For Democrats, election night is like a fantasy dream. But come January next year, reality will set in.
They did have reason to cheer Tuesday night. With a landslide victory, Democrats will control both houses of Congress next year.
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, said excitedly: "Today, America's great renaissance officially begins."
During the campaign, Democrats promised to investigate corruption, lower health care, grocery and gas prices, and limit the expansion of the war against Iran. Now they will begin the tougher job of putting those promises into action.
However, the changes in the power map in Washington do not mean that the Democratic Party can immediately complete all the items on the legislative wish list. Although the Democrats control Congress, Republican President Trump still has the power to veto bills.
In an interview with the BBC, US Senator Chris Koons warned that the Democratic Party should not regard the results as a "mandate" and that the Democratic Party remained "extremely unpopular".
"We have to prove that we can get things done and truly respond to people's concerns about low wages and rising costs of living."
What can Democrats do?
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., is set to lead a powerful House oversight committee that could make the final two years of Trump's term very difficult.
As the results came in, Garcia issued a statement saying, "It's best to find a lawyer first."
Committees in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate have investigative powers to investigate alleged conflicts of interest among the president and those close to him.
On Tuesday, Garcia laid out a long list of potential targets of investigation, including the Trump family, "corporate corruption," alleged abuses at the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the government's handling of the Epstein files.
The Senate also has the power to confirm or block presidential cabinet and judicial nominees.
For example, if there is a vacancy for federal Supreme Court justices during Trump's term, the Democratic-controlled Senate may block relevant nominations or force Trump to choose a more moderate candidate who can gain cross-party support.
The House also has the power to impeach the president, the first step in Congress's process of removing public officials.
Democrats impeached Trump twice during his first term, but the Senate ultimately acquitted him.
However, since impeachment and conviction requires the support of two-thirds of the Senate, or 67 votes, it will be almost impossible to remove the president even if the Democrats regain control of Congress.
There is also debate within the Democratic Party about whether to push for impeachment again.
The first impeachment in 2019 intensified partisanship and allowed Trump to position himself as a victim of political persecution, which later helped him compete for the White House again.
Jefferies, as the leader of the House of Representatives Democratic Party, is almost required to approve any impeachment action, but his attitude has so far remained unclear.
"We haven't ruled out any options. But we haven't predetermined any options," he told CNN in August.
What difficulties will the Democratic Party face?
Before the election, the American people's dissatisfaction with the efficiency of Congress was quite obvious. A Gallup poll in October showed that only 14% of registered voters approved of the performance of members of Congress.
However, with a Republican president and Democrats in control of Congress, the political deadlock in the United States may worsen.
"If you think legislation was already difficult when the last term was fully Republican, it's going to be even more complicated," said Kathy Burgett, a professor of legislative affairs at George Washington University.
Since Democrats have relatively stable majorities in both houses of Congress, it will not be difficult for them to pass the bill.
The real difficulty is getting the bill to become law.
Most bills must be signed by the president to take effect. Trump has the power to veto bills he does not support, and Congress must obtain a supermajority in both chambers to override a veto. Even a Democratic victory on Tuesday would fall far short of that threshold.
On Tuesday night, Trump struck a soft tone in an interview with the New York Times as Republicans lost seats in the Senate.
"We will work with the Democrats and we look forward to working with them. We can probably find a solution," he said.
However, a few minutes later, Trump posted a photo of a red campaign hat with the eye-catching "VETO" written on it on his social platform Truth Social.
This inconsistent attitude is likely to become the norm in his interactions with the Democratic Congress in the future.
Democratic lawmakers acknowledged on Tuesday night that although opposition to Trump was an important reason for the Democratic Party's victory this time, it may not be enough on its own.
Kun said frankly, "This election largely represents voters' rejection of Trump and his policies."
But he also warned, "If we go too far, or if the internal fighting becomes too fierce, we may miss this moment."
Despite the risk of a presidential veto, Jeffries said Democrats want to restore health care spending cut by Republicans, including the Medicaid program used by low-income people and "Obamacare" market subsidies.
"Restoring Medicaid cuts and extending the Affordable Care Act tax breaks are among the top priorities for House Democrats," he said at an event for health care workers in September.
Negotiations between the two sides are still likely to break down on issues that are typically cross-party in nature, such as the cost of living, AI regulation, re-examining military aid to Israel and restrictions on war in Iran.
As the Republican Party becomes the minority party in Congress, they may not be willing to help the Democrats achieve too many legislative victories before the 2028 presidential election.
Cracks may also appear within the Democratic Party. Particularly on Israel, intra-party differences may make consensus more difficult to forge.
However, they may also face resistance from Democratic leadership.
Even if Democrats hold a majority in Congress, the task will not be easy.
Scott Anderson, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, said whether Congress has the ability to force Trump to change policies remains an "unresolved legal question."
He added, "Congress can resolve this issue through litigation and force the courts to tell us the answer."
