By late Tuesday night, it was clear that Democrats had succeeded in turning the 2026 US midterm elections into the so-called "blue wave" that had been predicted by pollsters.
But by Wednesday morning, the scale of the victory had turned into a "blue tsunami," surprising even the most optimistic political pundits.
In January, Democrats are set to have a commanding majority of at least 237 to 139 in the House and a 54 to 44 advantage in the Senate.
Democratic candidates flipped seven highly competitive Senate seats, including in what have for decades been reliably Republican districts in "red" states.
Texas voted in James Talarico as its first Democratic Senator since 1988, while electing a Democratic governor, Gina Hinojosa, for the first time in over 30 years.
The heartland state of Kansas, where farmers have been hit by high diesel prices and tariffs, will send a Democrat, Adam Hamilton, to the US Senate for the first time in over 90 years.
Other surprise wins in Republican strongholds included Iowa, South Carolina, and Ohio.
According to data analyzed by the New York Times, the 2026 Democrats came in at a 13 point margin of victory over the Republicans for the popular vote in the House, the largest such margin since 1976 seen in the wake of the Watergate scandal that shattered the presidency of Republican Richard Nixon two years prior.
Democrats also saw large gains in almost every voter group compared with the 2024 presidential election that put Trump in the White House, indicating the breadth of the political swing away from Republicans.
The full scale of the Democrat majority in both chambers may not be known until later Wednesday or Thursday as some races are still too close to call, or take longer to count ballots.
Democrats promise change, buoyed by Trump's unpopularity
The midterms were seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump, who had historically low approval ratings of around 38% ahead of election day.
Trump had campaigned relentlessly in the weeks leading up to the election, in what often turned into meandering speeches to dwindling crowds.
Democrats were able to capitalize on Trump's unpopular policies like the war in Iran and ensuing record-high fuel costs, which compounded a growing affordability crisis while the president was seen as enriching himself.
On Wednesday, Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries said his party was focusing "relentlessly on affordability and on accountability."
"The days of the House of Representatives functioning like a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Trump administration are over," said Jeffries, who could become the first Black speaker of the House in January.
Democrats say they are ready to launch a 100-day agenda to lower costs for fuel, groceries and healthcare, while conducting vast oversight and investigations into Trump and his administration.
When asked about the option of impeaching Trump or cabinet members for breaking laws while in office, Jeffries said Democrats were not focusing on that for now.
The margin of victory in the Senate is still not a two-thirds supermajority, with which Democrats alone could vote to convict in cases of impeachment, or override presidential vetoes.
Even as a lame duck president for the remaining two years of his term, Trump still has the power of the executive at his disposal, which comes with broad sway, especially in foreign policy.
GOP blame game begins
Despite for months claiming that Democrats would cheat to win the election, Trump did not dispute the Republican blowout. Instead, he claimed that Republicans would have won had his name been on the ballot.
Nevertheless, Trump said he would be willing to work with Democrats, while at the same time promised to use veto power to block legislation.
In remarks on Wednesday outside of his ballroom construction site at the White House, Trump appeared to admit that the economic impacts of the Iran war had cost the Republican Party.
"I think it's largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short term," Trump said.
Earlier Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance was more direct, saying the Iran war was the "reason we lost."
However, Trump spent the majority of the time in front of reporters on Wednesday talking about his ballroom project.
"It's going to be not only one of the biggest, but it'll be the most beautiful ballroom I think anywhere in the world," he said.
