Voters punish Trump and the GOP suffers historic losses

President Donald Trump repeatedly encouraged voters to pretend he was on the midterm ballot. They did. And it's hard to imagine a worse outcome for the Republican president and his party. Voters absolutely punished Trump's allies almost everywhere. Democrats won in swing states like Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire and North Carolina and in Republican strongholds of Iowa, Kansas, Texas and even South Carolina.

Trump's controversial mid-decade redistricting plan appeared to backfire. And Republican losses allowed Democrats to make history in Georgia, where Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor in US history, while in Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa will become its first Latina governor.

Voters nationwide were in the mood for change, according to The AP Voter Poll, which found that roughly three-quarters of voters feel 'angry' or 'dissatisfied' with the direction of the country. Among those who had Trump in mind when they cast their vote, about twice as many wanted to express opposition to the Republican president as those who wanted to support him. Most also blamed the Trump administration for high costs: about 6 in 10 say higher than usual prices are 'more because of Trump's policies.'

Trump's coalition was also fraying: Young voters dramatically shifted away from the GOP after warming to Trump in 2024, while the GOP also lost ground among Black men and Hispanics. With undeniable momentum, Democrats won control of the House and Senate, which will curb Trump's power after he's faced few limits from a compliant Republican-controlled Congress.

Beyond control of Washington, the extent of these GOP losses could shake the very foundation of the Republican Party – and perhaps the Democratic Party, too – as the political world pivots almost immediately into a new presidential election season and Trump becomes without question a lame duck. Tuesday's electoral beating appeared to be a direct repudiation of Trump, who demanded loyalty across his party and saddled Republicans with his dismal approval ratings, an unpopular war with Iran and surging costs.

Indeed, Trump's political strength is hitting a new low roughly two years before his final term ends. The AP Voter Poll confirms that voters are deeply unhappy with Trump, with roughly 6 in 10 saying they disapprove of his job performance. About 70 per cent of voters want Congress to provide more checks and balances on the presidency. And roughly 6 in 10 voters said Trump places a higher priority on his personal interests than the country's interests.

Trump was betting that his base of white working-class voters – and an increased share of young people and voters of colour – which fueled his presidential victory in 2024 could save his Republican allies if they show up in great numbers. He was wrong. The AP Voter Poll indicates a substantial shift in young people and Hispanics moving away from Republicans compared with Trump's victory just two years ago.

Voters under 30 were about evenly split between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. But in this election, about 7 in 10 voters in that same age group nationally say they supported the Democratic House candidate in their area. Meanwhile, Republicans appeared to lose ground with Black voters, particularly Black men. Only about 1 in 10 Black male voters nationally backed the Republican candidate in their local US House race, down from the roughly one-quarter who supported Trump in the last presidential election, according to AP VoteCast. About 9 in 10 Black voters supported the Democratic House candidate, up from the roughly 8 in 10 who cast their ballot for Harris.

It was a similar story for Hispanic voters. About one-third of Hispanics say they backed the Republican in their local US House race, while roughly 4 in 10 voted for Trump two years ago. About 6 in 10 Hispanic voters nationally say they voted for the Democratic candidate in their local House race. That's as about 7 in 10 Hispanic voters say Trump's policies have worsened economic conditions in the US.

Such shifts will echo into the 2028 presidential contest, which unofficially begins Wednesday. Since World War II, the House and Senate have flipped from one party to the other in the same midterm just three times: 1946, 1994 and 2006. Democrats did it again in 2026. They won virtually everywhere in a truly historic sweep. Democrats won Senate and governor's races in Georgia, Ohio, Iowa and Texas - the latter three states Trump carried by 11, 13 and 14 percentage points, respectively.

In North Carolina, Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper won the Senate race. Sen. Jon Ossoff easily won reelection in Georgia, while Lance Bottoms won the Georgia governorship. New Hampshire Democrat Chris Pappas won his Senate race, making him the first openly gay man in the Senate. Maine Sen. Susan Collins lost, leaving Republicans without any members of Congress in New England. In Ohio, former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown flipped a GOP-held Senate seat, while former state health official Amy Acton beat close Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy for governor.

The Democratic romp continued in Michigan, where Democrat Abdul El-Sayed won despite an ugly intraparty feud in recent days and will soon become the first Muslim senator. In Kansas, voters picked Democrat Adam Hamilton, a first-time candidate who leads the largest United Methodist church in the country, over incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Marshall - the first time a Democrat has won a Senate seat in Kansas in nearly a century. And in Texas, long an object of desire for Democrats, 37-year-old state lawmaker James Talarico was elected to the Senate, while Hinojosa defeated three-term Gov. Greg Abbott.