While Democratic victories in marquee national contests took the spotlight this week, with the party securing at least 250 seats in the House and winning back the Senate, several candidates in down-ballot races across the country clinched what appear to be surprising wins.

MAGA Republicans are pointing the finger at the Iran war, tariffs, and even Fox News as reasons for the blue wave in the midterm elections. Donie O’Sullivan reports on OutFront.

Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican who won reelection Tuesday, told The Associated Press that he wants to be considered for the Senate seat when Blackburn becomes governor in January.“Absolutely. Absolutely,

Ericka Lomick defeated Republican Alan Blaylock in Tarrant County's House District 93 despite withdrawing from the race in September amid questions about her eligibility to serve.

James Talarico's early votes alone were enough to beat Ken Paxton's entire total in the Texas Senate race. The Austin state representative received nearly 4.4 million early votes and another million on Election Day. His Republican opponent finished with about 4.2 million overall. Democrats swept the statewide races and flipped the Texas House. Nearly 10 million Texans cast ballots in the 2026 midterms, surpassing the previous nonpresidential election record of about 8.3 million in 2018. But the state now has about 4 million more registered voters. That means the record ballot count did not necessarily mean a record turnout rate. Participation appears likely to settle at about 52 percent of the state's 19 million registered voters, just below the 53 percent participation rate recorded in 2018. More than 7.6 million ballots were cast before Election Day, in person and by mail. James Talarico carried seven of the state's most populous counties, including Collin and Denton, both longtime Republican strongholds.

Massachusetts voters rejected Ballot Question 5 with 52% voting no, preserving the state's existing tax rebate law and its current revenue cap triggers.