Blue Tsunami: Democrats Take Congress as Voters Blame Trump for the Economy

Democrats didn't just win — they surfed a blue tsunami. The party captured both chambers of Congress, flipping as many as seven Senate seats and at least 29 in the House, according to the NBC News Exit Poll, which surveyed more than 79,000 voters nationwide. Two years after a red wave, the map flipped hard.

The economy did the heavy lifting. Three-quarters of voters called the nation's economic condition “not so good” or “poor,” and 69% said the system favors the wealthy rather than most Americans. More than 80% fretted about the price of gas, groceries, utilities and healthcare, and by a 43% to 37% margin they trusted Democrats over Republicans to handle it — a reversal from 2024. Trump took the blame: 65% said his policies made the economy worse, 62% pinned higher prices on him rather than forces beyond his control, and 65% said his tariffs hurt.

The mood was darker than a midterm slump. Three in four voters said they're unhappy with the country's direction, 38% said they're flat-out angry, and 57% believe the next generation will be worse off. Trump's approval among voters sat at 38% — the lowest Election Day rating for any president since 2008. Just 16% said they voted to back him, while 43% said their House ballot was a vote against him. Most also said he puts his own interests first (62%), called his war with Iran the wrong call (63%) and said his immigration actions went too far (57%).

Democrats helped themselves by simply being liked. Jon Ossoff rode a 59% favorable rating in Georgia, James Talarico hit 52% in Texas and Josh Turek reached 49% in Iowa — all three won. Republicans had the opposite problem. Only 43% of Kansas voters said Roger Marshall had the right character for the job, and just 34% of Texans felt positively about Ken Paxton. Both lost. In North Carolina, 60% saw Michael Whatley as too loyal to Trump, and 35% of South Carolina voters said Darline Graham had the right experience.

The coalition Trump built in 2024 cracked. Latinos, who gave him 46% two years ago, swung back to Democrats at 62%. Among Black men, the 1-in-5 who backed Trump in 2024 shrank to 13% for Republican House candidates. Young men under 25, who narrowly went for Trump over Kamala Harris in 2024, broke for Democrats 68% to 28%. And more Trump voters defected to Democratic House candidates (6%) than Harris voters went Republican (3%).

One thing didn't change: the electorate's ideology. Abortion remained broadly popular — 64% said it should be legal in most or all cases, barely down from 65% in 2024. Self-described liberals ticked up to 25% from 23%, conservatives dipped to 34% from 35%. Socialism still polled underwater at 54% unfavorable, capitalism stayed liked at 57% favorable. The pundits who read 2024 as a hard right turn, the exit poll suggests, misread the room.