--- title: Democrats Had a Better Election Night Than It First Appeared description: The "blue wave" took a little longer to crest, but after several days of vote counting it looks like Democrats beat the midterm average. canonical: https://time.com/5450666/midterms-results-democrats-blue-wave/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-09T20:00:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:05:52.473Z article:section: Politics og:title: Democrats Had a Better Election Night Than It First Appeared og:description: They beat the historical average og:url: https://time.com/5450666/midterms-results-democrats-blue-wave/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95336a6e1b2bfd24/69893e87656a3f5c6abd5ea2/america-divided-midterm-elections-nancy-pelosi.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: america-divided-midterm-elections-nancy-pelosi og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Democrats Had a Better Election Night Than It First Appeared twitter:description: They beat the historical average twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95336a6e1b2bfd24/69893e87656a3f5c6abd5ea2/america-divided-midterm-elections-nancy-pelosi.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Democrats Had a Better Election Night Than It First Appeared > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=4d456fd9-f2aa-4525-a206-5f441b3b1f01&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Redder. Bluer. Trumpier. America Is About to Be Even More Divided [Watch (HLS stream): Redder. Bluer. Trumpier. America Is About to Be Even More Divided](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/2Gr7iLqd.m3u8) (2:54)  _Published 2018-11-09. By the time Nancy Pelosi took the stage at the Hyatt Regency in Washington on Election Day, it was nearly midnight and the panic had passed._  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Nov 9, 2018 8:00 PM UTC  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Nov 9, 2018 8:00 PM UTC The “blue wave” took a little longer to crest than usual, but after several days of vote counting it looks like Democrats beat the historical average for the midterm elections. With more races called since Election Night, Democrats have netted 30 seats in the House and are leading in five others. The midterms mean the White House, on average in all 25 non-presidential cycles in the last century, loses 29 allies in the House. It appears House Democrats are just past that benchmark, outpacing the gains of at least 12 other midterm election cycles since 1918. Typically, the party controlling the White House — in this case, Republicans — loses seats in midterm elections. In the last hundred years, only three times has the party in the White House seen gains in non-presidential years. It wasn’t just the the House. Democrats picked up [at least](http://time.com/5449523/gillum-florida-governor-race-recount/) seven governors’ offices. The Senate map remains contingent on incredibly close races in Arizona and Florida; Democrats appear to have an advantage in [Arizona](http://time.com/5450044/arizona-vote-count-judge-senate-election/), while Republicans in [Florida](http://time.com/5450062/florida-election-recounts-midterms-2018/) have the advantage for now. Mississippi, which backed Donald Trump’s presidential bid in 2016 with 58% of the vote, won’t pick its Senator until a Nov. 27 runoff. All of which is to say: There was a resettling of America’s politics this week. Voters in large numbers — 52 million and counting — decided House Democrats were the right roadblocks for Trump and said a record 100 [women](http://time.com/5449481/if-she-wins-documentary-first-time-congresswomen/) should be part of that mix. Voters booted Republicans from governors’ mansions in Michigan and Wisconsin, and held it in Pennsylvania, three states that were crucial for Trump’s 2016 win and his 2020 re-election bid. And the Senate, which began with Democrats facing a terrible uphill climb, is likely to fight to a draw. Democratic activists and strategists are still debating — some, quite aggressively and publicly — what fueled their successes. All corners of the still-fractured Democratic Party were trying to claim credit, and there’s plenty of reason for each tribe to celebrate. Even so, the fight for credit suggests the silent 2020 presidential primary is already underway. Still, the midterms were among the most divisive in recent memory. One Trump ad — deemed too racially charged by several networks to air — suggested Democrats were inviting hordes of immigrants into the country illegally to commit crimes against Americans, including police officers. Another, from a House incumbent in California, linked a former official in Barack Obama’s White House to the Muslim Brotherhood. Robocalls into some Southern states appealed to racism in messages against African-American candidates. They were also the most costly ever. The Center for Responsive Politics [estimates](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/11/2018-midterm-records-shatter/) the still-being-invoiced 2018 midterms cost a record $5.2 billion, a 35% increase over the last non-presidential federal cycle. Outside spending from groups like super PACs topped $1.3 billion. And Trump, as he was leaving Friday for a quick weekend in Europe to attend a World War I memorial, suggested much of the process was rigged and Democrats had won only through shadiness. “There’s a lot of bad stuff going on in this country, and we’re finding out, and I’m getting to the bottom of it. And I’ve done a hell of a job,” he said, offering no evidence for his assertions. During the flight to Europe, Trump repeatedly tweeted baseless claims that the Florida vote counting was “election theft” and “potential corruption.” “How come they never find Republican votes?” he tweeted. All of which could render Washington a morass for the next two years. Democrats are working out who will lead them, with Nancy Pelosi returning to the speaker’s role for the first time since 2011 and other leadership roles going to potential future speakers. Republicans appears to be retrenching, now [more Trumpy](http://time.com/5448815/midterms-2018/) than ever. And yet, people from both parties in the Capitol would do well to dig into the numbers behind this week’s blue wave. Democrats had history on their side, and they did even better than the norm. Republicans were at a disadvantage, particularly because they could never keep focus on the growing economy because the president kept hijacking the national conversation. And voters — in record numbers — decided they wanted to be part of the political process. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] The midterm elections marked a significant shift in American politics. Democrats reclaim the House of Representatives, while Republicans strengthen their report on the Senator. But digging farther to how won shows how different the new Congress will be. [ MUSIC ] The number of women in the House of Representatives will reach an historic high when new members are sworn in next January largely due to Democrats. More than 30 House of Representatives seats went to female candidates this year as a record number of women ran for Congress. Many of the women say they were inspired to run by Donald Trump's win in 2016 and his behavior as president since then. 29- year- old Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez is now the youngest elected member. And Democrats Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota will become the first Muslim women in Congress. [ UNKNOWN ] Democrat Sherice Davids of Kansas and Deb Holland of New Mexico gained victories as the first Native American women to be voted into congress while republican Marsha Blackburn will become the first female senator from Tennessee. [ MUSIC ] 2018 is shaping- up to be historic for voter turnout as well. Early numbers indicate approximately 114 million votes cast, much higher than the 83 million cast in 2014. With control of Congress at stake, turns out was high among both Democrats and Republicans eager to make their stamp on Trump's next two years in office. Popular ballot measures and voting rights, abortion and marijuana also contributed. [ MUSIC ] Trump was not on the ballot, but many voters acted as he was. The president heavy campaigning in red states appeared to help Republican candidates over the line. At the same time, the President's unpopularity drove turnout in many Democratic areas, and appeared to hurt Republican house candidates running in the suburbs of major cities. As democrats clean the house a the incoming chairs of 21 committees will be looking for ways to press forward on investigations they feel more ignored under the Republic in majority. This is likely to include likes Trump's personal financial conflicts as well as as well as controversies around members of his administration such as. Former EPA director Scott Pruitt. Some Democratic veterans have urged restraint, arguing that the new House majority should take its time to work through the most urgent investigations and avoid the appearance of a free for all. Trump argued that investigations would harm any ability for him to work with the Democrats on bipartisan legislation on infrastructure and other issues. The 2018 mid- terms may be over but the repercussions from election night will be felt for years to come. 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