Midterm voters reject Trump's economic and foreign policy record
Democrats gained control of both chambers of Congress after a decisive shift in the electorate, driven by dissatisfaction with high prices and the war in Iran.
By Riya Zhao ·
Donald Trump lost the midterm elections on Tuesday, ending a period of political dominance that had persisted through scandals and impeachments. The results represented a clear rejection of his second-term governance, which included unilateral tariffs and a new conflict in the Middle East. Voters punished the Republican president for a campaign that prioritized outside investments and White House renovations over economic relief for struggling households.
Democrats will control both the House and Senate starting in 2027. This shift follows a performance where the party gained seats in traditional Republican strongholds. In the Senate, Democrats now hold seats in South Carolina, Texas, and Kansas. In executive offices, a Black woman will serve as governor of Georgia, and a Latina will lead Texas, a state where strict immigration enforcement has strained communities from the Rio Grande Valley to Houston.
The scale of the Democratic victory exceeded expectations. Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia and Gina Hinojosa in Texas posted large margins in gubernatorial races that polls had predicted would be close. James Talarico became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Texas since 1988, defeating Republican Ken Paxton. Roy Cooper, the new senator from North Carolina, told voters that their choice was a signal that Washington needed to stop the chaos and corruption that had hurt the public.
The election results show a decisive change in voter alignment. The coalition of young, Black, and Latino voters that supported Trump in 2024 shifted to the Democratic side. This swing occurred despite a massive financial outlay for the Republican cause. Trump personally contributed more than $250 million to GOP campaigns, and donors including Elon Musk added millions more. These funds were insufficient to prevent losses in key states, including Ohio, where Vivek Ramaswamy lost the governor’s race to Amy Acton.
Ramaswamy expressed doubt about the nation’s direction after his defeat. He noted that a negative ad featuring comments from the estranged mother of his opponent had failed to revive his campaign. This reaction was an outlier in the post-election tone. Most Republicans accepted the results quickly. Tom Tiffany, a Wisconsin politician who had previously objected to the certification of the 2020 presidential election, conceded defeat to David Crowley in the governor’s race. John Cornyn, the Texas senator whom Trump had not endorsed in the primary, praised Talarico and promised to assist him.
Trump also deviated from his usual pattern of dispute. He did not challenge the results and congratulated the Democrats for doing a good job. He placed the blame for the losses on his party's candidates rather than on his own leadership. This acknowledgment of defeat stands in contrast to his refusal to accept his loss to Joe Biden in 2020.
Data from The AP Voter Poll indicates that the mood among voters was one of dissatisfaction. Roughly three-quarters of respondents described their feelings toward the country's direction as angry or dissatisfied. Among those who considered Trump when casting their ballots, about twice as many voted to oppose him as to support him. A majority of these voters attributed higher prices to his administration's policies. About six in ten said that unusually high costs were more due to Trump's policies than other factors.
Democrats now face the task of governing with a divided government. They will hold the power of the purse but will share the presidency with a leader who retains veto power. The party has pledged to investigate Trump's conduct, but members must balance that effort against the pressure to pass legislation on healthcare, prices, and presidential authority. Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat who won reelection, stated that the mandate is to lower costs. He suggested that if the president vetoes these bills, he will continue to tell the public that affordability is a hoax.
The reordering of power in Washington suggests that the era of Trump's unchecked dominance is changing. Republicans who lost in the midterms are likely to become more critical of the president in their remaining months in office. The new congressional majority will have to navigate a president who can no longer rely on compliant party leaders to support his agenda.
