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The Democrats seized control of the US Congress in the midterm elections, in a severe defeat for the Republicans that would place various obstacles before Donald Trump in the last two years of his presidential term.
By winning the majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Democrats have the upper hand in disrupting Trump’s legislative agenda and rejecting his appointments to the government or the judiciary.
The results reflect overwhelming popular anger at the cost of living, customs duties, and the war on Iran, which caused the prices of oil derivatives to soar, causing the president’s approval ratings to fall to their lowest levels.
"I feel like I'm going to cry right now. This is amazing. We can take back our country," said Kathy Jackaway, who was celebrating in Texas the victory of Democrat James Tallarico as a senator.
After the results began to emerge, Trump adopted a conciliatory tone. He told the New York Times, "I am fully prepared to accept those results. We will work with the Democrats, and we look forward, you know, to cooperating with them. We will likely reach understandings."
He told Fox News that the Democrats did "good."
He pointed out that the result was "partly" caused by the war with Iran.
In his first comment on the US elections, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, said, “Those who still have the slightest hope that the behavior of the dominant regime will change through partisan or factional shifts, or who imagine that making concessions to the United States could dissuade it from its hostility to the Iranian people, are committing a grave mistake.”
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The Speaker of the Iranian Shura Council, Muhammad Baqer Qalibaf, said that the Americans’ vote was “no to war.”
“The Iran war is the reason”
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US Vice President J.D. Vance said on Wednesday that “the war (in Iran) was the reason” for the harsh electoral loss suffered by the right and President Donald Trump the previous day.
Vance, who raises the possibility of running for the White House in 2028, wrote in a very long post on the X platform, “War is the reason for our defeat. The president himself said that last night.”
“Anyone who wants to argue that it was worth it and that losing the Senate for the next six years was a price to pay, do so,” Vance said. “Say it was worth it, and whether we agree with that or not, at least it shows honesty.”
He continued, "Everyone knows why we lost, and any frank discussion about the path we should take from now on must start from here."
The Democratic "blue wave" in the elections raised concerns about the chances of the potential Republican candidate in the upcoming presidential elections, and Vance has not yet officially announced his candidacy.
Reports said that the vice president, known for his opposition to US foreign interventions, was behind the scenes expressing doubts about the war that the United States and Israel started with strikes on Iran in February.
Vance acknowledged that some voters who supported him during his candidacy for Trump's running mate two years ago changed their minds because of the war in the Middle East and its repercussions on the American economy.
"The main problem is that many of those who voted for Trump and Vance in 2024 cast their votes to the Democrats in 2026," he said.
He also stressed that a reliable opinion poll showed that the war on Iran and the economic situation were major factors in voters abandoning the Republicans, as well as their desire to see “a change in our relationship with Israel.”
In the home of the Republicans
Democrats won seats in Republican homelands, such as South Carolina, North Carolina, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, and Maine.
In one of the biggest surprises on Election Day, Democratic pediatrician Annie Andrews defeated her Republican rival, Darlene Graham, who is supported by Trump in the state of South Carolina.
Darlene was appointed to succeed her brother, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, after his death in July. Democrats have not won any Senate elections in this conservative state since 1998.
Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper took Michael Whatley's seat, which Trump personally chose.
Adam Hamilton's victory over current Republican Senator Roger Marshall in Kansas was one of the biggest surprises, becoming the first Democrat to win this seat since 1932.
Democrat James Tallarico won the US Senate race in Texas.
Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Jon Husted in a tight race for a Senate seat in Ohio.
In Maine, Troy Jackson defeated veteran Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
In Georgia, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won to become the first black woman elected governor in US history, ending 24 years of Republican control of the office.
Also, Democrats were able to retain crucial seats in the Senate, such as Georgia, where Jon Ossoff won a new term, and New Hampshire, where Chris Pappas became the first openly gay man to be elected to the Senate.
Abdul Sayed, who is of Arab origin, defeated former Republican Representative Mike Rogers in the state of Michigan, becoming the first Muslim to be elected to the upper chamber of Congress.
“We did it!” Al-Sayed said in a speech at his campaign headquarters in Detroit.
The victory occurred despite the sudden faltering in his election campaign after Democratic Representative Haley Stevens announced her support for the Republican candidate.
The Democratic Party made gains in the states of Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Arizona, Wisconsin, and New Jersey. They grabbed seats in districts that Trump had won easily in 2024.
"It is a harsh blow and a clear rejection of Donald Trump and his policies," George Washington University professor Todd Pelt told AFP.
What happens after defeat?
Democratic control of Congress will allow the Democratic Party to pursue investigations into the Iran war and enforce measures against immigration and reports of corruption in the Trump administration.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to assume the presidency of the House in the new Congress, said to his supporters, "We will hold accountable those who dragged this country to unprecedented levels of corruption."
He added, "When officials in high positions are busy enriching themselves, their family members, friends, or their financiers, they do not pay attention to improving the lives of the American people."
If elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives, Jeffries will be the first black to hold this position in the United States.
Despite his conciliatory tone, Donald Trump reiterated in a post on social media that he will use his veto power over bills that Democrats want to pass, by publishing a picture of a baseball hat with only “Veto” written on it.
In turn, the Kremlin expressed its hope that Trump would continue mediation efforts to reach a solution to the conflict in Ukraine, while China said it would continue to work with the United States.
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