- To read more on what a Democrat blue wave in the U.S. midterms means for Canada, click here.
A midterm blue wave swept over the American political map Tuesday, with the Democrats gaining control of both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
The U.S. midterms saw shocking upsets across the country, with Democrats winning in typically reliable Republican states in a major rebuke to President Donald Trump’s agenda.
The Democrats’ wins — which included several important governor races — sets up a fractious two-year battle with Trump, now a lame duck president vowing to make extensive use of his presidential power to veto legislation.
All polls closed at 1 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday as voting wrapped up in Alaska.
Democrats are projected to flip crucial Senate seats in Maine, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and Texas.
Trump, who took to social media on Tuesday night, distanced himself from the drubbing his party was projected to take.
“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,” Trump said in a post.
Trump had asked voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” over the months leading up to the midterms.
He stumped for several candidates in key races, including in South Carolina, Ohio and Texas where Democrats are projected to defeat candidates Trump endorsed.
In an interview with the New York Times, Trump said he was “absolutely willing to accept those results” and would “look forward to working with” Democrats.
However, he followed that up later in the evening by posting the picture of a red hat with the word “VETO” written on it.
https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2117839574722281970?a=0Qc5Br8qo-0ZaA0vTNA&s=20
In a rambling call-in to Fox News election special early Wednesday morning, Trump said he believes he “can work with (the Democrats) on many things.” But the president almost immediately said the Democrats could bring him 50 bills “they’re excited about” and he could veto each one.
“I can work with them on a lot of things, I mean we can work with them on immigration I think. Immigration’s a big deal,” Trump said.
Asked if he was going to make changes to his cabinet in the wake of the loss, Trump said “no I don’t think so.”
“Honestly, I’ve been doing a lot of great things for a long time. And it’s just a point in time, Brett. Just a point in time,” Trump said.
“There was a mood in the air I guess.”
A Democrat-controlled House of Representatives would “put working families first,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies said.
“We understand that this election, a dramatic change election, means that the American people are crying out for transformational change,” Jefferies told supporters Tuesday night.
As the top-ranking Democrat in the chamber, Jefferies would be poised to become the first Black Speaker of the House in the event of a Democratic majority.
“We hear you, we see you, we feel you, and House Democrats are committed to making life better for you,” he said.
Early projections pointed to major wins for Democrats with the Associated Press projecting shortly before 8 p.m. Eastern that Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff won reelection from the state of Georgia.
The first projection for a Senate race bordering Canada was in New Hampshire, with AP projecting a win for Democrat Chris Pappas. This will mean Pappas will become the first openly gay man to serve in the U.S. Senate.
In another race along Canada’s border, Democrat Amy Klobuchar is projected to be the next governor of Minnesota while Peggy Flanagan is projected to score a win for the Democratic party’s progressive wing in the Senate race.
In Maine, where Trump’s trade war on Canada became a major election issue, the 30-year reign of veteran Republican Susan Collins could be coming to an end with Democrat Troy Jackson projected to win the race for Senate.
Collins had distanced herself from Trump’s tariffs, with her and Jackson sparring over the trade war during the debate.
“I was successful in getting road salt removed from the tariff list,” Collins said, referring to Trump’s decision to exempt certain Canadian goods from his sweeping 50 per cent tariffs.
“What about everything else? We can’t eat road salt,” Jackson hit back, arguing that Trump’s tariffs have not only hit Maine’s lumber and fishing industries, but also put a dent in the tourism sector with visits from Canadians taking a nosedive.
Michigan, another state where candidates sparred over Trump’s trade war, saw a hotly contested Senate race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers.
El-Sayed declared victory at his campaign headquarters in Detroit, though AP had yet to call that race as of 2 a.m. Eastern.
El-Sayed, a Muslim, has been the subject of several Islamophobic and racists attacks, including from Trump who called the Democrat a “jihadist” and said he should have to use a metal detector to enter the U.S. Senate. If successful, he would be the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.
On his part, El-Sayed has kept a focus on affordability and the high price of gas from the Iran war. When asked about the attacks against his name and faith, El-Sayed turned the conversation towards the high cost of the trade war with Canada.
“My name is not the reason you can’t afford your gas or groceries or to go see a doctor. Their war in Iran is the reason why. Their insane tariffs on Canada is the reason why,” he told reporters last month.
“If you’re picking a fight with Canada, you’re the asshole,” he said.
Michigan and Ontario have deeply integrated auto and steel manufacturing supply chains, with Trump’s trade war causing economic pain on both sides of the border. Canada has become a sticking point in the Michigan Senate election, with even Rogers distancing himself from Trump’s trade policy.
“Canada is not our enemy,” Rogers said in a campaign ad, in which he called for an end to the trade war despite supporting it months earlier.
Jocelyn Benson, the Democrat projected to win the governorship in Michigan, told supporters in Detroit she would tackle corruption and affordability.
Democrats looked set to flip several seats in the House of Representatives, as well major Senate seats in Republican strongholds. Democrat Roy Cooper is projected win the Senate race in North Carolina, AP said.
Democrat James Talarico is projected to beat Ken Paxton, who had Trump’s endorsement, to wrest the Texas Senate seat from Republicans after 33 years.
In traditionally ruby-red South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews is projected to beat Darline Graham, sister of late Sen. Lindsay Graham. The South Carolina race saw Trump stumping for Graham and endorsing her run for her late brother’s former Senate seat.
Democrats Chris Coons of Delaware, Cory Booker of New Jersey, John Reed of Rhode Island and Ed Markey from Massachusetts were also projected to win Senate reelection, AP projected.
Several Democratic governors were projected to win reelection early in the night, with Josh Shapiro projected to be winning in Pennsylvania, Wes Moore in Maryland, Maura Healey in Massachusetts and J.B. Pritzker in Illinois.
Democrat Amy Acton is projected to win the election for Ohio governor, beating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Progressive Sherrod Brown, an ally of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, is projected to flip the Ohio Senate seat for the Democrats.
In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms is projected to make history as the first Black woman to become governor of the Peach State.
Democrat Gina Hinojosa is projected to beat Republican incumbent Greg Abbot to win the election for Texas governor.
New Mexico is projected to elect its first ever female Native American governor in Democrat Deb Haaland.
Iowa, an agricultural state reeling from high fuel and fertilizer costs, is projected to elect Rob Sands as the state’s first Democratic governor since 2007 while Democrat Josh Turek is projected to win the state’s Senate seat.
Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, was projected to win election for governor of California, succeeding the term-limited Gavin Newsom.
Democrat Kathy Hochul is projected to win reelection as governor of New York while Democrat Helena Foulkes is projected to be the next governor of Rhode Island, AP said.
Republican Byron Donalds, a close Trump ally, is projected to become the first Black governor of Florida, AP said.
In Idaho, which shares a border with British Columbia, Republican Jim Risch is projected to win the Senate race.
A total of 35 Senate seats were up for election this cycle, along with all 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Trump and his Republican Party were facing political headwinds — the president’s approval ratings are reaching historic lows, and the Democrats are hoping he drags his party down with him.
Cost of living remains top-of-mind for 47 per cent of American voters, according to an Ipsos poll conducted for Reuters, followed distantly by democratic values (26 per cent) and immigration (12 per cent).
Even as he loses control of both chambers of Congress, Trump would still maintain significant amounts of power from his continuing role as president to act via executive orders.
On Tuesday evening, Trump said on social media that he was watching the election results on Fox News, complaining that the network was “spending too much time covering” the Democrats.
Trump made his closing arguments of the campaign Monday. He defended his administration’s tariffs and policies and claimed his second term has seen the “best” economy ever, despite widespread voter disapproval of his handling of pocketbook issues.
Trump also denigrated Democrats, calling their party extreme and dangerous and claiming they hate America.
Democrats faced controversies of their own, including a shocking 11th-hour party fracture in a tight Michigan Senate race. Democrat candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s former opponent in the U.S. Senate primary, Haley Stevens, stunned party officials Sunday by endorsing Republican candidate Mike Rogers.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Ad Choices
