Democrats win control of House and Senate, and 2028 White House jockeying begins
Vice President JD Vance says Republicans lost because of the war with Iran, while Democratic governors and senators position themselves for 2028.
Democrats won control of both and the in the elections on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Newsweek reports that as of early Wednesday, Democrats had reached 218 House seats, the number that gives a majority. Their Senate total stood at 54, up seven, with several contests still undecided.
In Texas, James Talarico defeated Trump-backed Ken Paxton for the Senate, and Gina Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed won a Senate seat and will be the first Muslim senator. Jon Ossoff won reelection in Georgia, and Josh Shapiro and JB Pritzker won new terms as governors of Pennsylvania and Illinois.
Attention turned quickly to 2028. Vice President JD Vance wrote on X, “The reason we lost is the war,” in a post that did not defend Trump's war against Iran. Florida's outgoing Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, called the losses “close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country.”
Chair Ken Martin said, “Up next: the White House.” The Associated Press reports that Sen. Mark Kelly and Gov. Andy Beshear have already had preliminary talks with potential campaign staff, and the first primary votes come in little more than a year. Time reports that Democrats still lack a clear leader.
- 54 Senate seats held by Democrats by early Wednesday, with several races unresolved — Newsweek
- 218 House seats secured by Democrats, the number needed for a majority — Newsweek
- 59 percent of the vote against 41 percent Ossoff's margin over Mike Collins in Georgia, per AP results — Newsweek
- 12 points Talarico's winning margin in Texas, per Time — Time
- more than $20 million in Cory Booker's federal campaign account — The Seattle Times
Three sides of the story
Liberal4 outlets
A Democratic sweep and its rising stars
Time profiles the Democrats it calls rising stars, leading with Texas, where James Talarico beat Trump-backed Ken Paxton and Gina Hinojosa beat Gov. Greg Abbott. It quotes political scientist Seth Masket calling the result “a pretty stunning rebuke of Trump and the Republicans.” The New Republic, in a column, argues that the Senate wins of Abdul El-Sayed and Talarico end the 1990s centrist rules for winning in purple or red states, because both ran as economic populists.
An MS NOW opinion piece counts the “firsts” among winning women and minority candidates and says the results undercut doubts about who is electable. The Daily Beast turns to Republicans' outlook, relaying Nate Silver's warning that their headache will last for years and his line that “All of these problems are Trump’s fault.”
- Time: Meet the Democratic Rising Stars Who Could Shape 2028
- The New Republic: Say Goodnight, New Democrats. It’s the Era of the New New Democrats.
- The Daily Beast: Nate Silver Warns Republicans Could Face Years of Pain
- MS NOW: The midterms dealt a hammer blow to a key 2028 narrative (opinion)
Center5 outlets
the 2028 race starts as both parties reposition
The Seattle Times runs an AP report headlined “The 2028 election season begins as both parties navigate midterm fallout.” It centers on Vice President JD Vance, who wrote “The reason we lost is the war,” and on Democrats such as Shapiro, Wes Moore, Pritzker and Cory Booker positioning themselves. It also quotes DeSantis on the scale of losses.
Newsweek ranks the 2028 field, cites Northeastern's Costas Panagopoulos saying it would be “premature to conclude” a wipeout spells disaster for Republicans in 2028, and gives Ossoff's 59 to 41 percent win and Harris's 24.2 percent in the RealClearPolling average. The Hill's headline says the wins “ignite centrist-progressive fight over path to 2028,” and the Journal newsletter note pairs the shaken-up 2028 map with the Dow's best day in 18 months.
- The Seattle Times: The 2028 election season begins as both parties navigate midterm fallout
- Newsweek: Presidential Power Ranking for 2028: Frontrunners Assessed After Midterms
- The Wall Street Journal (news): Democrats’ midterm sweep has shaken up the 2028 presidential map, the Dow jumped to its best day in 18 months and Elon Musk’s political power was delivered a stunning blow. Read more in today’s What’s News newsletter:
- The Hill: Democratic wins ignite centrist-progressive fight over path to 2028
Conservative2 outlets
Republicans need an affordability answer before 2028
A Washington Examiner column by Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, calls Tuesday “a disastrous result” for Republicans and says the blame falls across the party and movement. It argues GOP candidates mostly failed to make a case on affordability, citing exit polling in which 89% called cost of living a crucial or major factor, and a Republican margin among men that shrank from 12 points to 1. Schilling urges a new economic message and says Democrats remain vulnerable on transgender policy and diversity programs.
He writes that 2028 will be “a critical test” for Republicans. The Washington Times leads with the Democratic side: the “blue-wave election” gave a “burgeoning crop” of 2028 hopefuls “plenty to brag about.”
- Washington Examiner: Republicans need an answer on affordability by 2028
- The Washington Times: Epic midterm win energizes expanding bench of 2028 Democratic hopefuls
Which side made the stronger case?
All sources: 14 articles from 11 outlets
Liberal (4)
- MS NOW: The midterms dealt a hammer blow to a key 2028 narrative (opinion)
- The Daily Beast: Nate Silver Warns Republicans Could Face Years of Pain
- The New Republic: Say Goodnight, New Democrats. It’s the Era of the New New Democrats.
- Time: Meet the Democratic Rising Stars Who Could Shape 2028
Center (8)
- NewsNation: Who are the potential candidates for the 2028 primaries?
- Newsweek: Presidential Power Ranking for 2028: Frontrunners Assessed After Midterms
- Newsweek: What the Midterm Election Results Mean for the Future of Democrats
- Newsweek: Exclusive: Andy Beshear on What Democratic Governor Wins Mean for 2028
- The Hill: Democratic wins ignite centrist-progressive fight over path to 2028
- The Hill: The 2028 presidential race starts now. These six Democrats just had a great night
- The Seattle Times: The 2028 election season begins as both parties navigate midterm fallout
- The Wall Street Journal (news): Democrats’ midterm sweep has shaken up the 2028 presidential map, the Dow jumped to its best day in 18 months and Elon Musk’s political power was delivered a stunning blow. Read more in today’s What’s News newsletter:
Conservative (2)
- The Washington Times: Epic midterm win energizes expanding bench of 2028 Democratic hopefuls
- Washington Examiner: Republicans need an answer on affordability by 2028
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