A blue tsunami sweeps the US and more news from the states

Good morning, readers! Tens of millions of Americans cast their ballots in what has become a historic midterm election, with Democrats regaining control of both the U.S. House and Senate. 

For the first time in 16 years, Democrats are also poised to capture the majority of governor’s offices after the GOP racked up major losses across the country, Stateline reports. We’re keeping an eye out for the results of Kansas’ and Alaska’s gubernatorial races, which have yet to be called by The Associated Press.

As results from across the country continue to roll in, visit News From The States for the latest election coverage. Catch developing news on the go by following us on Bluesky and Instagram. Thanks for stopping by.

Voters across the country administered a sharp reprimand to President Donald Trump and Republicans who hold majorities in Congress, with Democrats gaining comfortable majorities in the Senate and the House, States Newsroom’s D.C. Bureau reports. 

Several U.S. Senate and House races remained uncalled by The Associated Press as Election Day ended on the East Coast. But Democrats notched 53 Senate seats and 222 House seats, clearing the thresholds needed to win majorities in each chamber as the party swept virtually all of the races that were expected to be competitive. 

Those wins included Senate contests in states Trump won by double digits just two years ago, some of which had not elected Democrats in decades: Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.

By the early hours of Wednesday, Democrats had netted 25 new House seats, putting them on track to start the next Congress with a majority that will give House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, whom Democrats are expected to make speaker, some room to maneuver. 

National: Democrats are poised to control the majority of governor’s offices for the first time in 16 years. Democrats flipped governorships in Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Texas, and defended competitive races in Maine and Wisconsin, according to unofficial results from The Associated Press. 

Michigan: Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, declared victory over Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers. He will become the first Muslim U.S. senator when he takes office in January.

New Mexico: Deb Haaland, a former U.S. interior secretary who previously represented the state in Congress, made history as the first Native American woman in the nation to be elected governor.

Minnesota: Democrat Peggy Flanagan made history as the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate, a distinction she may share with Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola if she wins her race. 

Florida: Byron Donalds made history by defeating Democrat David Jolly to become the nation’s first Black Republican governor, as well as the first Black person ever elected statewide in Florida. 

Arizona: Democrats celebrated a forthcoming “trifecta,” as the party was poised to retain the governorship and take control of the Arizona Legislature for the first time in generations. Democrats also claimed trifectas in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, according to unofficial results, though many races remained uncalled. 

Redistricting: A Republican-drawn congressional map in Missouri designed to give the GOP another seat in the U.S. House was soundly rejected by state voters. In Maryland, voters approved a ballot measure that could allow Democratic lawmakers to draw congressional boundaries to favor the party. 

Amendment process: South Dakota voters rejected a ballot question that would have raised the threshold for voter approval of state constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60%. A similar measure was voted down in North Dakota. 

Reproductive rights: Idaho voters rejected a ballot initiative that sought to legalize abortion up to fetal viability or in emergencies. Voters in Missouri and Virginia elected to preserve reproductive rights protections.

School sports: Arizona voters chose to exclude transgender students from girls sports teams and the school bathrooms and locker rooms that reflect their gender identity. Voters in Nebraska and Washington appeared to back similar measures.

See the rest of the news of the day from all 50 states, plus our D.C. Bureau and Stateline, on News From The States.

Velma Farris, 102, votes at Shelby Community Center in Nashville, Tennessee, aided by her daughter, Vicky Greve. Farris’ first election was in 1944, when she voted for Franklin D. Roosevelt for president. (Photo by John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) 

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Mark Rodriguez, left, and Aramea Atencio, right, made a date out of voting together at Carlos Gilbert Elementary in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Election Day. (Photo by Matt Mondschein/Source New Mexico)

The couple said they were most excited to vote for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland and added that Trump administration immigration policy motivated them to vote. 

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Poll workers wait for voters at a polling place in a garage on Willett Road in Brentwood, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 3, 2026. (Photo by John Beale/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Incumbents held on to their seats in a dozen Pennsylvania congressional districts, leaving the state’s delegation favoring Democrats  by 11-6. 

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People stuck their “I voted” stickers to the memorial for Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Nov. 3, 2026. Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents in January during Trump's immigration crackdown on Minnesota. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

Amy Klobuchar became the first woman to be elected Minnesota’s governor.

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A woman sat down just inside the door Monday at the Shawnee County Election Office in Topeka, Kansas, in an area reserved for those needing assistance. She was determined to vote even though she was in labor, so a poll worker with emergency medical training brought her a ballot and stood by in case she needed help, Kansas Reflector reports.

In fact, the woman’s contractions were about five minutes apart as she filled in the ballot, said Jake Fisher, assistant election commissioner. She had already called a family member, and they were on the way to pick her up.

The woman said she had volunteered as an election worker in the office before and would have been working this election if it weren’t for her pregnancy, Fisher said. 

When the woman finished voting, she gave Fisher and another worker permission to take the ballot through the office and put it in the tabulator, he said. 

Fisher gave her an “I voted” sticker and a “Future Voter” sticker, which she placed on her shirt over her stomach. 

The incident brought Fisher and other poll workers a lot of joy, he said, adding, “She was spectacular. She was very adamant. She goes, ‘I came here to vote, and I am going to cast my ballot.’”