“2026 was not simply a blue wave; it was a blue tsunami. It was an ass kicking. It was not simply a bad 2006 midterm election. It was a Watergate-level repudiation.”
— Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), quoted by the New York Post.
“Seismic political change is coming to Washington, D.C., and as Republicans sift through the wreckage that was Election Night, fingers are pointing in several directions over who’s to blame,” Fox News reports.
“The blue tsunami Tuesday tore the GOP’s coalition asunder, flipping the balance of power in both chambers heading into the final two years of the Trump administration. And as Republicans search for where things went awry, GOP operatives and insiders told Fox News Digital that it starts at the top with President Donald Trump.”
Vanity Fair: Republicans in Washington watch the midterms wipeout as Trump deflects blame.
“Senate Republicans are staring into the abyss. It could be very difficult for them to reclaim the chamber in two years, especially if Democrats win still-uncalled races in Mississippi and Alaska,” Semafor reports.
“Those seats may not be decided for days, and would represent the potential 55th and 56th seats of a Democratic majority — the largest since the first two years of Barack Obama’s presidency.”
“Republicans’ top Senate pickup opportunities in 2028 are Arizona, Georgia, Ohio, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Nevada. Democrats have solid winning streaks in all of those states except Pennsylvania and Ohio.”
“Democrats are on track to take control of a majority of legislative chambers, ending 16 years of Republican dominance over America’s statehouses,” Axios reports.
“If current leads hold, 75% of Americans will live in a state with a Democratic governor, and 53% will live in Democratic trifectas.”
The Guardian: Democrats’ blue wave washes over state legislatures across U.S.
“A federal panel led by President Trump’s allies is expected on Thursday to issue final approval for his planned 250-foot triumphal arch, allowing a blitz of construction that the Trump administration has said could begin almost immediately after the vote,” the New York Times reports.
“But broader, perhaps existential, challenges to one of the president’s prized projects lie ahead.”
“At the same time, a federal judge is considering whether to halt the project for circumventing congressional approval and a host of other laws. Democrats in Congress, fresh off a landslide victory in Tuesday’s midterm elections, are threatening to kill Mr. Trump’s arch when they take control of both chambers in January.”
NPR: Trump’s arch is on the verge of federal approval. But a judge could block construction.
“President Trump’s loss of the House and Senate intersects with one of the most consequential decisions of his presidency: whether to resume intense combat operations against Iran, in a war that Mr. Trump’s vice president said Wednesday was the primary reason for the Republican Party’s crushing defeat,” the New York Times reports.
“The results across the country in Tuesday’s midterm elections drove home how deeply unpopular the war was among Americans — and how much backlash Mr. Trump could face if he renewed major strikes against the country, which the United States and Israel jointly attacked in February.”
“The political blow deepened the challenge Mr. Trump faces in ending a war of his choosing.”
Bloomberg: Trump plays down prospect of strikes on Iran after midterm rout.
Punchbowl News: “We spoke to Hakeem Jeffries Wednesday, the day after Democrats romped to the House majority. We wanted to hear about his plans for legislating and changes he wants to make to the institution.”
”There are a few things you need to understand about Jeffries at this moment.”
”First of all, as of late Wednesday, he still hadn’t spoken to President Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson, or anyone in the White House or House GOP leadership.”
”Trump said Wednesday that Democrats were calling him, asking to make deals. That apparently doesn’t include Jeffries, who, with at least a 255-seat majority heading into the next Congress, is instantly in the driver’s seat in any power battle against Trump.”
“House Republican leadership races after the party’s catastrophic losses are shaping up to be a battle between the old versus new guard,” Politico reports.
“Party elections are set for Tuesday morning and will test how closely GOP members — angry over Republicans’ deep defeats and eager to chart a different course — tie their existing leadership team to the thrashing.”
MS NOW: House Republicans are already having a leadership fight — but are avoiding a reckoning.
“Political polling experts hailed a ‘great night’ for the industry after surveys accurately foresaw much of the Democratic blue wave that swept across the U.S. in midterm elections,” The Guardian reports.
“In only a handful of U.S. Senate races, including Texas and New Hampshire, key polls failed to gauge the scale of the Democratic victory over Republicans on Tuesday.”
“President Trump has conceded that the Iran war cost Republicans dearly in the midterms. Now he must decide whether to cut his losses and reach a deal — or double down and go back to bombing,” Axios reports.
“All of Trump’s options are problematic.”
“For much of the midterm campaign, progressive Democratic insurgents commanded the spotlight in the fight to wrest control of Congress, defeating establishment incumbents in primaries, drawing enthusiastic crowds and promising to reorder their party’s priorities and remake American politics once they got to Washington,” the New York Times reports.
“But the path to Democrats’ sweeping victory this week, when they seized control of both chambers of Congress, was paved overwhelmingly by moderates who had spent months persuading voters in Republican-leaning states and competitive congressional districts that they could be trusted to govern and would deliver dissatisfied voters a practical alternative to President Trump.”
“President Donald Trump may have made the decision to launch the war that tanked voters’ support for the GOP and dealt them a midterm shellacking. But the historic losses are accelerating a push for someone else to take the fall: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth,” CNN reports.
“And the House could vote as soon as next week to impeach the Pentagon’s top leader.”
“Many Republican lawmakers and allies alarmed by Tuesday’s wipeout are moving swiftly to pin blame for the election results on Hegseth, arguing behind the scenes that he played a chief role in convincing Trump to attack Iran with no exit strategy — and no plan for managing the inevitable political fallout.”
“Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison (R) on Wednesday called on Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to curb Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa’s (D) power before she is sworn in next year,” The Hill reports.
Said Harrison: “We still have total power in Texas, and we must act like it by using the remaining ten weeks to restore separation of powers and limit the emergency powers that Governor-Elect Hinojosa is set to inherit, which would allow her to destroy liberty in Texas by executive fiat.”
“Nithya Raman is projected to win the Los Angeles mayor’s race, according to Decision Desk HQ, ousting incumbent Karen Bass and putting a democratic socialist in charge of the second-largest U.S. city,” Bloomberg reports.
“This time last week, the progressive and moderate wings of the House Democratic Caucus were gearing up to battle for influence in what they thought might be a slim governing majority. After surpassing expectations to win as many as 260 seats Tuesday night, members are showing signs of detente,” Politico reports.
“The results of the blowout midterm elections mean that House Democrats’ major ideological contingents will all swell in the next Congress. The centrist New Democrat Coalition is projecting at least 140 members, with the even more moderate Blue Dog Coalition grow to more than 20. The Congressional Progressive Caucus, meanwhile, is expected to have more than 100 members, six of whom identify as democratic socialists.”
“The prospect of having a 30-vote-minimum margin to pass legislation means no one group will come to the table with an obvious edge that would handcuff the likely incoming speaker, Hakeem Jeffries.”
For members: A Bigger Majority, a Different Headache
“Tuesday’s blue wave gives Democrats an unexpected foothold to leave a mark on the nation’s judicial system — including the Supreme Court,” the Washington Sun reports.
“After two years of Republicans approving President Donald Trump’s judicial picks, the Democrats in January will seize control of the confirmation process for the last two years of his presidency.”
“New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — one of the most influential members of the Democratic Party’s leftward flank — said Wednesday that ‘this country has elected a new generation of leadership’ in the midterms, and the left must now keep its ‘foot on the gas,'” CBS News reports.
Said Mamdani: “Going through yesterday evening, it’s a realization that it’s a new dawn in America.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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