The 2026 U.S. midterm elections delivered a decisive blow to Donald Trump ’s Republican party. Democrats successfully flipped seven seats in the Senate, gaining a decisive majority.

This turnaround was mirrored in the House of Representatives, where the Democrats could end up taking 258 seats against 177 for the Republicans.

Women voters played a significant part in this Democratic party “blue wave”.

Estimates suggest 64 million women voted in the elections, compared with 56 million men, comprising 53% of all voters. Exit polls say 61% of women voted Democrat while 38% voted Republican, a 13-percentage point shift in party support compared with the 2024 presidential election.

This was also a bigger swing than most pollsters had predicted. Pre-election polling indicated that 56% of women in the US preferred Democratic party candidates, compared with 37% who said they preferred Republican ones.…