In addition to taking back the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate by large margins, Democrats won big at the state level during the 2026 midterms.
For the first time in more than a decade, Democrats took control of the majority of state legislative chambers. This will allow them to enact certain policies such as tax increases, gun control, and pro-abortion measures.
They will also be able to redistrict electorates in a way that could favor their own party ahead of 2028.
Democrats also won six trifectas with victories in gubernatorial and state legislative races. A trifecta is when a party controls the governor’s office and both state legislative chambers.
Ahead of the 2026 election, Republicans redrew congressional maps in numerous states. Democrats in California created new electoral boundaries in response to Republican redistricting in Texas.
Currently, Republicans control 28 of the nation’s 49 bicameral state legislatures, whereas Democrats control 18. Three states had divided control.
Following the midterms, Democrats will run the state legislatures in 24 states, compared with Republicans, who will control 21.
Nebraska has a unicameral legislature that is officially nonpartisan and has a GOP majority. North Carolina, Texas, Alaska, and Georgia will have split legislatures.
In Arizona, Democrats recaptured the state House and state Senate from the GOP. With Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs winning reelection, Democrats have a trifecta.
This would allow Democrats to change laws, such as those related to voting.
“Looking forward, it comes down to key aspects of access, ease of voting, and more collaboration with our election workers and officials to really strengthen our democracy,” said Democratic state Rep. Brian Garcia to the outlet Votebeat.
Democrats successfully created a trifecta in Wisconsin, not only winning the gubernatorial race, but also flipping the state Assembly and the state Senate. This is the first time since 2010 that Democrats will have full control of the state government.
Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, who was unanimously chosen speaker of the chamber, has called for lowering costs, assisting working families, and holding big corporations accountable.
Over in Michigan, Democrats took back the state House and expanded their majority in the Senate in addition to winning the gubernatorial contest.
Incoming state House Speaker Ranjeev Puri has been mum on what the Democratic caucus will tackle, but Gov.-elect Jocelyn Benson is seeking the passage of a Michigan-specific Voting Rights Act and open records legislation.
Democrats also flipped the state House in Minnesota and kept their majority in the state Senate.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will also be taking over as governor. Her priorities include lowering healthcare and housing costs, rooting out fraud, tackling crime, and supporting conservation and outdoor recreation.
Out east in Pennsylvania, the Democratic Party recaptured the Senate and maintained the House and the governor’s seat, creating the first trifecta since 1993.
With the trifecta, Democrats could pass legislation surrounding election reform, marijuana, data centers, and affordability.
Although the GOP won the gubernatorial race in New Hampshire, Democrats flipped both houses of the state legislature.
Additionally, Democrats recaptured the state House in Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia.
In Texas, a traditionally red state, in addition to winning the state House, Democrats won the gubernatorial spot and other statewide races.
Even in states where they did not win, Democrats broke GOP supermajorities in legislative chambers in Florida, Iowa, and Ohio.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), the Democratic Party’s campaign arm committed to electing Democrats to state legislatures, celebrated the massive gains made at the state legislative level.
“In a historic victory, Democrats now hold more than half of the seats at the state legislative level nationwide,” DLCC President Heather Williams said in a statement.
“These victories reinforce the DLCC’s national strategy to build power for Democrats all across the country.”
The DLCC’s GOP counterpart, the Republican State Leadership Committee, blamed the political environment for the party’s disappointing performance at the state legislative level.
“Democrats made state legislative races a national priority, pouring unprecedented resources into these contests because they understand the power state legislatures hold in shaping policy and building the pipeline for the next generation of leaders,” the group said in a statement.
“In many key battleground states, the national political environment and the impact of top-of-the-ticket races significantly affected our candidates’ ability to defy historical trends.”
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