MEMORANDUM
TO: Interested Parties
FROM: DNC Chair Ken Martin
DATE: November 6, 2026
RE: Democrats Make Deep Gains Across Federal, State, and Local Offices in Historic Midterm Victory
The 2026 midterm election was a historic victory for Democrats nationwide and also serves as an affirmation that re-investing in a 50-state political infrastructure and organizing strategy — evolving from the model pioneered by Howard Dean — has created a “everything is in play” map for Democrats. Taken together, phenomenal Democratic candidates and this organizing philosophy were able to unlock a generational victory for Democrats.
This election was a clear mandate from the American people for Democrats to focus on lowering costs, cleaning up corruption, and making it easier for working families – not just the wealthy and well-connected – to get ahead. Democrats are leading the vote in the House of Representatives by more than 15 million votes, the widest margin in history.
Democrats won up and down the ballot, from retaking the House and Senate majorities to flipping governorships and winning state trifectas, from flipping state legislatures and breaking Republican super majorities to winning school boards and judgeships. The American people voted for a new way forward.
Democratic governors will represent the majority of states for the first time in almost two decades – since 2010 – after flipping seats in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas. State Democrats flipped more than 500 seats and have now secured 51 majorities, putting Democrats in control of the majority of state legislative chambers across the country. Democratic trifectas now outnumber Republicans’ and will make policy decisions to improve the lives of more than 180 million Americans.
No matter where you look in the map, Democrats won:
In the South:
- In Alabama and Florida, Democrats defeated the Republican attempt to gerrymander six U.S. House districts.
- In Arkansas, Democrats broke Republican’s state House supermajority, picking up at least 11 state legislative seats.
- In Georgia, Democrats won every statewide office on the ballot, including for U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state while also winning the state House of Representatives.
- In North Carolina, Democrats flipped the U.S. Senate seat by nearly 20 points, won nine out of 14 House districts and could still win one more, and retook the state House of Representatives for the first time since 2010.
- In South Carolina, Democrats won a U.S. Senate seat for the first time in more than two decades, while also flipping 10 seats in the state House of Representatives to break the Republican supermajority.
- In Mississippi, Democrats are poised to flip a U.S. Senate seat for the first time since 1982.
- In Texas, Democrats won every statewide office on the ballot, including: U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, railroad commissioner, five appellate court judges, and four State Supreme court judges, while winning the state House of Representatives, and defeating the Republicans’ attempt to gerrymander House districts.
- In Virginia, Democrats flipped two U.S. House seats, and passed constitutional amendments to protect abortion rights, enshrine marriage equality, and restore voting rights.
In the Northeast:
- In Maine, Democrats flipped a U.S. Senate seat and retained a Democratic trifecta.
- In New Hampshire, Democrats flipped the state House and Senate to break a Republican trifecta while retaining a U.S. Senate seat.
- In Pennsylvania, Democrats flipped four U.S. House districts, retained the governorship and expanded the state House majority, while flipping the state Senate to gain a Democratic trifecta.
- In New Jersey, Democrats flipped two U.S. House seats.
In the Midwest:
- In Kansas, Democrats flipped a U.S. Senate seat for the first time in almost a century, flipped the attorney general seat for the first time in over a decade, and are poised to keep the governorship.
- In Iowa, Democrats flipped a U.S. Senate seat, three U.S. House seats, the governorship, and the attorney general seat.
- In Michigan, Democrats won a U.S. Senate seat, flipped the state House of Representatives, and retained the state Senate and governor to gain a Democratic trifecta, and swept the races for the Michigan State Board of Education and the open seats to the three largest universities’ boards.
- In Minnesota, Democrats won a U.S. Senate seat, flipped the state House of Representatives while maintaining the governor and the state Senate to gain a Democratic trifecta.
- In Missouri, Democrats flipped a U.S. House seat that has not been represented by a Democrat in three decades and ended Republican supermajorities in both the state House and state Senate by flipping a state Senate seat in Springfield held by Republicans for more than 80 years.
- In Ohio, Democrats flipped a U.S. Senate seat and three U.S. House seats, flipped the governorship and attorney general seat for the first time in over a decade, and won two Supreme Court seats.
- In Wisconsin, Democrats flipped two U.S. House seats, retained the attorney general seat and the governorship, while flipping the state Assembly and state Senate to gain a Democratic trifecta.
In the West:
- In Alaska, Democrats are poised to flip a U.S. Senate seat and win the governorship.
- In Arizona, Democrats won every statewide office on the ballot, have flipped two U.S. House seats, and secured a legislative trifecta.
- In California, Democrats flipped five U.S. House seats.
- In Colorado, Democrats flipped two U.S. House seats and are poised to flip a third, while maintaining a Democratic trifecta.
- In Montana, Democrats flipped a U.S. House seat for the first time in three decades.
- In Nevada, Democrats flipped the governor and the lieutenant governor, gained a Democratic trifecta, and won every statewide office on the ballot. Democrats also flipped a U.S. House district that will be represented by a Democrat for the first time in history.
