Democrats win US midterm blue wave as Republicans blame Iran war and tariffs

Summary

Democrats won a sweeping victory in the US midterm elections, with their House gains passing 250 seats as they flipped more seats, including in Ohio, Arizona and North Carolina. Republican hopefuls in the race to succeed Donald Trump, including JD Vance, Ron DeSantis and Ted Cruz, swiftly blamed two pillars of Trump's agenda, the Iran war and tariffs, along with affordability concerns, for the result. Cruz called the election a 'Watergate-level repudiation'. The Associated Press called more competitive House races for Democrats on Thursday, while Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi remained undecided. In Mississippi, Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Scott Colom were separated by a remarkably narrow margin.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   5 Nov 2026, 18:51 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that Republican hopefuls in the race to succeed Trump, including JD Vance, Ron DeSantis and Ted Cruz, pointed to the Iran war, tariffs and affordability as key factors in the Democratic victory in the midterms, and that the Associated Press called more competitive House races for Democrats on Thursday while Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi remained undecided.

2. The Guardian

   6 Nov 2026, 04:55 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian's live midterm coverage reports that Democrats exceeded 250 House seats by flipping more seats, including in Ohio, Arizona and North Carolina, that Ted Cruz called the election a 'Watergate-level repudiation', and that the Mississippi Senate race between Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Scott Colom was separated by a remarkably narrow margin.