Election 2026: A Political Shakeup Across America

Mimi Brown (0:31)

House of Representatives. It's Thursday, November 5th.

From the Black Effect Podcast Network, I'm Mimi Brown, and here are the day's biggest stories. Stay with me.

It's been two days since Americans went to the polls, and the political landscape in Washington has changed dramatically. Democrats have won back control of both the US. House and Senate, delivering one of the biggest midterm defeats for Republicans in modern American history. And what's important here is that Democrats just didn't win in states where they normally do well. They won in places that have supported President Trump, including Texas, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and South Carolina. Before Election Day, Republicans controlled the Senate with 53 seats. Democrats needed to pick up at least four seats to take control.

They've done that and more.

By Wednesday, Democrats had secured 54 Senate seats, and that number could grow because two races are still too close to call. And in the House, Democrats have also won enough seats to take back the majority. So what does all of this mean for President Trump? Well, the first two years of his second term, Republicans controlled Congress. That made it easier for him to move his agenda forward. But starting in January, Democrats will control both chambers. That means they can block Republican legislation, launch investigations into the Trump administration, hold hearings and have a much bigger say in how the federal government spends your tax dollars. But Trump is still president and he still has the power to veto legislation. So Democrats may control Congress, but that doesn't mean they'll be able to pass everything they want. And that sets up a major political showdown for the final two years of Trump's presidency.

Now, let's talk about some of the biggest individual victories. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in a closely watched Senate race. El-Sayed is now set to become the first Muslim senator in American history. And remember, this was a race where President Trump repeatedly attacked him over his religion and suggested that he had tied to extremist groups, allegations El-Sayed denied. Despite those attacks, El-Sayed won. And in Texas, Democrats pulled off something we haven't seen in decades. James Tlerico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democrat elected to the US. Senate from Texas since 1988 That's nearly 40 years. And the changes didn't stop there. Democrat Gina Hina Sosa defeated Republican Governor Greg Abbott, and Democrats also won control of the Texas House of Representatives. To put that in perspective, Texas has been one of the most important Republican strongholds in the country. So these results are forcing both parties to rethink what the political map could look like going forward. And this election also brought some major firsts for Black political leadership. In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor in American history.

Think about that. In nearly 250 years in American history, voters have never elected a Black woman to lead a state until now.

And in Florida, Republican Byron Donalds became the state's first Black governor-elect. Now, these two candidates from different political parties, but both victories represent historic milestones. And another major first could be coming in Washington. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has officially announced that he's running to become the next speaker of the House, with Democrats taking control in January. Jeffries is in the position to become the first Black speaker in American history. And that's significant because the speaker doesn't just lead the House. That person helps decide which legislations move forward and plays a major role in negotiations with the president. Jeffries says his priorities will be affordability, accountability and American values. But he still has to win the vote for the speaker when the new Congress convenes.

Now, President Trump is responding to the Republican losses. On election night, Trump posted on Truth Social that he wasn't on the ballot and claimed that if he had been, Republicans would have won in a landslide. But inside his own administration, there's disagreements about what cost the losses. Vice President JD Vance pointed directly to the war in Iran. Vance said, quote, the reason we lost is the war. And when Trump was asked about those comments Wednesday, he said he largely agreed. But the president also defended the war, saying he believed it was necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Democrats say voters were sending a message about the cost of living. Families are still struggling with expensive groceries, housing, healthcare and gas. And Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer says his party heard those concerns. He told Americans, quote, relief is on the way.

But here's what voters will be watching. Democrats now have the power to challenge Trump's agenda. But Americans still want to know whether anything will actually change when it comes to their everyday expenses.