Democrats win both chambers of Congress as voters turn against Trump

A decisive night for the Democrats

Democrats won majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm elections held on Tuesday, 3 November, and will hold both chambers from 3 January. Stern reports a Senate majority of at least 53 seats and notes that the map grew bluer as the count went on. The first result came from Georgia, where incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff was re-elected, and it pointed to a good evening for the party. Projections for the House followed soon after, in line with what strategists in both parties had expected.

Texas, Kansas and Georgia

In Texas, 37-year-old James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton and won roughly one million more votes than his opponent, according to Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Donald Trump had travelled to the state repeatedly to try to stop him, and Elon Musk had backed Paxton with about 200 million dollars. Talarico, a former secondary school teacher in San Antonio who studied theology, drew large numbers of Latino voters. In Kansas, a Methodist pastor is set to take a Senate seat for the Democrats, the first time the party has held one there in almost 100 years. In Georgia, a former mayor of Atlanta, a woman, beat a Republican billionaire and is set to become the first Black politician to serve as governor of the state and of the United States.

Why voters turned against Trump

Analyst Julien Labarre called the election an anti-Trump vote, in which many Americans were voting against the president and his party rather than for the Democrats. He cited tariffs that had hurt household budgets despite promises to lower prices. He also pointed to the Iran war, which Trump never convincingly explained, and to earlier claims that Iran's nuclear programme had been destroyed, followed months later by new strikes justified by the threat of Iranian nuclear weapons. According to the Associated Press, six in ten voters said they were dissatisfied with Trump, and his approval rating closed at 32%. During more than 30 appearances, Trump had urged voters to imagine he was on the ballot.

What the Democrats can do now

From January the Democrats will control the committees, which lets them open investigations into the Epstein files, the Iran war and how Trump's circle has profited from the presidency. They can also block judicial and ministerial nominations in the Senate and try to reclaim powers, such as setting tariffs, that Trump has taken for himself. Many laws need 60 of the Senate's 100 votes, a hurdle the Democrats cannot clear alone. A regular veto can be overridden only by two-thirds majorities in both chambers, which would require Republican votes. Trump told the New York Times he was absolutely ready to accept the result and expected to find a solution with the Democrats.

The race for 2028 begins

Claudia Brühwiler, a professor at the University of St. Gallen, considers impeachment unlikely and says it would need several Republican votes. She warns that such a process could help Trump politically.

“In an impeachment proceeding, Trump would blossom and present himself as the Democrats' target.”

She sees no sign of Republican defections, saying Trump's reaction after the election gives no reason to switch sides. Among possible successors, she judges Vice President J. D. Vance, 42, to hold the weakest cards, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 55, stands best among the favourites.