From BBC News · · 3m
Democrats sweep midterms as Republicans suffer historic defeat
The Democrats have taken control of Congress in the midterm elections, with Republicans losing heavily in a result analysts view as a rejection of Donald Trump's presidency.
In brief
The Democrats have taken control of Congress in the midterm elections, with Republicans losing heavily in a result analysts view as a rejection of Donald Trump's presidency. Democrats won control of Congress in the midterms, with Republicans suffering a historic defeat blamed on inflation, an unpopular Iran war, and…
Democrats take control of Congress
The Democrats have swept to victory in the US midterm elections, taking control of Congress.The scale of the Republican defeat is viewed as a resounding rejection of Donald Trump's two years in the White House.
Voters angry over soaring prices
Prices increased by three point seven percent in the year to September. Almost eight in ten voters said inflation caused them severe or moderate hardship, with more than six in ten blaming Trump's policies.
“Gas prices, grocery prices, everything's going up”
Iran war drove fuel prices higher
The US and Israel launched a war with Iran in February. Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation, strangling a key passage for oil and liquefied natural gas, sending fuel prices soaring.
War proved deeply unpopular
Around six in ten voters said the US made the wrong decision to take military action against Iran. Three-quarters of voters said the conflict was a crucial or major factor in their vote for Congress.
Democrats ran disciplined campaigns
Democratic candidates stuck to focused messages about cost of living and healthcare access.James Talarico and Adam Hamilton talked about faith in Texas and Kansas.
Abdul El-Sayed's winning message
Former public health official Abdul El-Sayed triumphed in Michigan to keep that seat Democratic. He made getting money out of politics, money in your pocket a key slogan in his campaign.
“money out of politics, money in your pocket”
Trump's unpopularity hurt Republicans
Trump's approval ratings fell even among Republican voters, making states he won in 2024 vulnerable.
Hispanic voters shift back to Democrats
Two years ago Hispanic and black voters moved towards Republicans.Democrats claimed all three House races in overwhelmingly Hispanic congressional districts along the Texas-Mexico border.Majority-Hispanic counties moved more than twenty-two percentage points against Republican Senate candidates.
Black voters also shift Democratic
Counties with a black majority moved significantly towards Democratic candidates in Senate races. The Senate race in Mississippi, which has the largest share of black voters of any US state with around thirty-seven percent, is…
Mississippi could elect first Democrat since 1982
If Scott Colom wins the Senate race in Mississippi, he would become the first Democrat elected to the Senate in Mississippi since nineteen eighty-two.The shift among black voters comes amid widespread anger at immigration enforcement.
The one thing
Democrats won control of Congress in the midterms, with Republicans suffering a historic defeat blamed on inflation, an unpopular Iran war, and Trump's declining popularity.
