Political observers will rank the midterm elections of 2026 alongside the epic sea changes of 1994, 2010 and 2018. It's generally thought that the 1994 midterm, which propelled Newt Gingrich to the House speakership, was the most seismic. That’s largely because Republicans hadn’t controlled the House in 40 years.
But 2026 will likely rival 1994, because of how Democrats overperformed in House races in Trump-favored districts, overcame redistricting in Texas and Florida, and won in states like South Carolina and Kansas. Don't forget that heading into this cycle, 23 of the 35 seats favored Republicans. On paper, this looked like a favorable year for the GOP.
The question is just how large the margins might be for Democrats, and what that means when it comes to working — or not working — with President Donald Trump. The president has signaled he’ll veto extreme measures which come from Congress under Democratic control, but also offered to work together on certain issues. TRUMP CONGRATULATES DEMOCRATS AFTER DOMINANT MIDTERMS, SAYS HE LOOKS FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THEM Democrats could argue the vote was a mandate to rebuke the president.
Some won’t be willing to work with him at all. Trump is out the door in a little over two years. He suffered historic losses in states and districts which he carried by double digits two years ago.
Democrats are already threatening administration officials they'd better "lawyer up," promising a host of inquests into alleged corruption and influence peddling. Yes, there will be lots of attention on Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, D-Mich., and DSA-affiliated members coming to Washington like Reps.-elect Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez of New York, Melat Kiros of Colorado, Donavan McKinney of Michigan and Chris Rabb of Pennsylvania. They will push "Medicare for All" and efforts to defund ICE and will oppose money and aid to Israel.
But how much of that truly gets across the finish line? While Democrats made extraordinary gains in both the House and Senate, they did so with moderates. Newly minted House Democrats who flipped solid GOP turf are the true majority-makers, not progressives.
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