"Blue Tsunami": Dems win both Congressional chambers; MS Senate race too close to call - National & International News -

Dems projected to win both Congressional chambers; MS Senate race too close to call

In what’s being called a “blue tsunami“, voters across the country have handed Republicans a historic defeat in the midterm elections. Not only have Democrats won control of both houses of Congress, they managed to flip seats that haven’t been held by Democrats in decades. Some results are still coming in, but as of now:

Democrats have flipped governorships in 5 states, 4 of which have not had a Democratic governor in at least 10 years. In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term Gov. Greg Abbott. Hinojosa will be Texas’ first Democratic governor since Ann Richards left office in January 1995.
7 Senate seats flipped to Democrat, 5 of them in states have have not sent a Democrat to the Senate in at least 10 years. This includes Kansas, which elected its first Democrat since 1932, and Texas where Democrats won their first Senate victory since 1988.
Mississippi’s Senate race remains too close to call, and a final result could take days. Democratic challenger Scott Colom currently leads Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 43 votes. If Colom were to win, he would be the first Democrat to win a Senate election in Mississippi since John C. Stennis in 1982.
Alaska’s contentious Senate race is also still too close to call. A result may take several days due to Alaska’s rank choice voting system.

Blame game and what comes next

Republican insiders are already blaming President Trump for Tuesday’s sweeping losses. In recent weeks, Trump’s approval rating reached all-time lows. Polls have shown growing anger among voters of both parties over the state of the economy, including rising gas and diesel prices and other inflationary pressures arising from the unpopular war in Iran.

However, an AP poll found that 70% of voters wanted Congress to provide more checks and balances on Trump’s power. Republicans in Congress have been reluctant to push back against even the most unpopular aspects of Trump’s agenda. With Tuesday’s result, voters seem to have delivered their verdict both on Trump himself and on Republicans’ deference to him.

Although two Senate races and several House races remain uncalled, Democrats have already secured a firm majority in both chambers of Congress. However, they will not have enough of a majority in either chamber to override a veto from Trump or impeach him without significant Republican defections.

Trump says is willing to work with Democrats, but only on his terms. It seems unlikely that Democrats will find many points of agreement with Trump. The most likely outcome is two years of grinding legislative deadlock, possibly punctuated by Democrat-led investigations into Trump and members of his family and inner circle.

Ultimately, anyone expecting a swift change in direction for the country is likely to be disappointed. This may make it difficult for Democrats to carry their current electoral momentum into 2028, analysts say.