New Delhi. America's midterm elections have become a test of popularity for President Donald Trump. He continuously appealed to his supporters to vote as if Trump himself was in the election. American voters followed his appeal, but the results were completely opposite to the expectations of Trump and his Republican Party. In the election results declared on Tuesday, the Democratic Party registered a big victory in many important states. Republican candidates faced defeat in states like Georgia, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina and New Hampshire.
These results are being seen as public resentment against Trump's policies and his leadership. Even before the elections, inflation, war with Iran and Trump's falling popularity were creating problems for the Republican Party. About 75 percent of the voters are angry or dissatisfied with the current direction of the country. At the same time, about 60 percent people expressed disagreement with Trump's work. With this victory of the Democrats, their hopes of gaining majority in both the houses of the US Congress have also been strengthened.
The election results indicate that President Trump's electoral base is weakening. A large portion of the young and Hispanic voters who supported Trump in the 2024 presidential election were seen moving towards the Democrats this time. According to the report, about 70 percent of the voters under 30 years of age voted for the Democratic candidate in their area. In 2024, voters of the same age were almost equally divided between Trump and Kamala Harris.
Support for the Republican Party has also declined among Hispanic voters. Nearly 60 percent of Hispanic voters supported the Democratic candidate in their area. At the same time, about 70 percent of Hispanic voters believe that America's economic condition has worsened due to Trump's policies. About 60 percent of the voters held the Trump administration's policies responsible for inflation.
The poll also revealed that among those who kept Trump in mind while voting, the number of those who opposed his policies was almost double that of those who supported him. About 70 percent of voters want Congress to have more control over the powers of the President. About 60 percent people believe that Trump gives priority to his personal interests over the interests of the country.
Big win for Democrats from Georgia to Texas
The Democratic Party registered victory in many states where Trump had a big lead in the 2024 presidential elections. Democrats won Senate and gubernatorial elections in Georgia, Ohio and Texas. In Texas, Trump won by 14 percentage points in 2024 and in Ohio by 11 percentage points.
In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected the state's first black female governor. Meanwhile, Senator Jon Ossoff won re-election. Former Governor Roy Cooper won the Senate election in North Carolina. Chris Pappas won in New Hampshire. He will be the first openly gay member of the US Senate.
In Ohio, former senator Sherrod Brown snatched the Republican Party seat. At the same time, in the governor's election, Amy Acton defeated Trump's close aide Vivek Ramaswamy. In Texas, 37-year-old Democrat leader James Talarico was elected to the Senate. At the same time, Gina Hinojosa created history by becoming the first Latina governor of the state by defeating three-time governor Greg Abbott.
Even in Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Senator Roger Marshall. At the same time, in South Carolina, Trump's candidate Darlene Graham was defeated by Democrat Anne Andrews. This is considered a particularly big blow for Trump.
Democrats preparing to capture Congress
The Democratic Party is now hoping to gain majority in both houses of the US Congress. At present, the Republican Party has 53 seats and the Democrats have 47 seats in the Senate. To capture the Senate, Democrats will have to register victory in those states where Trump had won in 2024.
At the same time, the Republican Party already has a very slight majority in the House of Representatives. In the current House, Republicans have 220 seats and Democrats have 215 seats. Democrats are keeping their eye on more than 60 seats. There are many areas among these, where Trump had won by double digit margins in 2024.
This has happened only three times since the Second World War, when control of both the House and the Senate passed from one party to the other in the midterm elections. This happened in 1946, 1994 and 2006. The Democrats are once again close to doing this in 2026.
Trump's election strategy also seemed to backfire
Last year, Trump had started a campaign to change the electoral maps i.e. the boundaries of the constituencies of Congress seats in Texas. Its objective was to get more seats for the Republican Party. In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom also tried to change the boundaries of electoral districts in his state. After this, this happened in many Republican and Democratic states also.
On paper, this Trump-supported strategy was expected to give the Republican Party an advantage of nine additional seats. But now opposite results seem to be emerging. In Florida, Democratic candidates won three seats whose boundaries were changed by the Republican Party to favor their candidates. Among them, Jared Moskowitz won from the 25th district, Pia Dandiya won from the 22nd district and Kathy Castor won from the 14th district.
Democrats also have their own challenges
Despite the poor performance of Trump and the Republican Party, the Democratic Party also faces challenges. According to AP's voter poll, almost half of American voters have a negative opinion about the Democratic Party. At the same time, the number of people who have negative opinion about the Republican Party is about 60 percent.
There is also a tussle going on between the liberal and progressive factions within the party regarding its political direction. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Maryland Governor Wes Moore have strengthened the liberal faction by winning re-election. Both are being counted among the possible contenders for the 2028 presidential elections.
Now these results may also impact the 2028 presidential elections. For Trump, this is a sign that public resentment is increasing regarding his policies, inflation and leadership. At the same time, the challenge for the Democrats will be to maintain this lead and improve the image of their party.