisis of identity, with no enthusiastic candidates coming forward. However, with the midterm results as they are, that may not be at the top of everyone’s minds. Coming into 2028, only one thing is for sure: it’s going to be an interesting race.
