6 Nov 2026 7:32 a.m. · Source: Poynter
Poynter is reporting that voters delivered what it described as a blue tsunami in Tuesday's midterm elections, giving Democrats control of both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in what it called an apparent direct repudiation of President Donald Trump. It said Democrats flipped previously Republican strongholds including South Carolina, Kansas, Ohio and Texas, and won easily in states where they have typically struggled.
Poynter highlighted a New York Times account by Shane Goldmacher, Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman, headlined "I Have Seen the Enemy, and It Is Us," which drew on interviews with more than 70 lawmakers, strategists, party leaders, pollsters, White House officials and congressional aides. Poynter said the Times reported that an unpopular war in Iran, high gas and grocery prices, and candidates backed or hand-picked by an unpopular president sank the GOP. The Times said the war closed the Strait of Hormuz and pushed gas prices past $4 a gallon, and that Democrats recruited candidates with distinctive biographies, including military veterans, doctors, farmers, a smokejumper and a Tejano music star.
Poynter reported that, so far, there have been no widespread or serious allegations of election fraud. It cited CNN's Donie O'Sullivan saying MAGA media personalities are accepting the results and focusing on whom to blame rather than denying the outcome. Poynter noted Trump has said he will accept the results, and cited a New York Times report by Richard Fausset and Nick Corasaniti saying voters rejected Republicans so thoroughly that blaming fraud became impossible. Poynter also noted a Truth Social post in which Trump said votes for a "Fake Dan Sullivan" and another candidate in Alaska's still-uncalled Senate race should be given to incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Poynter reported that Trump's public reaction has been unusually muted. It cited New York Times correspondent Maggie Haberman saying Trump's response seemed out of character and that he spent the day after the election discussing a ballroom construction project. Haberman said advisers repeatedly told Trump voters were unhappy with the economy and his focus on White House renovations, but he was unmoved because he was not on the ballot. She described him as being in what longtime associates would call a "processing state."
Poynter said the biggest headline came in Texas, which elected a Democratic governor for the first time since the 1990s, and where Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate. It pointed to analyses by the New York Times and The Washington Post on how Democrats won the state.
Separately, Poynter reported that the Committee to Protect Journalists asked the incoming Democratic-led Congress to strengthen oversight of federal agencies and restore press freedom protections. CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said lawmakers must defend the First Amendment and make press freedom a foreign policy priority. CPJ cited restricted government access, subpoenas, retaliatory litigation, regulatory threats against broadcasters and arrests of journalists, and urged Congress to oversee the Federal Communications Commission and pass the PRESS Act.
Poynter also reported that Trump continued to bar CNN from the television pool, which meant none of the networks in the pool covered his Oval Office remarks. It noted that Salon announced it was shutting down after 31 years, that NBC named Carson Daly co-host of "Saturday Today," and that the New York Times Company is in advanced talks to acquire Letterboxd.
Politics and Government Media USA Election Democratic Party Republican Party White House Media Crisis Poynter midterm elections Donald Trump Texas James Talarico press freedom Poynter.org