When the United States woke up on Wednesday morning, it was the beginning of a new era.

On Tuesday night, predictions of a blue wave in the 2026 midterms actually turned into a blue tsunami. Democrats exceeded even lofty expectations, easily flipping and taking control of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The party scored huge victories in traditionally conservative places such as Texas and South Carolina. Battleground states that have helped determine recent presidential elections — places such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada — now all have Democratic governors.

The Democrats won key Senate races in places like Maine, North Carolina, Iowa and Kansas.

The Washington Post wrote , “It was a Republican wipeout.”

A day after that historic night, here are some media thoughts looking back at Tuesday and ahead to what comes next.

A repudiation

The New York Times’ chief White House correspondent Peter Baker said, “We haven’t seen a sweep like this in 50…