Democrats are poised to retake control of the Senate and House of Representatives after a string of victories, or upsets, across the country on Election Day in what political pundits are calling not just a "blue wave," but a "blue tsunami."
The term refers to a wave election in which a political party makes significant gains, whether that is Democrats, represented by blue or Republicans, represented by red. The 2026 midterm election on Nov. 3 saw major swings toward the Democratic party.
With Democrats snatching control of Congress, the legislative branch is poised to become a much bigger thorn in President Donald Trump's side. Here's what to know.
What is a blue wave?
A "blue wave" or "blue tsunami" refers to an election where the Democratic Party – represented by
the color blue – makes major gains across the country. Republicans faced losses in red states and districts that Trump had carried by double digits just two years ago.
The opposite, where the Republican party makes major gains, is similarly called a red wave.
According to USA Facts, the United States saw a big red wave in the 2010 midterms when Republicans gained 64 House seats and six Senate seats from the previous election. The site notes a large blue wave occurred in 2018 when Democrats won 41 additional House seats despite ceding one in the Senate.
What Democratic wins lead to a blue wave?
The Democratic Party swept races across Texas, Iowa, Ohio, South Carolina and Kansas, which hadn't elected a Democratic senator since 1932. Democrats are also projected to flip several Republican-held House seats from Indiana to Tennessee. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed beat his Republican opponent Mike Rogers to become the nation's first Muslim senator.
The blue wave has also included gubernatorial races, which saw Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms win in Georgia and Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeat Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas.
Two Senate races − in Alaska and Mississippi − remain undecided. GOP Sens. Daniel S. Sullivan and Cindy Hyde-Smith, respectively, were each ahead early Nov. 4, but the races were too close to call. The Justice Department has appealed a lawsuit to investigate the Alaska results if the incumbent, Sullivan, loses by a small enough margin that a challenger with the same name made the difference.
Trump responds to midterm losses
Even with Republicans in the majority, Congress has become increasingly willing to rebuke Trump over the past year.
Both chambers have voted to end the war in Iran and release the Epstein files. The House has repudiated Trump's tariffs on Canada while outgoing GOP senators pushed back on Trump's plans to build a White House ballroom and launch an "anti-weaponization" fund.
But Republican leadership had largely worked to advance Trump's agenda. With Democrats poised to take over, that's about to change.
Trump responded to the Democratic rout by stating in a social media post that Republicans would have won had he been on the ballot, even though the race was largely seen as a referendum on his second term.
The president told the New York Times that he is "absolutely willing to accept" the election results.
"We’ll work with the Democrats, and we’ll, you know, look forward to working with them. We’ll probably work something out," Trump said.
Trump also indicated that the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran likely played a role in his party's defeat in the midterms, Reuters reported.
"Iran was a piece of it," he told The Wall Street Journal, per Reuters.
And while his campaign promises "no new wars," Trump stood by his decision to attack Iran.
"I did the right thing," he said in his interview with the Wall Street Journal. "I would have done it again."
Contributing: Bart Jansen, Erin Mansfield and Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Was it a blue tsunami? Explaining Democrats' major midterms gains
