Democrats Take Congress as Voters Reject Trump’s Costs

Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress on Nov. 3, ending the Republican Party’s federal trifecta while leaving the machinery of government—and its power over people’s lives—firmly in place. The new majority will oversee President Donald Trump’s administration, but legislation still needs his signature. The election changed who holds the levers. It didn’t remove the levers.

Nearly nine in 10 respondents to the CNBC Voter Poll said the cost of living was a crucial or major factor in their congressional vote. Three in four rated the economy “poor” or “not so good,” and fewer than one in five said their family’s financial position had improved over the previous two years. About two in three said Trump’s policies had worsened economic conditions.

Democrats gained a net 34 House seats, reaching 242 to Republicans’ 150, with 43 races uncalled in the latest count reported by NBC News. They also gained seven Senate seats, for a total of 54 to Republicans’ 44; Alaska and Mississippi remained unresolved in the reported figures. Hakeem Jeffries was on track to become speaker. Speaker Mike Johnson told his staff he wouldn’t remain Republican leader in the new Congress.

The price of decisions made at the top

The poll’s anger came with a bill attached. More than three in five respondents said Trump’s policies had raised prices, and almost nine in 10 were very or somewhat concerned about prices for utilities, food and oil. The poll drew about 100,000 phone, online and in-person interviews and had a 0.6% margin of error.

The war with Iran was another major factor: nearly three in four respondents said it was crucial or important to their vote. On Election Day, drivers paid about $4.15 for an average gallon of gasoline, the highest price on a midterm or presidential election day since at least 2000, according to AAA. Gas prices had risen about 37% over the prior year as the conflict disrupted global crude trade.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said, “Most Americans are struggling with the high inflation and have been for quite some time, and they’re just angry.” His analysis estimated higher gas and other energy costs had cost the average U.S. household nearly $1,230 since the war began; rising borrowing costs and expanded military services added more than $900. Consumer-price increases had outpaced wage gains in recent months.

The election also punished redistricting designed to protect Republican power. Republicans had redrawn more than a dozen congressional districts in Texas, Florida, Ohio and North Carolina to strengthen their narrow House majority. Democrats won at least 11 of the 15 Republican-redrawn seats, with additional gains possible. In Texas, Republicans had aimed to gain as many as five Democratic-held seats; one flipped to Republicans, while Democrats captured two red districts.

A new majority, familiar limits

Democrats expanded their control of state governments, winning or retaining full legislative control in Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania while holding each state’s governorship. They gained control in Nevada and flipped both legislative chambers in Wisconsin, ending a 16-year Republican majority. In Texas, Democrats won the House for the first time since Republicans took control after the 2002 election, while Republicans retained the state Senate. Gina Hinojosa won the governorship, becoming Texas’ first Democratic governor since 1994.

The state results marked the largest single-election change in partisan power in state governments since 2010, said Katie Owens Hubler, director of elections and redistricting at the National Conference of State Legislatures. Democrats were set to hold at least 28 governorships in 2027, including pickups in Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Texas.

But the party’s incoming leaders signaled negotiation, not a break with the system that produced the crisis. Jeffries said Democrats would talk if Republicans wanted to work with them on “bold, dramatic, and decisive change.” President Trump said he had “the right to veto everything,” though he didn’t want to spend two years vetoing legislation. The veto remains a fine little reminder of where formal power sits.

The next legislative agenda includes lowering costs for groceries, housing, health care, gas and utilities, along with tax relief and expanded health care access. Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman Devin Remiker said, “Now it’s time to deliver.” The source describes no grassroots mutual-aid effort or direct-action campaign; the response it records is electoral and legislative, routed through the same institutions that govern wages, housing, energy and war.

Seven in 10 poll respondents said the U.S. economic system generally favored the wealthy. Francesco D’Acunto, a Georgetown University professor who researches behavioral economics, said inflation had pushed voters to a “breaking point”: “If consumers become angry voters, they vote against the status quo — in this case, the Trump administration.” The ballot shifted control. The cost of living, the war and the authority to make those decisions remain on the table.