Blue tsunami: Victory washes over Democrats in midterms

This election can be described by the text I got from a high-ranking official in the Republican Party: a bloodbath.

Even voters in areas that have repeatedly backed US President Donald Trump are no longer on board with the Republican Party.

Within an hour of the first polls closing, the first signs emerged that it was going to be a good night for the Democrats, when major US networks called the Senate race in Georgia for incumbent Senator Jon Ossoff.

Georgia was a top priority for Democrats, who needed to hold the seat to stay on course for a Senate majority.

Astonishingly, just a year ago, Mr Ossoff was described by CNN as "the nation's most endangered Senate Democrat".

He was considered particularly vulnerable as an incumbent running in a state that Mr Trump had won in 2024.

But that picture changed dramatically overnight with his re-election.

It marked the beginning of a blue trickle that, an hour later, turned into a blue tsunami when Chris Pappas won the Senate seat in New Hampshire, becoming the first openly gay man elected to the US Senate.

A series of other victories followed, with majorities of voters rejecting Republican candidates (including those backed by Mr Trump) in key races across the country, including in the Carolinas.

It went from bad to worse for the Republican Party as efforts to redraw congressional boundaries, in an attempt to elect more Republicans to the House of Representatives, backfired.

Democrats Pia Dandiya, Kathy Castor and Jared Moskowitz were projected to win their races in Florida, according to US television networks.

That came after outgoing Governor Ron DeSantis introduced a new congressional map aimed at securing up to four additional Republican seats in the House. Three went blue instead.

And the extraordinary results continued into the night.

Democrat Gina Hinojosa won the Texas governorship, unseating Greg Abbott, while Democrat Rob Sand took the governor's mansion in Iowa.

Both are now part of a new generation of Democrats who have sought to appeal to independent voters and those disillusioned by Mr Trump's unpopular war in the Middle East and soaring prices - even in places traditionally considered ruby red.

At the John Fredericks Show watch party in Washington DC, where the conservative radio broadcaster was hosting a live panel discussion as the results rolled in, there was audible shock as a US television network projected that James Talarico would win the Senate seat in Texas.

But from talking to people in the room, it was clear they did not blame President Trump for the Republican Party's midterm losses.

For many, the problem lay with Republican representatives in Congress, who, they say, had failed to convince voters that the GOP was working for them. They also believed Republicans had failed to pass enough legislation.

"They are a do-nothing party. Trump's executive branch is the only one executing and doing things through executive orders," said one man.

"I'm confident that if he was on the ballot, he would have done very well because he understands how to manipulate the masses. That's what politics is really all about. That's what these campaigns are all about... how to get the uninformed, idiot masses to get out and vote," said another.

The coalition of voters that powered Mr Trump's 2024 victory is also showing signs of coming apart.

Republicans saw sharp declines in support among black men, Latinos, young voters, evangelical Christians and voters without college degrees, according to early exit poll data.

The AP Voter Poll indicated a substantial shift among younger voters and Latinos, with both groups moving away from Republicans compared with Mr Trump's victory two years ago.

Voters under 30 were about evenly split between Mr Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris in 2024.

But in this election, around seven in ten voters under 30 nationally said they supported the Democratic House candidate in their area.

So what did the president make of it all, given that he had repeatedly said he was on the ballot in this election?

After expressing anger on social media over Fox News' coverage of results night, he struck a more conciliatory note in an interview with The New York Times, saying he would work something out with Democrats and would absolutely accept the results.

"We'll, you know, look forward to working with them. We'll probably work something out," he said (even though later posting a picture of a hat bearing the word "Veto").

It is going to be a raucous two years of legislative battles, funding fights and trading barbs during investigations.

But the Republican Party may also be experiencing some whiplash tonight.

President Trump took aim at Texas Governor Mr Abbott, throwing him under the bus and claiming he had become a RINO (a Republican in Name Only) over the past year.

Democrats will now have to deliver on the issues that helped propel them to victory, particularly affordability, if they want to maintain voters' trust and support and go into 2028 in a strong position.

With the cost of living such a major concern, the focus is expected to be on bringing down everyday costs.

Democrats have promised a "shock-and-awe" legislative sprint, aiming to show voters within hours of taking power in January that they are passing bills to deliver on their promises.

That includes restoring healthcare subsidies and Medicaid resources, as well as moving to end President Trump's tariffs and the war with Iran.

Mr Trump had acknowledged that Republicans were likely to lose control of the House of Representatives.

Earlier this week, there were signs he was increasingly concerned about the prospect of losing the Senate too - which would give Democrats even greater power to investigate the president and his allies.

But make no mistake: while President Trump has said he is willing to work with Democrats, he also told a reporter last week that he was prepared to use the tools at his disposal, including presidential pardons for aides and allies.

These results are undoubtedly the first major national rebuke of Mr Trump's second term in office, with Democrats seizing control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

And this rebuke was not confined to traditionally Democratic territory. Some of the biggest swings came in Republican-leaning states that have repeatedly backed Mr Trump in presidential elections.

Texas elected its first Democratic senator since 1988.

Kansas elected its first Democratic senator since 1932.

The pendulum has swung.

And in some of the very states that Republicans had come to rely on, voters have now turned to the Democrats.

Democrat Debbie Dingell told NBC that these results are a message from the voters that they do not like the direction the country is going in, and that people are not exactly in love with Democrats but "we've a job to do".

"And if we don't deliver in the next two years they will send another loud message," she said.