Democrats Win in Kansas and Texas in US Midterms, Hold 54 Senate Seats So Far
In the US midterm congressional elections held on 3 November, Democrats won races in states where they had not prevailed for decades. Commentator Kārlis Streips reads the outcome as a rebuke of President Donald Trump.
In the US midterm elections, held midway between presidential votes, the Democratic Party has won races in states long dominated by Republicans. The result matters because President Donald Trump's Republican Party could lose control of Congress, which would affect his ability to govern for the next two years. The results were analysed in a column in the Latvian daily Latvijas Avīze by commentator Kārlis Streips.
What the results show
In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton was elected to the US Senate with slightly more than 50% of the vote. Streips notes that Kansas last sent a Democrat to the Senate almost a century ago: George McGill won in 1932 and lost in 1938. In Texas, Democrats won a Senate race for the first time in almost 40 years, and a governor's race for the first time since 1994. Streips also mentions Maine, where he says a Democrat won.
At the time of writing, Democrats had secured 54 of 100 Senate seats, with four states still undecided. In the House of Representatives they held 224 seats, six more than a majority, though results from 76 districts were still unknown. If Democrats won every undecided contest, they would hold 58 Senate seats and 300 of 435 House seats, although the author says that will not happen.
Historical context and the author's view
Streips recalls that the president's party usually loses legislative seats in midterms, citing examples from 1894, 1994 and 2010. Republicans took control of both chambers of Congress after the 2024 presidential election.
The author argues that a Democratic majority could bring congressional investigations and possibly impeachment, while making it harder for Trump to appoint judges, since that requires a Senate majority. He expresses concern about the effect on Ukraine and about Russian athletes returning to international competition. These are the commentator's subjective opinions, which the newspaper says may differ from its editorial position. Final results will take some time, as vote counting in some states is long and complex.
