The Blue Tsunami Reshapes Washington in a Night of Historic Firsts

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Americans made history last night, and the results could reshape the final two years of the Donald Trump Presidency. 

Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress. As of Wednesday morning, they had won at least 231 House seats to Republicans’ 141, with races in some states yet to be called. 

In the Senate, seven Republican-held seats flipped to Democrats, including Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, Texas, Maine, North Caroline and South Carolina. 

In the House, Democrats flipped more than two dozen districts, including seats in Iowa, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas. 

The switch from red to blue gives Democrats a powerful check on the president. They can block parts of Trump’s agenda, reject his nominees, and launch investigations into his administration. Trump will still have the power to veto legislation; however, the change will ultimately create political gridlock. 

Democrats also flipped several Republican-held governorships, including Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Texas. In Georgia, Democrats swept the statewide races, taking control of the governor’s office and several other top state positions. 

Democrats also gained control of five state legislative chambers around the country. 

On Wednesday morning, international headlines are calling the results a “blue tsunami,” with several world leaders touting a new era in global political relations. 

Trump told The New York Times he is willing to accept the results of the midterm elections. Separately, the president also claimed Republicans would have won “in a landslide” if he had been on the ticket. 

In Georgia, voters elected Keisha Lance Bottoms, who will become the nation’s first Black woman governor. New Mexico elected Deb Haaland as the first Native American woman to serve as governor. 

Republican Byron Donalds was elected as Florida’s first Black governor. Chris Pappas won a U.S. Senate seat in New Hampshire, becoming the first openly gay man elected to the Senate. 

Minnesota’s Peggy Planagan will serve as the first Native American woman elected to the chamber, and Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed will become the first Muslim U.S. senator. 

In California, Xavier Becerra will become the first Latino elected governor since 1875. 

And in the House, Hakeem Jeffries is slated to become the first Black Speaker. 

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