Democrats sweeping victories mean big changes for Trump's final two years in office

NPR | By Emily Feng,

Published November 4, 2026 at 4:38 PM EST

Democrats' wins in the House and Senate mean a new power dynamic is coming to Washington.

Emily Feng

Emily Feng is a White House correspondent at NPR. Previously, she was a foreign correspondent for NPR covering China, Taiwan and beyond.

Eric McDaniel

Eric McDaniel is a congressional reporter for NPR's Washington Desk.

Domenico Montanaro

Domenico Montanaro is a senior political editor/correspondent for the Washington Desk

WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.

Contribute now

Related Content

Democrats win big in Texas

Ashley Lopez

Democrats didn't just win the U.S. Senate and governor races in Texas. They won every statewide contest and will take control of the Texas House, making the state a blue one, at least for now.
A fiery end to a NASA mission that captured some of the universe's brightest events

Geoff Brumfiel

NASA's Swift observatory is set to re-enter the atmosphere on Wednesday after two decades of gathering data.
Smokejumper flips Montana house seat held by GOP for three decades

Kirk Siegler

Union leader and former wildland firefighter Sam Forstag has won a House seat in Montana that Republicans have held for three decades.
What's the future of the Democratic party in Texas, amid historic midterm wins?

Mia Venkat, Ailsa Chang, Christopher Intagliata

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with former Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis, a Democrat, about Texas flipping blue and what it means for future elections.
How well did polls predict the blue wave?

Tyler Bartlam, Patrick Jarenwattananon, Mary Louise Kelly

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Anna Greenberg, a Democratic pollster, about what polls captured (and underestimated) after Democrats performed stronger than expected in midterm elections.