Democrats’ 2026 midterm rout was big — really big. Here are the numbers that prove it.
Democrats’ 2026 midterm rout was big — really big. Here are the numbers that prove it.
The last time either party won the House midterm vote by at least 13 points was right after Watergate.
Midterms tend to be backlash elections, and the president’s party almost always loses seats when voters return to the polls to judge his performance in office.
But not all midterms are created equal.
On Tuesday, Democrats comprehensively routed their Republican rivals, regaining control of the U.S. House, U.S. Senate and statehouses across the country. Along the way, they shattered a series of decades-long Republican winning streaks and notched several historic firsts.
So just how big was this year’s blue wave (or “blue tsunami“)?
The full scale and scope of the Democratic Party’s seismic victory is still coming into focus as officials tally every last vote. But here are some key numbers to help you put it into perspective:
Winning the House
26: the average number of House seats the president’s party has lost in midterm elections since World War II (pre-2026)
40+: the projected number of House seats that will flip to Democrats in 2026, once all the votes are counted
About 255: the projected size of the new Democratic House majority — the largest since 2008, and possibly since 1992
6.8 percentage points: the Republican popular vote margin in their 1994 and 2010 House midterm victories
13 points: the projected Democratic popular vote margin in their 2026 House midterm victory
1974: the last time either party won their House popular vote by that much in a midterm election
More than 100: the number of Democratic women who will serve simultaneously in the House — a historic first
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at an election night event on Nov. 4, 2026, in Detroit, as his wife Sarah Jukaku watches.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)Flipping the Senate
4: the average number of Senate seats the president’s party has lost in midterm elections since World War II (pre-2026)
9: the number of Republican Senate seats that have either flipped to Democrats in 2026 (Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas) or could flip once all the votes are counted (Alaska, Mississippi)
55-56: the projected size of the new Democratic Senate majority — the largest since the early 2010s
2014: the last time a party — the Republicans — flipped 9 Senate seats in a midterm election
1958: the last time a party flipped more than 9 Senate seats in a midterm election
12 points: Trump’s average margin of victory in 2024 in the nine states where Democrats flipped or could still flip a Republican Senate seat this year
1986: The last midterm in which more than two Senate seats flipped in states where the president won by double-digit margins two years earlier
At least 17: the number of senators from both parties who will be replaced in the chamber after the 2026 midterms — the largest turnover since 1980
70: the average age of this year’s departing senators
At least 15: the number of senators from both parties who will be under 50 when they’re sworn into office in January 2027 — up from eight previously
Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, right, embraces her daughter, Lincoln, at an election night event on Nov. 3, 2026, in Atlanta.
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)Closing the ‘governor gap’
7: the number of Republican governorships that have either flipped to Democrats in 2026 (Iowa, Ohio, Georgia, Nevada, Texas) or could flip once all the votes are counted (Alaska, Kansas)
As many as 31: the number of governorships that Democrats could control once all the votes are counted
2011: The last time Democrats controlled a majority of governorships
About 75%: the percentage of Americans who will live in states with Democratic governors after the 2026 midterms
How voters shifted
63%: the percentage of exit poll respondents who said they disapprove of how Trump is handling his job as president
54%: the percentage of exit poll respondents who said they “strongly” disapprove of how Trump is handling his job as president
37%: the percentage of exit poll respondents who said they approve of how Trump is handling his job as president — the lowest midterm approval of any president since at least 2006
91%: the percentage of exit poll respondents who said government corruption was a crucial or major factor in their vote for Congress
62%: the percentage of exit poll respondents who said Trump prioritizes his own personal interests over the country’s interests
89%: the percentage of exit poll respondents who said the cost of living was a crucial or major factor in their vote for Congress
66%: the percentage of exit poll respondents who said Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions in the U.S.
+15 percentage points: An early estimate of how much better Democrats performed nationwide in 2026 vs. 2024 (via the New York Times)
+20 points: An early estimate of how much better Democrats performed in the South in 2026 vs. 2024
+28 points: An early estimate of how much better Democrats performed with Latino voters in 2026
+32 points: An early estimate of much better Democrats performed with young voters (ages 18-29) in 2026 vs. 2024
Supporters of Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico attend at an election night event in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 3, 2026.
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)Turning Texas blue
2.6 percentage points: Democrat James Talarico’s final lead in the polls, on average
About 12 points: Talarico’s actual margin of victory over Republican Ken Paxton in the 2026 midterm election
1988: The last time Texas elected a Democratic senator
5.26 million: The number of votes Joe Biden received in Texas in the 2020 presidential election
5.45 million: The number of votes Talarico has received in Texas in the 2026 midterm election — the most ever for a Democrat
64%: The estimated percentage of Texas independent voters that Talarico won in the 2026 midterm election
70%: The estimated percentage of Texas Latino voters that Talarico won in the 2026 midterm election
73%: The estimated percentage of young voters (ages 18-29) that Talarico won in the 2026 midterm election
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