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Progressives and moderates rejoice: 6 takeaways from the midterms

Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari, CQ-Roll Call on

Published in Political News

WASHINGTON —Democrats were savoring their midterm election rout Wednesday after decisively flipping both the House and Senate.

“Last night was beyond even our largest expectations of what could happen,” Arizona Rep. Greg Stanton said on a press call.

Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat in line to become the first Black speaker, predicted Democrats would hold at least 255 seats next year, which would be the largest majority for either party since Democrats won 257 seats in 2008.

In the Senate, the Democratic Caucus was poised to hold at least 54 seats after seismic red-state gains, with two key races too close to call.

“What we have now seen is a generational remake of the Senate map that is going to change America not only now but on into the future,” Charles E. Schumer, the chamber’s top Democrat, said Wednesday.

Here are six takeaways from the midterm elections:

Wins for both progressives and moderates

Democratic gains were so sweeping that both ideological wings of the party had plenty to celebrate. The moderate Blue Dogs more than doubled their current membership, with at least 22 Blue Dog PAC-endorsed candidates winning Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Congressional Progressive Caucus anticipated at least 25 new members.

For House progressives, swing-seat wins in Michigan and California were signs that their candidates’ message resonated in battleground races and that Democrats should move to implement those progressive ideas next year.

“Big majorities can get big things done,” Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar said on a Wednesday press call.

Illinois Rep. Brad Schneider, the chair of the center-left New Democrat Coalition, told reporters he had a strong relationship with Casar and envisioned different factions of the party working together.

“It doesn’t matter what you call your idea. If your idea is going to help us move the ball forward, join us at the table,” Schneider said.

Army veteran Cait Conley, who was leading GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in a race that remained uncalled Wednesday afternoon, said she’d been open about having differences with incoming New York Democrats aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America. But she said Democrats across the political spectrum needed to prioritize “real solutions for the American people.”

“If we don’t make that our priority, if we don’t show that that is more important than anything else … then I think the voters are going to show us in 2028 that they’re not going to accept that,” she said on the New Dems press call.

Several of Trump’s top picks flopped at the ballot box

While the president cast a shadow over the entire midterm map, three of his marquee candidates were among the night’s biggest busts.

Trump was behind appointed South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham every step of the way, helping her win a contested primary to replace her late brother, Lindsey Graham, on the ballot. But Graham lost to Democrat Annie Andrews in a stunning upset. In North Carolina, Trump had publicly urged Michael Whatley to run for the state’s open seat. But the former Republican National Committee chairman lost to Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper by 20 points. And most significantly, in Texas, Trump elevated scandal-plagued state Attorney General Ken Paxton over Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. But the president’s support wasn’t enough to stave off a general election drubbing at the hands of Democrat James Talarico.

 

Even Rep. Julia Letlow, Trump’s pick for Senate in deep-red Louisiana, won her election by less than 2 points.

Redistricting can’t overcome tough political environment

Republicans in seven states successfully embarked on a mid-decade redistricting spree aimed at boosting GOP candidates. But the push couldn’t overcome the political headwinds that battered the Republican brand. In California, where Democrats launched a redistricting push in response to the Texas redraw, the new map proved more beneficial: Democrats are poised to flip at least four seats they redrew in their favor.

Money isn’t everything

Republican Alex Mealer was the heavy favorite to win a redrawn Houston-area seat that Trump would have carried by 20 points. She raised $2.8 million to first-time Democratic candidate Leticia Gutierrez’ $215,000. Yet Gutierrez won the contest by double digits. In an interview on MS NOW, Gutierrez said her campaign proved that “you don’t need money to buy a congressional race.” She wasn’t the only under-the-radar House contender to pull off an unexpected victory Tuesday. In North Carolina, several low-profile and under-funded Democrats appear poised to pull off unlikely upsets, though the races remain too close to call.

Texas turns deep blue

Democrats have chased the dream of a blue Texas for more than 30 years — and always came up short. Until Tuesday. The party notched a series of stunning wins in the nation’s most consequential red state — from Talarico’s decisive victory in the Senate contest to winning several key House races to capturing the governor’s mansion. Democrats seized every elected statewide position on the ballot and flipped the state House, according to The Associated Press. “They said it could not be done,’’ Democratic Rep. Christian Menefee told supporters Tuesday night. “We did it.”

Red-state Senate Democrats are back

Democrats made deep gains in red states and districts across the country, flipping Senate seats in Texas, South Carolina and Kansas, while races in Alaska and Mississippi remained too close to call. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called it “probably the political worst case scenario for a midterm election.”

But Democrats didn’t appear convinced that their brand had completely rebounded from deep losses two years ago, saying they had work to do over the next two years.

“Many of the folks who voted for us yesterday, of course, are still skeptical,” Schumer said.

Similarly, Casar and Rep. Pramila Jayapal both warned Democrats not to assume that Tuesday’s wins had resolved the party’s branding issues.

“We still are not particularly popular as a Democratic Party across the country,” Jayapal told reporters. “I think we’ve got a shot to show that we can deliver on the kind of bold populist change that people ran on and won on.”

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Nina Heller contributed to this report.

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©2026 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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