The firsts of the US Midterm elections
Environment — di Lorenzo de Juliis
The November 3rd midterm elections reshaped Congress entirely — and gave a voice to historically underrepresented communities.
The firsts of the US Midterm elections
The November 3rd midterm elections reshaped Congress entirely — and gave a voice to historically underrepresented communities.
Following Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election, Democrats controlled neither the House nor the Senate. At the midterm elections, however, the blue wave completely transformed the balance of power. All 435 seats in the House were up for renewal, along with roughly one third of the Senate (35 out of 100 seats, to be precise). And in both the House and the Senate, Democrats comfortably exceeded the number of seats needed for a majority. In particular, the Democratic victory in Texas after thirty-two years of Republican dominance and the one in Kansas after ninety-four years represent a major signal ahead of the 2028 elections.
The election of firsts
The results of the American Midterm elections brought historically underrepresented figures into office. Abdul El-Sayed won in Michigan, becoming the first Muslim senator in United States history. Chris Pappas is set to be the first openly gay senator in American history following his victory in New Hampshire, while Peggy Flanagan becomes the first Native American woman senator in the country's history. Aber Kawas, meanwhile, is the first Palestinian woman to take a seat in the New York State Senate. On the gubernatorial front, the firsts multiply. Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first African American woman elected governor in United States history, returning Georgia's leadership to the Democrats for the first time since 1998. Deb Haaland, the winner in New Mexico, is the first Indigenous woman elected governor of an American state, while Gina Hinojosa will be the first woman to lead Texas since 1995 and the state's first Latina governor. Finally, a sweet generational milestone: in Colorado, Melat Kiros was elected — the first Gen Z woman in Congress, at just twenty-nine years old.
What happens now?
The winners of these elections will sit in the 120th United States Congress, which will take shape in January 2027. It is clear that with control of both the House and the Senate, Democrats gain concrete tools to limit Donald Trump's power. Specifically, among the instruments available to representatives will be oversight of congressional committees, which will give Democrats new subpoena powers and dedicated staff to conduct investigations. Companies could be compelled to hand over documents and chief executives summoned to testify before Congress.
Limitations remain, however. To permanently change federal law, legislation must pass through both chambers. Democrats will be able to block new Republican proposals, decide which measures to debate and bring their own agenda to a vote. But Trump will be able to block Democratic legislation with his veto. Overriding it requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers — a threshold that would oblige the opposition to secure substantial Republican support.