Former President Barack Obama said Americans sent a "clear message" in the midterm elections after Democrats swept major races across the country and won control of Congress.
"Tonight, the American people sent a clear message — they want a politics that brings people together rather than divides them, and leaders who offer concrete solutions to the challenges they face," he said in a social media statement
.Democrats prevailed in a landslide, flipping dozens of seats in a sharp repudiation of President Donald Trump and the GOP.
The candidates Obama backed ahead of midterms – including Abdul El-Sayed, Amy Acton and Keisha Lance Bottoms – prevailed over their Republican opponents in their respective Senate and gubernatorial campaigns.
Obama's return
to the campaign trail in recent weeks made headlines as he blasted Trump's first two years in office. He even likened the White House decor to that of a Cheesecake Factory and made a rare mention of his tan suit controversy.
Obama on midterm election results: 'Our job now is to roll up our sleeves'
Obama credited winning candidates in areas once considered long shots.
"They came from different backgrounds and represented a range of political perspectives, but were united by shared values, a belief in public service, and a commitment to putting the people of their districts and states first," Obama said.
In Texas, James Talarico will be the first Democratic Texas senator in more than three decades, while Troy Jackson defeated five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine.
But Democrats have to continue riding the blue wave into the next two years, Obama added.
"While this administration has another two years in office, our job now is to roll up our sleeves, make changes wherever we have the power to do so, prevent further damage, and lay the groundwork for the future," he said.
Obama's headline-making moments on midterms campaign trail
As candidates rallied voters in the final few weeks before midterm elections, Obama joined several on the campaign trail, even at times drawing ire from Trump.
During an Oct. 24 rally in Michigan to back El-Sayed, the former president said Trump's renovation projects – like the controversial White House ballroom and the paved over Rose Garden – make the White House look "like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory."
Republicans seized on the comment as a sign of elitism, while Trump called Obama "a lousy president." Obama later responded that the restaurant chain was "my jam for about a decade."
The former president also evoked a notorious fashion scandal from his White House stint. While campaigning at an Oct. 28 rally in Georgia for Jon Ossoff and Lance Bottoms, Obama revisited his controversial tan suit.
"I'm old enough to remember when a president wearing a tan suit was a major national controversy," he told the crowd. "They were very upset. And I know I looked good in the suit."
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on Instagram @bymelinakhan and TikTok @melina.khan2.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Obama reacts to Democrats' landslide in midterm elections
