The midterm elections have delivered one of the sharpest Republican defeats in decades, handing Democrats robust majorities in both houses of Congress and leaving the party facing urgent questions about its future.
The result has drawn comparisons with the 1974 elections, when Watergate, inflation and unemployment dominated the campaign and Democrats won 291 seats in the House, taking 49 Republican-held constituencies, as well as four Senate seats.
Republican Governor Rick DeSantis of Florida described the latest result as “close to an extinction-level event for Republicans”, while Texas Senator Ted Cruz called it “a Watergate-level repudiation”. Democrats also secured stunning upsets in traditionally Republican states including Kansas, South Carolina and Texas.
Former Maryland governor Larry Hogan said his party had reached a crossroads. He argued that Republicans who had feared breaking with Donald Trump may now feel able to challenge him more openly.
“Oh, I think it changed on Tuesday,” Mr Hogan said, describing the midterms as “the most disastrous election for Republicans ever”. He added that those who had avoided confronting Mr Trump would discover, “Like the Cowardly Lion, they’ll find that they actually had courage all along.”
Mr Hogan said voters had rejected the status quo and that Democrats would now have to prove themselves after taking control of Congress, despite not holding the White House.
“They didn’t like the status quo, and they threw out all the Republicans,” he said. “The Democrats are now in charge. They don’t have the White House, but they do have both houses of Congress. And so, now they have to actually deliver on their promises.”
Asked whether the Republican Party needed more than “a little bit” of soul-searching, Mr Hogan replied: “A lot!”
Democrats vow to pursue Trump investigations
President Trump has promised to push back against the Democrats, and appointed the confrontational Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff. Meanwhile, Democrats led by New York’s Hakeem Jeffries, who is set to become the first Black Speaker of the House, are preparing a series of investigations.
Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin, who is expected to chair the powerful House Judiciary Committee, said Democrats would hold the president accountable through the rule of law while also tackling economic concerns.
“It’s not an either/or proposition,” Mr Raskin said, arguing that corruption, authoritarianism and affordability were connected. “So, are we going to go after the corruption? Yeah, you’re damn right. And are we going to go after affordability and making people’s lives easier? Yeah, you’re damn right. We’re going to do both of them.”
Mr Raskin said bipartisan co-operation could still be possible after the elections. He pointed to JD Vance’s comments on the Iran war and said Democrats should work with Republicans to “extricate ourselves from the mess they got us into”. He also said Republicans were “backpedaling” over tariffs.
But he cautioned that the Democratic victory was only a turning point, not the end of the political struggle.
“It was a huge victory, but I liken it to the Battle of Gettysburg, which was a turning point in the Civil War, but it wasn’t the end of it,” Mr Raskin said. “There were a lot more battles to come. And Donald Trump still has two years in office, at least on paper. This struggle is not over by a long shot. We’re still in the fight of our lives.”
