Democrats Look Ahead to What’s Next After Midterms as Outstanding Races Could Shift Senate Count

Senate and House results

Democrats won races in places that had supported Trump by double-digit margins in the previous election. Their Senate majority is the largest since the Affordable Care Act was enacted during Barack Obama’s early presidency.

Alaska and Mississippi Senate results were still pending. If Democrats win both, the party could hold 54 seats, alongside two independents who caucus with it. A small number of House races also remained uncalled. Two House victories stood out: Teresa Benitez-Thompson claimed Nevada’s 2nd District, long held by Republicans, while Shomari Figures won Alabama’s 2nd District by more than seven points despite redistricting that favored Trump by 14 points.

Democrats face governing tests

Democrats campaigned on lowering costs and combating corruption, and party leaders now face pressure to deliver on those pledges. With major legislation unlikely to become law, they are preparing investigations in both chambers of Congress.

Party priorities include restoring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, reversing Medicaid cuts, seeking authority over tariffs and pressing to end the war with Iran. Most Senate bills still need 60 votes, and Trump has alternated between threatening vetoes and signaling openness to cooperation.

A Democratic Congress could also use its control over funding to place tighter limits on areas such as immigration enforcement and the conflict in Iran. Yet changing fuel prices may prove difficult because they depend on a complicated international oil market.

Trump responds to losses

After Republicans lost the House and Senate, Trump said he was not responsible for the results and noted that he had not been on the ballot. He had previously encouraged voters to imagine him as a candidate.

Voters connected his policies, including tariffs and the war in Iran, with inflation and higher gasoline prices. Trump acknowledged the war’s effect on pump prices but said he would make the same decision again.

A source familiar with Mike Johnson’s plans said the top House Republican intends to step down in the new Congress after his party’s defeat. The source was not authorized to discuss the plans publicly.