Photo credit, Reuters
The Democratic Party had a night marked by victories in the 2026 midterm elections.
In addition to regaining control of both houses of Congress, the party managed to win in key runoffs for state-level positions, such as governors and mayors, in states that had voted Republican for decades.
American analysts agree that this election reflects the population's rejection of certain policies of Donald Trump's government and the Republican Party's apparent disinterest in the exercise of political power.
In particular, fuel prices, driven up by the war in Iran, exasperated voters, who in many regions decided to massively support Democratic candidates in an effort to turn around the economic situation.
This gave rise to historic changes: the election of a Democratic senator in the “red” state of Kansas for the first time since 1932, the election of the first black woman as governor of Georgia, and that of the first governor of Latin American origin in the state of Texas.
On BBC Mundo, we offer you a recap of the most notable Democratic victories of the evening.
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James Talarico - Senate, Texas
One of the major issues was a Senate seat for Texas, ultimately won by 37-year-old Democrat James Talarico.
With this victory, Talarico became the first Democrat to win a seat in the upper house since 1988.
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In the Democratic primaries, this state legislator defeated a well-known opponent: Dallas Representative Jasmine Crockett.
After securing the nomination, he maintained his lead in the polls, despite a virulent onslaught of negative advertising — financed largely by the world's richest man, Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX is based in Texas.
The grandson of a preacher, Talarico received seminary training; he used his knowledge of the Bible in his speeches, multiplying references to the confrontation between David and Goliath.
“We are facing our own Goliaths,” he said at a campaign event in Lubbock.
“Whether it's the billionaires donating huge sums, the corporate interests, or the entire Washington D.C. establishment: their power is real, but so is ours. »
In the past, the strength of Texas Democrats had been overestimated.
In 2018, Rep. Beto O'Rourke recorded historic fundraising numbers and generated considerable national attention; he finally lost to Texas Senator Ted Cruz, by a margin of just over 2%.
Jon Ossoff – Senate, Georgia
Photo credit, Getty Images
Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff secured his re-election by defeating Republican candidate Mike Collins in Georgia, consolidating Democratic control in the key state.
Ossoff, a rising figure in the Democratic Party, portrayed his opponent as loyal to a "failed president" and made the rising cost of living a central campaign theme.
Georgia voted for Donald Trump in 2024.
During the campaign, Republican Mike Collins blamed the rising cost of living on former President Joe Biden and defended his support for Trump's war in Iran.
Faced with polls indicating that Ossoff maintained a solid lead in the race, Republicans shifted their resources from Georgia to other contests.
Brian Kemp, the Republican governor of Georgia — who could not run for another term — was the favored candidate to face Ossoff in the Senate, but he declined the offer.
Political analysts suspect that Kemp avoided running, fearing Ossoff's growing popularity; some even suggest that Ossoff could consider a run for president in 2028.
Throughout the campaign, Ossoff downplayed these rumors, repeatedly saying he had "no interest" in running for president.
His campaign message focused on the economy and voters' concerns about the cost of living — an issue that exit polls showed was the top concern for many.
Keisha Lance Bottom - Gobernadora, Georgia
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won a historic victory in the Georgia state gubernatorial race and became the first Black woman to be elected state governor in the nation's history.
Additionally, Lance Bottoms won back for the Democratic Party a governorship that Republicans had controlled since 2003.
His opponent was health care businessman Rick Jackson, who had the support of President Trump.
Lance Bottoms' message during the campaign focused on the economic issue, highlighting high prices in the midst of the conflict with Iran.
He also linked his opponent to data center construction and linked him to the Trump administration.
Regardless, Lance Bottoms' term in office is not expected to be easy, given that both chambers of the state's Congress remain largely under Republican control.
During the latter part of the campaign, she benefited from the support of major party figures such as former President Barack Obama, who traveled to the state to accompany her during a campaign stop.
Gina Hinojosa – Governor, Texas
Gina Hinojosa not only became the first Latino governor of the state of Texas, but she did so by defeating the Republican governor in office for more than 10 years, Greg Abbott.
It thus allows the Democrats to take back the post of governor, for the first time since 1994.
The daughter of a Mexican immigrant, Hinojosa grew up on the border between the two countries, in Brownsville. During the campaign, she said she only felt the call of politics in 2012, when the closure of her son's primary school was announced.
It was then that she ran for the school board, where she was later elected president.
In 2016, she was elected to the State House of Representatives; when announcing her candidacy for governor, she was seen as a "minor candidate."
Hinojosa focused his agenda on promising to lower prices and criticizing the Trump administration's migration strategy.
Hinojosa's campaign gained momentum in conjunction with that of James Talarico, now a senator.
At the end of this historic day, both established themselves as the most emblematic figures of the Democratic wave, not only in Texas, but throughout the country.
Adam Hamilton – Senate, Kansas
Since 1932, the state of Kansas had not elected a Democratic Party senator; a territory where President Trump won with a 14-point lead in 2024.
Now Adam Hamilton, pastor of one of the nation's largest religious congregations, becomes Kansas' first Democratic senator in 94 years.
He defeated Sen. Roger Marshall — who had aligned himself closely with Trump — by claiming to be the only candidate capable of overcoming political division.
Hamilton sharply criticized his opponent over rising prices, exacerbated by the trade war (tariff war) initiated by Trump, as well as the increase in fuel costs caused by the conflict involving Iran.
Abdul El-Sayed – Senate, Michigan
Photo credit, Salwan Georges/Getty Images
Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim person elected to the United States Senate, winning Michigan in one of the tightest races. His victory ensures that the seat remains in Democratic hands.
El-Sayed defeated his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, who had an unexpected last-minute endorsement from the Democratic rival El-Sayed faced in the primary.
This election was one of the most bitter of the midterms. Donald Trump referred to the September 11 attacks and even called El-Sayed a “jihadist” without providing any evidence, which sparked a strong reaction against him and accusations of Islamophobia.
El-Sayed's supporters erupted in joy when he took the stage to celebrate his victory, reports Nada Tawfik of the BBC.
Aged 41 and the son of Egyptian immigrants, El-Sayed embodies what many consider the most left wing of the party; he notably supported causes such as the establishment of a public health system and the abolition of the federal agency responsible for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
He has also advocated for an end to unconditional US military aid to Israel and enjoys the support of recognized figures of “democratic socialism”, such as Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
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