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In the end, it was more than just a blue wave. It was a blue tsunami that swept across red states, wreaking political destruction in its path. Democrat-favored states are called blue states. Those favored by Republicans are red states.
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Numerous opinion polls leading up to the November 3 Congressional midterm elections showed Democrats would almost certainly oust Republicans to win the House of Representatives. The polls showed Democrats had a chance to win the Senate as well.
No polls predicted a blue tsunami. But that's what happened on election day. Democrats stunned President Donald Trump’s Republican Party by winning in a landslide to take control of both Houses of Congress. It was a humiliating slap in the face for Trump.
It is extremely rare for a political party to win both Houses of Congress in midterm elections. The historic victory by Democrats showed Americans have become appalled with Trump. Voters also showed their contempt for Republicans who never dared challenge Trump’s unpopular policies or use their control of Congress to rein in his excesses.
Democrats flipped Republican-held seats in even deep red states. They turned deep red Texas blue by ousting the longtime Republican governor and defeating a Republican Senate candidate.
Trump, as president, is excluded from Congressional elections. But Democrat candidates tied his unpopular policies to their Republican opponents. Trump’s Iran war, trade tariffs, and healthcare cuts sharply raised the cost of living for many Americans.
Wealthy donors, Republican lobby groups, and tech tycoons led by Elon Musk pumped billions to help Republican candidates. But angry voters showed they won’t allow billionaires to buy elections.
It will be a day of reckoning for Trump, his family, and inner circle when Democrats formally take control of Congress in early January. They have made clear they will hold multiple Congressional hearings into alleged corruption by the president and his family. They will also grill his top aides.
Trump had used many maneuvers to prevent a Democratic midterm victory, but courts dismissed them as illegal. Democrats had feared he would interfere with the elections or claim fraud like he did when he lost to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump told several media outlets he will accept the election outcome and work with Democrats in his two remaining years as president. He is now a lame duck president but warned he will veto laws the Democrats pass that he doesn’t like.
Michael Chugani is a longtime journalist who has worked in Hong Kong, the US, and London
