Blue tsunami floods the midterms. Democrats call it a ‘patriotic moment’

Democrats brought the blue wave to the midterm elections Wednesday in what Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, called the “great American comeback.’

As vote tallies continue to be finalized, Democrats have officially won 237 US House of Representatives seats, picking up at least 27 seats previously held by Republicans and secured 54 seats in the US Senate.

Democrats gave their victory speeches late Tuesday night as self-proclaimed “underdogs,” emphasizing the brokenness of the current system and calling for accountability for President Trump and his administration.

“This is not a partisan moment; this is a patriotic one,” said Jeffries, the likely incoming Speaker of the House.

Jeffries and other Democrats emphasized anti-corruption rhetoric and community-focused issues during their post-election speeches and announcements, framing that often aligns with Republican policies and showcases a change in how the electorates will move forward ahead of 2028.

“While this administration has another two years in office, our job now is to roll up our sleeves, make changes wherever we have the power to do so, prevent further damage, and lay the groundwork for the future,” said former President Barack Obama in a statement on social media.

Record early voting 

In 2022, only 47 million Americans voted early compared to the whopping 61.7 million who voted early in-person or by mail in the 2026 midterms, demonstrating a shift of Americans who are unhappy with the state of the country taking early voting action. The data are from the University of Florida Election Lab.

Joshua Ferrer, an Assistant Professor of Government at American University, said both Democrats and Republicans showed up at the polls, but a lot of Republicans ended up voting outside of their party for Democrat candidates.

He said that the Trump administration has lost sight of the traditional lane of the Republican Party, and the GOP would need to return to traditional Republicanism to regain any lost votes this year.

That desire for change extended beyond traditionally Democratic states. Paige Simpson, a resident of Salt Lake City, Utah, said that despite living in a historically Republican state, she agrees with changes in the political atmosphere.

“Even though I’m from a very red state, I do want to see change and agree with the ‘blue wave,” Simpson said.

With full control of Congress, Ferrer noted that Democrats now hold significant power to prevent executive presidential orders, investigate Trump’s administration and block executive or judicial appointments, highlighting a stark change of power in the US political landscape.

Money vs. messaging

Senator-elect James Talarico, D-TX, said that the country will not be conquered, and describing the actions from the GOP as the “final howls of a dying establishment.” He emphasized that the power belongs not to the billionaires, but to the people.

According to Federal Election Commission data, total election spending broke records at nearly $11.9 billion, with Republicans outspending Democrats by roughly $360 million.

Despite less funding, Democrats prevailed, with landmark wins in states like Texas and Michigan, reflecting voters’ dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of the economy, immigration, and start of the Iran War in early 2026.

Vice President J.D. Vance also blamed the Iran war as the “real reason” the Republicans lost the election.

“Everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there,” Vance said.

Plunged approval meets historical wins

Ahead of the midterms, the Pew Research Center found Trump’s approval rating had fallen to 30% in its Sept. 28-Oct. 4 survey, with 68% of Americans disapproving of his administration.

This shift in approval made itself apparent in the Democratic flip of Texas, which had, until now, been the crown jewel of the Republican party for over three decades due to its 40 Electoral College votes. 

Including the notable flip of seven senate seats and 25 U.S. House districts, as well as the gain of four governors, this election brought forth several other Democratic firsts, including:

• Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms (D-GA): Nation’s first Black woman governor; first Georgia Democratic governor since 1999.
• Senator-elect Chris Pappas (D-NH): First openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate.
• Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI): First Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.
• Governor-elect Deb Haaland (D-NM): Nation’s first Native American woman governor.
• Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa (D-TX): Texas’s first Latina governor; first Democratic gubernatorial win in Texas in nearly three decades.

Mississippi had one of the biggest state-level shifts, with Democrats flipping 16 state House seats alone, two seats that had been red since the 1980s.

It also had one of the tightest races, with Scott Colom, D-MS, leading the polls by at least 100 votes as of Wednesday afternoon. The contest was not called by deadline.