Folks, what we witnessed last night was truly extraordinary.
Democrats won almost everything, and I don’t think we’ve seen an election night quite like this in a very long time. Going into Tuesday, there were plenty of signs that Democrats were headed for a strong performance, but I don’t think anyone was fully prepared for just how widespread these victories would be.
Democrats won the House, took control of the Senate, and picked up governorships across the country. But when you start looking at the individual races, the results become even more remarkable.
We’re talking about states that haven’t elected a Democratic senator in decades. Republican incumbents in traditionally red states who were supposed to be safe were defeated. And a Republican Party that entered election night controlling Washington is now facing the reality of losing both chambers of Congress.
Donald Trump is blaming Republicans. Republicans are blaming Trump. And Democrats are preparing to take control of Congress for the final two years of Trump’s presidency.
This was more than a blue wave. This was a blue tsunami.
A historic night in the Senate
The signs were there in the weeks leading up to Election Day. Polling continued moving toward Democrats, and election betting markets were increasingly pricing in the possibility of a Democratic Senate takeover. But even with that optimism, I don’t think many people were prepared for the geographic scope of what happened.
Take New Hampshire, where Democrat Chris Pappas defeated former Republican Senator John Sununu. As recently as August, Sununu was leading in the polls. By September, the race was essentially tied. But the numbers continued moving in Pappas’s direction, and by Election Day, he had established a substantial advantage.
Pappas won decisively, providing one of the first indications that Republicans were in for a very difficult night.
In Georgia, incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff defeated Republican Mike Collins by approximately 59% to 41%. That’s an 18-point victory in a state that has been one of the country’s most closely watched political battlegrounds. Ossoff wasn’t simply hanging on to his seat. He won overwhelmingly.
Then came South Carolina, where Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Darline Graham.
Consider the significance of that result. Donald Trump won South Carolina by nearly 18 points in 2024, and Democrats hadn’t won a Senate election there since 1998. Now, a Democrat has won.
Graham was a particularly weak candidate who ended up in the position because she was the surviving sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham. Her candidacy was an example of a broader problem Republicans faced this cycle: a number of terrible candidates running in an environment where voters were already deeply dissatisfied with Trump and the Republican Party.
And then there’s Texas.
Texas goes blue
James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas since 1988.
Think about that. Nearly four decades of Republican victories in Texas Senate elections, and that streak has finally ended.
But Talarico’s victory wasn’t even the only extraordinary development in Texas.
Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott, despite Abbott’s enormous fundraising operation, the advantages of incumbency, and the support of Donald Trump and national Republicans.
Abbott has been one of the most prominent Republican governors in the country, and Texas has long been treated as a reliable Republican stronghold. The idea that Democrats could defeat both Ken Paxton and Greg Abbott in the same election would have seemed almost unimaginable not long ago.
And yet, here we are. Texas has gone blue.
Democrats break through across the country
The victories continued throughout the Midwest and beyond.
In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton won a Senate seat in a state that hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 1932. We’re approaching a century since the last time that happened.
In Iowa, our friend Josh Turek won his Senate race, while Democrat Rob Sand won the governorship. Michigan held its Democratic Senate seat with Abdul El-Sayed.
Ohio was another disaster for Republicans.
Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Jon Husted, returning to the Senate after losing his seat in 2024. And in the governor’s race, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Vivek Ramaswamy.
In North Carolina, Democrat Roy Cooper won his Senate race. And in Maine, longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins was finally defeated by Democrat Troy Jackson, who joined us on the show just a few days ago.
The list goes on.
Nevada elected Democrat Aaron Ford as governor, another candidate we’ve interviewed. And in Missouri’s second congressional district, Fred Wellman defeated longtime Republican Congresswoman Ann Wagner.
That district has been in Republican hands for over three decades. Fred, who was kind enough to have me on his podcast recently to discuss my book, managed to flip it. I congratulated him this morning, and I’m thrilled for him and the many newly elected Democrats who will be taking control of the House of Representatives.
Of course, Republicans did win some races. Pete Ricketts held off independent challenger Dan Osborn in Nebraska, and Byron Donalds narrowly defeated David Jolly in Florida’s gubernatorial election.
Even Florida’s Senate race, which Republican Ashley Moody won against Democrat Angie Nixon, was much closer than Republicans would have preferred. Moody finished with approximately 51% of the vote to Nixon’s 48%.
For years, the conventional wisdom has increasingly been that Florida is simply gone for Democrats. But a result like that should make people reconsider just how firmly Republican the state really is.
What this means for Trump
When you look at the entire picture, the most remarkable thing is how widespread these victories were.
Democrats didn’t narrowly win control of Congress because of one or two competitive races. They won in New England, the South, the Midwest, the Plains, and Texas. They defeated Republican incumbents, flipped seats that hadn’t been Democratic in generations, and won races that many people considered nearly impossible.
The political reality in Washington has changed overnight.
For the first two years of his second term, Donald Trump has enjoyed Republican control of Congress. Now, with Democrats taking control of both chambers, he faces an entirely different situation.
Democrats will have the ability to conduct investigations, hold hearings, issue subpoenas, and challenge an administration that has operated with relatively little congressional opposition.
Representative Robert Garcia, who is expected to lead the House Oversight Committee, has already offered a simple message to the incoming targets of Democratic investigations: Lawyer up.
And I suspect we’re going to hear quite a bit more of that in the coming months.
Now comes the hard part
There’s one final point I think is important to make about this election.
Not every Democrat who won last night is necessarily an extraordinary candidate. Some ran excellent campaigns, and others benefited enormously from the national political environment.
There were candidates who probably wouldn’t have had a realistic chance in a normal election year. But this wasn’t a normal election year.
Trump and the Republicans have spent the last two years alienating voters, failing to deliver on their promises, and running campaigns that offered very little to people who are frustrated with the direction of the country.
That created an environment where Democrats could win almost everywhere, including places that have been reliably Republican for decades.
And you know what? That’s fine. Those Democrats are getting into office, and now we’ll see what they can do.
The question going forward is how effectively Democrats use the power voters have just handed them. Winning control of Congress is an extraordinary achievement, particularly given the political map they were facing. But governing, holding the Trump administration accountable, and delivering results will be the next test.
What do you think Democrats should prioritize now that they’ve taken control of Congress? Should investigations into the Trump administration come first, or are there other priorities you think deserve more attention? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
We’re reaching over 150 million people every month across YouTube, podcasts, Substack, and beyond. But algorithms can change. Platforms can fold. And when that happens, this newsletter is how we stay connected.
If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, please consider joining.
If you’re already paid on one platform, consider supporting us on both Substack and our website.
You can subscribe on our website and right here on Substack.
And if you’re really on fire, consider gifting a subscription—we’ve got thousands on our waiting list ready to read, watch, and fight back.
Let’s keep building.
—David
PS: Can’t contribute right now? No problem. You can support us for free by subscribing on YouTube, listening to our audio podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or become a free subscriber to this very Substack. Every bit counts.
It was a glorious blue tsunami - I'm still stunned by the results.
Now let's move forward to start undoing some of the orange damage already done & prevent more in his last 2 years!
As for priorities. Let’s just get to work fixing what is severely broken in this country. Unbridled grift. Loss of oversight on every place we needed it. Raping of our public lands. Term limits. Age limits. The police state we have created. Let’s build a fair and humane immigration system. Get rid of all the prisons around the world that we shuttle people off to. Get the government out of our schools. Start rebuilding a humane society. Stop executive privilege.
I say forget the lawyering up. Consequences will come for those who have broken the law. Revenge is not what we need. It will only reenforce division
We came together as Americans. This was not a Democratic win because we won seats. It was a win for everyone who wants decency and fairness in this country.
And let’s end the war and our entanglement with Israel and Russia. We have lots to do