The Democrats’ midterm victory was unusually large, with gains in states where the party had not won a national race in decades. The scale of the governing party’s defeat recalled the 1974 elections after the Watergate scandal, though today’s intense political polarization makes the comparison imperfect.
Democrats won 54 Senate seats, with the total potentially reaching 55, and were on course to secure more than 250 seats in the House. Their estimated lead in the national House vote exceeded 13 percentage points, the biggest such margin since 1976. Texas, Ohio and Alaska were also set to elect Democratic governors for the first time in decades.
The results included historic breakthroughs. Texas had not elected a Democratic senator since 1988, while Kansas had not voted for a Democrat since 1932. The outcome also marked the first time either party had gained more than two Senate seats that the opposing party had won by over 10 points in the previous presidential election.
The article attributes the scale of the result in part to Trump’s low approval ratings. He was already unpopular when he won the 2024 presidential election in a divided country, and his actions, policies and statements over the past two years further weakened his support, including among his core supporters. His approval before these midterms was lower than that of any president in decades, with Harry S. Truman’s 1946 election often cited as a precedent, despite the differences between the periods.
Opposition extended beyond the ballot box. People mobilized through street protests and civic organizations, which challenged government actions in court. News organizations and civil liberties groups, including the ACLU, continued their scrutiny, while efforts to redraw districts or restrict voting rights did not prevent the wave of discontent.
Trump said the defeat was not his, despite repeatedly urging Republicans to vote as if he were on the ballot and backing candidates in states including South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas. The victories of progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and more conservative candidates such as James Talarico in Texas and Adam Hamilton in Kansas pointed to a broader demand for change.
Rising prices were the most visible source of voter anger, particularly fuel costs linked in the article to the war in the Middle East. The results also reflected a desire for Congress to place limits on presidential power. Together, those concerns helped turn discontent with Trump into a decisive electoral setback for his party.
Sources: elDiario.es.