Daniel Wolfram
Election Day saw the American political landscape change drastically.
There is only one word to describe what transpired last night during Election Night in America: WOW.
The blue wave did not happen — instead, it became a blue tsunami.
As it stands right now, the Democrats have 241 seats to the GOP’s 147 seats in the House and 54 seats to 44 in the Senate. That means that the Democrats have a commanding majority in both houses. Here is how it happened:
Amy Acton rises up against a nasty ad and becomes governor
Dr. Amy Acton found herself in one of the most contentious battles ever in modern American politics.
She managed to beat Vivek Ramaswamy after he attacked her with a nasty ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother, who stood by her husband after he sexually assaulted Acton.
Ramaswamy, 41, lost despite an endorsement from Trump and having top strategists from his and Vice President JD Vance’s political teams advising him and an aligned super PAC.
“Tonight, Ohio has chosen unity and decency over division and hate,” Acton said in a statement after her victory was announced.
“Ohio is ready for a governor who will fight to lower costs, take on corruption, and build a state where everyone gets a fair shot. Regardless of who you voted for, I will be a governor for all Ohioans. This isn’t about party; it’s about building a better future for our state.”
In the end, that ad ultimately doomed Ramaswamy’s campaign and his political future.
James Talarico: The new Texan prince of the Democratic Party
Not since 1993 has Texas voted to elect a Democratic senator. That changed last night when James Talarico became the latest Democratic senator after he beat the Trump-backed Ken Paxton.
James Talarico’s projected victory in the Texas Senate race comes as he achieved two Democratic goals there: winning big in the suburbs and among the Hispanic population.
Political expert Steve Kornacki argues that Talarico’s victory shows that the Democratic Party’s broader strategy worked in the election cycle.
“So Democrats have combined the two things that for over a decade they’ve said they’d ultimately bring together to win Texas, which is growth and new support in the suburbs outside Houston and Dallas, alongside overwhelming Hispanic support in South Texas,” Kornacki wrote on the NBC News liveblog.
Gina Hinojosa becomes a rare Democratic governor
Nothing paints the picture of the blue tsunami better than Texas and how many Democrats won in that state.
Democratic State Representative Gina Hinojosa defeated Texas Governor Greg Abbott, taking control of the red-state governorship from Republicans for the first time since 1995.
Hinojosa’s projected victory comes after Abbott’s campaign outspent her by tens of millions of dollars. However, Abbott’s scandals and loyalty to Trump and the MAGA base ultimately doomed his candidacy.
Adam Hamilton: The megachurch pastor turned once-in-a-lifetime senator
Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932 — that was 94 years ago! But even the blue tsunami washed up a highly unlikely Democratic win in the Sunflower State.
And religion was also the core message from Hamilton after his victory.
“Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you,” he said, citing Matthew 7:12 in the Bible, which is more commonly known as “the Golden Rule.” “What does it look like in Washington if they actually did that? How would our policies and our politics change if we treated people this way?” Hamilton said, according to The Guardian.
Adam Hamilton is a self-proclaimed “independent-minded Democrat” who wants to help bipartisan issues get resolved.
Troy Jackson: The former wood logger unseats a career Republican
Republican Susan Collins has been a senator in Maine for 30 years. That ended last night when the blue tsunami also hit the shore of Maine along with its world-famous lobsters.
Troy Jackson’s victory is highly impressive considering he just started campaigning fewer than 100 days ago after stepping in for the original Democratic candidate, Graham Platner, following multiple scandals.
On the other side, it did not help Susan Collins that she was so entrenched in the repeal of Roe v. Wade after she confirmed Judge Brett Kavanaugh, having misled the public by stating that Kavanaugh did not pose a threat to Roe v. Wade’s protections for women and families.
Abdul El-Sayed: The Muslim doctor turns the other cheek and wins in Michigan
President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and even El-Sayed’s opponent, Mike Rogers, have spent the last three months calling Dr. Abdul El-Sayed every derogatory name in the book.
He has been labeled an anti-Semite, a jihadist, and a terrorist sympathizer. Nonetheless, El-Sayed managed to ride the wave of the blue tsunami and win against Mike Rogers, who was a favorite of Trump.
El-Sayed also had some choice words to say to the president in his victory speech.
“Donald, look, I, I know you, you struggle with my name, so after JD swears me in in January, you can just go on and call me Senator.”
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Sherrod Brown: The anonymous Democrat sneaks by Trump’s crush
A weird thing happened over the last two weeks during Trump’s midterm campaign rallies: he would not stop complimenting Republican Senate candidate Jon Husted’s great physique.
Trump was especially infatuated with his “behind”. In the end, it did not matter as Democrat Sherrod Brown ran a quiet but effective campaign.
“You sent an undeniable message tonight: Ohio is not for sale. Ohio is not giving up on the dream of this country that we’re a place where anyone who works hard can get ahead,” Brown said in his victory speech. “We’ve not had an economy and we’ve not had a government that works for you, that fights for you, until now,” he added, according to Newsweek.
