Democratic wave in midterms sweeps state legislatures after flipping Congress

The Democratic wave that flipped control of Congress from Republicans on Election Day also washed through to the state and local level, with several legislatures seeing historic changes in their balance of power.

Democrats are now projected to control at least 10 more legislative chambers in 2027, according to projections from The Associated Press as of Friday.

At least six states now have full Democratic control of the governor's office and both chambers of state legislatures — Arizona, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Wisconsin.

That could have major implications for policies in these states on issues ranging from abortion access to economic policy and congressional redistricting. In many cases, state laws and policies become the blueprints for federal laws.

Leslie Martes, chief executive officer at Forward Majority, a super PAC focused on state legislatures, said it is going to be hard to get anything done at the federal level, so all the action and opportunities will be in the states.

Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said the results affected generational change in state capitals across the country, ushering in an entirely different perspective of leadership, and that states are where things get done.

In Georgia, Democrats swept every race for statewide office, with Black women winning races for governor, secretary of state and attorney general. Democrats also won control of the Georgia House of Representatives for the first time in more than two decades and narrowed Republicans' majority in the state Senate.

Georgians are already beginning to see policy shifts in light of the Democratic victory. One day after the election, outgoing Republican Governor Brian Kemp announced he would not call a special session to redraw the state's congressional lines or limit Democratic Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms' power.

Kemp said the voters of the state have spoken, and that as long as he is governor, the results of secure, accessible and fair elections will always be respected and the laws and constitution of the state will be followed.

At a post-election news conference on Friday, Bottoms indicated that expanding Medicaid in Georgia will be a priority for her and that she would consult with leaders in the legislature about possible steps to change Georgia's six-week abortion ban.

In Pennsylvania, Democrats had already been hoping to hold onto the state House and flip control of the GOP-held state Senate, a major goal for Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro and the state Democratic Party.

They achieved that goal, with Shapiro winning reelection and by flipping four seats in the state Senate. They are projected to have 26 seats in the state Senate to Republicans' 24, according to The Associated Press, while maintaining a comfortable majority in the state House.

As for what they will do with the trifecta, Shapiro said on Wednesday that they will fund mass transit, raise the minimum wage, make sure women have a right to reproductive freedom in the Commonwealth, build more housing, and allow survivors of abuse the ability to confront their abusers in court.

In Nevada, Democrats retained control of both chambers, and with Aaron Ford winning his gubernatorial race against outgoing Republican Governor Joe Lombardo, Democrats will secure a trifecta.

With all three branches of government in their control, Democrats could repeal Nevada's 'right-to-work' law, which lets workers get union benefits without paying dues — something Ford has pledged to do.

In the Texas gubernatorial race, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott and became the first Democrat elected governor of Texas in more than 30 years. She also became the first Hispanic woman to be elected governor in the state.

Voters flipped the state House, breaking the trifecta Republicans have held since 2003. However, Republicans will still control the state Senate, according to The Associated Press.

Incoming Democratic Texas Attorney General Nathan Johnson said he would scale back abortion law enforcement in the state, which comes after Attorney General Ken Paxton's office had aggressively enforced restrictive abortion laws.

Johnson said Paxton had been using the law to scare physicians, to scare women, to scare their families, and to intimidate doctors out of providing, in some cases, life-preserving or reproductive-preserving care. He said he wants physicians to know he will not interpret the law in a way that infringes upon their professional judgment or their relationship with patients.

Some Wisconsin Democrats warned ahead of the election that the gubernatorial race was flying under the radar and the blue wave may look more like a 'ripple' in the swing state.

Democrat David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, defeated Republican Representative Tom Tiffany to become the state's first Black governor. And for the first time in nearly two decades, Democrats in Wisconsin flipped control of both legislative chambers — flipping three seats in the state Senate and eight seats in the state assembly, according to The Associated Press.

State Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein said ahead of Election Day that the state government trifecta 'would be a sea change.' Democrats said they would focus on addressing affordability concerns, public education funding, data centres and protecting voting and reproductive rights.