WORLD.NEWS HEADLINE-USA MIDTERMS ELECTION | USA: US midterm vote delivers strong rebuke of Trump

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LOS ANGELES, California — Tuesday’s US midterm vote, marked by Democrats seizing control of Congress, ushered in a wave of historic leadership firsts across the country as voters delivered a sharp rejection of President Donald Trump’s second term.

The first Black female governor, the first openly gay male senator, the first Muslim senator and the first female Native American governor all won groundbreaking elections in the vote that racked up resounding gains for Democrats.

The Democrats’ sweep is set to put the brakes on the final two years of Trump’s presidency. Capturing the Senate and House of Representatives will allow the party to pursue investigations into the Iran war, immigration enforcement and allegations of corruption, while blocking Trump’s agenda and senior appointments.

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Rejection of hate, division

Bill Shiebler—chief strategy officer at the nonprofit State Voices, a network of advocates for civic engagement and equity—told Agence France-Presse (AFP) the night was “a huge rebuke against hate and division.”

READ: Historic leadership firsts for minorities across US in midterm vote

“We’re witnessing an electorate that increasingly sees itself in its leaders, and the leaders who come out of communities they now represent,” Shiebler said.

In Michigan, leftist Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.

The former medical administrator drew huge campaign crowds but faced a surge of anti-Muslim rhetoric from his detractors in the bruising race.

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The Council on American-Islamic Relations advocacy group praised El-Sayed for persevering despite “endless Islamophobic attacks.”

“Our communities worked hard to make sure our voices were heard and that we are properly represented in the Senate,” the organization said.

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“This is what is possible when we show up and vote together.”

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‘Historic election’

In the southern state of Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the race for governor, making her the first Black woman elected to the top office in any US state.

A former Atlanta mayor, Bottoms defeated billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson, a win that returns the governor’s office to Democrats after more than two decades of Republican control.

Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, meanwhile, will become the first openly gay man to serve in the US Senate after winning in New Hampshire. He has served in the US House of Representatives since 2019.

“No one should be discriminated against because of who they are or who they love,” he said on his website.

In New Mexico, Democrat Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman elected governor, beating Republican Gregg Hull.

A member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, she had served as the secretary of the interior under former President Joe Biden, the first Native American to serve as a US Cabinet secretary.

Democrat Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota was elected as the first female Native American senator.

The sweeping midterm rebuke of Trump also saw a number of state-level electoral firsts, including the first Latina governor in Texas with Gina Hinojosa’s victory.

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Scott faced Republican Edwin Rivera and independent candidates Makiba Gaines and Stephen Woll in the midterm election.

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Looking ahead, if the current House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wins the speakership as expected in the new Congress, he would become the first Black speaker of the House in US history.

“This was a historic election where people decided to believe in themselves and really lean into the hope about the promise of this country, rebuking an effort to snuff out people’s voices,” Shiebler said.

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Republican heartland

LAST CALL A framed photo of US President Donald Trump is seen before the start of a midterm election night watch partywith Iowa Republicans at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown on Nov. 3, in Des Moines, Iowa, where his party mates face tightraces in the House and Senate. —Agence France-Presse

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The results reflected deep anger over living costs, tariffs and Trump’s war against Iran, which has sent fuel prices soaring and compounded dissatisfaction with an already deeply unpopular president.

“I’m just so happy. I’m so eager,” 22-year-old paralegal Michael Diaz said in Georgia, celebrating a big win by rising Democratic star Jon Ossoff in the Senate.

Democrats flipped seats that had long been held by Republicans, scoring breakthroughs in South Carolina, North Carolina, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Texas and Maine.

In Maine, former logger Troy Jackson defeated longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins, the party’s seventh Senate seat captured from Republicans.

In Kansas, Methodist minister Adam Hamilton became the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the reliably conservative state since 1932. Iowa had not elected a Democratic senator since 2008.

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Texas Democrat James Talarico declared he had defeated “Goliath” in winning a Senate seat, while Hinojosa unseated the state’s Republican governor, Greg Abbott, ending decades of Republican rule.

Democrats also protected key Senate seats of their own, including Ossoff in Georgia and an open seat in New Hampshire.

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El- Sayed victory

The scale of the victory grew further when El-Sayed defeated former Republican lawmaker Mike Rogers in Michigan, making him the first Muslim elected to the upper chamber of Congress.

“Michigan, we did it!” El-Sayed said in a speech at his election headquarters in Detroit.

El-Sayed won despite a last-minute curveball in his campaign when congresswoman Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed, came out in support of Rogers at the 11th hour.

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READ: Americans vote in midterms set to upend Trump presidency

People pass campaign signs on display in Founders Plaza, Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 2, 2026. —Agence France-Presse

 

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The party’s House victory saw gains across Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Arizona, North Carolina, Wisconsin and New Jersey, including districts Trump had carried comfortably in 2024.

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‘Big wipeout’

In one closely watched bellwether, Democrat J.D. Ford ousted Republican congresswoman Victoria Spartz in Indiana, capturing a district Trump won by 17 points two years earlier.

Democrats also won Georgia’s governorship, electing former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms as the first Black woman governor in US history.

Republicans had some consolation in Florida, where Trump-backed Byron Donalds became the state’s first Black governor and Ashley Moody retained a Senate seat—but only after seeing off surprisingly strong Democratic challenges.

The night was “a big wipeout and a strong repudiation of Donald Trump and his policies,” George Washington University professor Todd Belt told AFP. /cb

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