Democrats Grab Senate and House Majorities After Trump Warns His Absence Hurt Republican Turnout
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Democrats gained control of the Senate and House, while President Trump said the outcome would have been different if his name had been on the ballot.
Democrats turned a projected “blue wave” into concrete gains, winning seven Senate seats, more than two dozen House seats and adding to the number of Democratic governors. The Associated Press called the Senate race in favor of Democrats shortly after polls closed, and the House was secured a few hours later, giving the party control of both chambers and the ability to challenge President Trump’s agenda.
The election delivered several historic outcomes for the opposition party and reflected how far the political map has shifted in some states. A Democrat won a Senate seat in Kansas for the first time in 94 years, and South Carolina elected a Democrat to the Senate for the first time in nearly three decades. In Texas, progressive newcomer James Talarico defeated incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton, ending a 38-year Republican streak in that race. Other states, including Iowa and North Carolina, also elected Democratic senators for the first time since 2008.
President Trump responded to the losses by stating he was not on the ballot and that, had he been, “we would have won in a landslide.” He reiterated the comment in an interview with the New York Times, adding that the absence of his name on the ticket reduced voter turnout for Republicans. The president also said he was “absolutely willing” to accept the midterm results.
Pre-election polling had suggested Democratic leads in several competitive Senate contests, though some pollsters warned that higher response rates among Democratic voters could skew the data. The outcomes also marked a departure from the usual success of candidates endorsed by President Trump, as several of his handpicked nominees were defeated in key races.
"I wasn’t on the ballot and if I was, we would have won in a landslide! Thank you for your attention to this matter," President Trump said.
"I wasn’t on the ticket, and because I wasn’t on the ticket, we couldn’t get enough people out to vote," he added in the interview.
The results underscore a shift in voter sentiment across districts that previously supported President Trump, with many Republican incumbents facing tighter contests even in traditionally red states.