Democrats win decisive US midterm victory and retake control of Congress

In the US midterm elections held this November, midway through President Donald Trump's term, the Democratic Party regained control of both chambers of Congress and won a majority of state governorships. Media have dubbed the outcome a "blue wave" or "blue tsunami", while experts describe it as a major realignment of US politics that will affect both domestic and foreign policy.

Voters re-elected all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 senators, and chose governors in 39 states and territories. Results in Alaska and Mississippi had not yet been announced early in the week, but Democratic dominance was clear the day after the vote. The new 120th Congress will have at least 254 Democratic seats in the House, at least 54 in the Senate, and the party will hold at least 28 governorships. Democrats won their biggest margin in the national popular vote since 1976 and a majority of governorships for the first time since 2010.

The hardest blow for Republicans came in Texas, where they lost every contest and the state went to the Democrats for the first time in more than 30 years. In Kansas, a Democratic candidate was elected to the Senate for the first time since 1932. Democrats also gained support in all of the swing states.

Causes of the defeat

The president's party usually loses at least one chamber in midterms, but this time, according to experts, the unsuccessful US military campaign in Iran played a decisive role. It failed to bring about a change of power in Tehran and instead pushed up fuel prices and the cost of living. Some Republican supporters, including part of the MAGA movement, were also unhappy about support for Israel and about the unfulfilled promise not to start new wars. Voters were further put off by tariff policy, the crackdown on illegal immigrants and the Epstein case, as well as growing concern over data centres and the influence of artificial intelligence.

What to expect next

Democratic supporters, including in Europe, hope for an end to the confrontation with Iran, a restoration of aid to Ukraine and the removal of tariffs. The article's author considers this optimism excessive: Congress can withhold funding, block appointments and launch investigations, but the president holds veto power, which can be overridden only by a two-thirds majority, and foreign policy is chiefly his prerogative. The newly elected members of Congress take office next January.