Mundo5 reasons that explain the overwhelming defeat of the Republican Party in the midterm elections in the USABBC Mundo•04/11/2026 – 9:45 p.m.

The Democrats swept the midterm elections in the United States and gained control of Congress.

Although the party of the incumbent president usually has a bad night in these elections, the magnitude of the Republican defeat is interpreted as a resounding rejection of Donald Trump’s first two years in the White House.

From angry voters to an unpopular president, here are 5 reasons Republicans lost so many seats.

1. The cost of living skyrocketed

From coast to coast, American voters have faced skyrocketing prices for basic goods. This unrest became palpable in the elections.

“Gas prices, food prices, everything is going up,” a North Carolina voter told the BBC before the election. He added that he had changed his vote from Republican to Democrat in this election.

Prices rose 3.7% in the year to September, driven by rising fuel and energy prices.

The average U.S. retail diesel price in early October was very close to the record $6.52 per gallon recorded in September, according to government data.

Nearly eight in ten voters (79%) said inflation had caused them and their families serious or moderate hardship over the past year, according to voter survey data.

And more than 60% of those surveyed placed the blame on Trump, convinced that the rise in prices was due to the president’s policies.

2. The unpopular war against Iran

A major factor in the skyrocketing prices has been the war against Iran that the United States and Israel launched in February.

Fuel prices soared after Tehran de facto closed the Strait of Hormuz, strangling a key artery for the passage of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Since then, American voters have been paying the consequences at the gas pump.

The war proved widely unpopular with most Americans.

For Republican supporters of Trump’s MAGA movement, it also felt like a broken promise of the “America First” campaign agenda, in which Trump had promised there would be no more wars.

About six in ten of those surveyed in an opinion poll (63%) said the United States made the wrong decision in taking military action against Iran.

Furthermore, three-quarters of voters (74%) said the conflict was a crucial or important factor in their vote for Congress.

The morning after the election, Trump acknowledged that the war had played a role in the defeat, but insisted in an interview on Fox that he had no choice but to intervene to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

3. The disciplined message of the Democrats

The magnitude and scope of this Democratic wave was made possible by some strong candidates who came across as authentic, especially in traditionally Republican strongholds.

They maintained a consistent message about the cost of living and access to health care.

Former professor James Talarico and Pastor Adam Hamilton also spoke about their faith in a way that moved people in Texas and Kansas, respectively.

In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews surprised by winning the election. He was a pediatrician and his focus on health care affordability resonated deeply in a country where many believe the system is failing.

“Getting the money out of politics and into your pocket” was a key campaign slogan, which allowed former public health official Abdul El-Sayed to triumph in Michigan and keep that seat in Democratic hands.

Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, re-elected in Georgia, focused his speech on the cost of living and corruption. His resounding victory in a state that Trump won twice will only fuel rumors of a possible presidential candidacy in 2028.

Even Trump himself praised the Democrats, telling Fox News that they “did a good job.”

In contrast, some Republican candidates, such as Ken Paxton in Texas, were criticized for running poor campaigns that did not focus enough on voters’ concerns.

4. Trump’s unpopularity weighs down Republicans

Two of the issues voters most disliked — skyrocketing prices and the war with Iran — were directly related to the president.

His approval ratings fell even among Republican voters, making some of the states that supported him in 2024 especially vulnerable.

He urged voters to imagine that he was on the ballot, in an attempt to mobilize his supporters.

But after more than a decade as a central figure in American politics, some see these results as evidence that the shine of the Trump brand may be fading.

Against a backdrop of growing outrage, becoming the center of attention of the Republican campaign was risky and appears to have backfired.

In the months before the vote, polls indicated that many Americans wanted Trump to focus more on their concerns about skyrocketing prices.

In his final campaign speech on Monday in Washington, DC, he spoke at length about his controversial Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation project.

5. Hispanic and black voters change again

Two years ago, a shift toward Republicans among some Hispanic and black voters helped Trump win a decisive victory. That trend appears to have reversed in these midterm elections.

Democrats won all three House seats in majority-Hispanic congressional districts along the Texas-Mexico border.

According to an analysis of The New York TimesHispanic-majority counties saw a decline of more than 22 percentage points in support for Republican Senate candidates compared to the 2024 presidential election.

The change is greater than in any other major demographic group in the country, said data journalist Jeff Adelson.

This change comes amid widespread outrage against immigration enforcement, and according to the Pew Research Center, a majority (56%) of Americans say they have an unfavorable opinion of ICE.

Majority-black counties also showed a significant trend toward Democratic candidates in Senate elections.

The Senate race is very close in Mississippi, which has the highest proportion of black voters of any US state, at about 37%.

If Scott Colom wins, he would become the first Democrat elected to the Senate in Mississippi since 1982.

This article was originally written in English and we used an artificial intelligence tool to translate it. A BBC journalist reviewed the text before publication. Learn more about how we use AI.

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