Five takeaways from Democrats’ historic midterm blue tsunami 

The worst-case scenario for Republicans unfolded in Tuesday’s midterm elections, as Democrats seized control of both chambers of Congress as well as a majority of state governorships.

Here are 5 takeaways from the historic GOP shellacking: 

Trump’s ‘pretend I’m on the ballot’ plea fails miserably 

The president repeatedly urged his supporters to pretend he was up for election during his cross-country blitz in the weeks leading up to Tuesday.

Voters clearly heard him, just not in the way Trump intended.

Exit poll results released by the Associated Press showed 71% of voters said Congress must do more to check the commander-in-chief, while 62% directly blamed the president for higher prices.

Three-quarters of voters indicated they were “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the direction of the country and more than six in ten disapproved of Trump’s performance. 

As a result, control of both the House and Senate changed hands in the same midterm for the first time since 2006 — also during the second term of a Republican president waging a controversial war in the Middle East.

Democrats won without regard for geography or political history. In Maine, Troy Jackson defeated 30-year incumbent Susan Collins. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton became just the second Democrat ever elected to the Senate from the Sunflower State — and first since George McGill in 1932.

In Ohio, Amy Acton became just the second Democrat since 1990 to be elected governor.

And then, of course, there’s Texas.

Texas chooses blue

The Lone Star State was emblematic of how the night went for Republicans, with Democrat James Talarico defeating Republican Ken Paxton by a whopping 12 percentage points for the party’s first Senate race victory since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, seeking a fourth term in office, was also swamped by the blue wave, losing to Democratic state lawmaker Gina Hinojosa by seven points. 

The GOP fared little better in House races, with Rep. Monica De La Cruz defeated by Democrat Bobby Pulido in the 15th Congressional District, while the 23rd Congressional District, whose seat had been left vacant since ex-Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) resigned in April, was won by Democrat Katy Padilla Stout. 

Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez – two of the top targets of a GOP-friendly mid-decade redistricting – easily bested their GOP rivals as well. 

Democrats promise deluge

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee, had a simple message for the White House as results rolled in on election night. 

“LAWYER UP,” Garcia wrote on X, making no secret of his plan to investigate Trump, his family, his staff and his appointees. 

In an interview with Punchbowl News, Garcia teased investigation into alleged abuses by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under since-ousted Secretary Kristi Noem, corporate corruption, late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and what Garcia called the “Trump crypto schemes,” as well as “the ‘Red Wedding’ of Don Jr.” 

Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) similarly teased, “Subpoenas,” in a social media post.   

Reds spread in Congress

Socialists more than doubled their numbers in the House after a series of expected midterm election wins in Democratic strongholds. 

Far-left candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) were projected to win at least five House races, expanding the number of avowed socialist lawmakers in the lower chamber from two to seven.

The DSA winners joining “Squad” socialists Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) in the House include: Melat Kiros of Colorado; Chris Rabb of Pennsylvania; Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, both of New York; and Donovan McKinney of Michigan. 

Florida keeps right

On an otherwise difficult night, the results in the Sunshine State were one of the few outcomes the GOP can hang their hats on. 

Incumbent Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) dispatched her socialist Democratic opponent Angie Nixon for the right to serve the remaining two years of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Senate term. 

In the governor’s race, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) held off Democrat David Jolly by fewer than two percentage points, a narrower margin than many had expected.

“Florida sweeps again — congrats to the statewide ticket,” outgoing Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on X, noting Republican wins in the race to succeed him as well as in the contests for attorney general, agriculture commissioner and chief financial officer. 

In a separate tweet, DeSantis boasted: “With the loss of governors races in Texas, Ohio and Georgia, there will be only one state of the top ten most populous states with a Republican governor: Florida.”