Democrats had a sweeping victory during the 2026 US midterm elections, bringing focus to some of the key demographics where they made significant gains.
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they → have → gains
Thereby, reversing several advances president Donald Trump made among traditionally Democratic voters in the 2024 presidential race, according to the AP Voter Poll.
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Trump → reverse → Poll
A survey of more than 100,000 voters across all 50 states found that voters under 30, Hispanic voters, Black voters, moderates and lower-income households shifted towards Democratic candidates, helping the party secure victories in several key races.
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party → find → races
Young voters recorded one of the sharpest swings
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voters → record → swings
Nearly 7 in 10 voters under 30 said they supported the Democratic candidate in their local House race, compared with roughly 3 in 10 who backed Republicans.
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who → say → Republicans
During the 2024 presidential elections the voters were equally divided between Kamala and Trump.
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voters → divide → Kamala
First-time midterm voters, who tend to be younger, also largely favoured Democrats.
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who → tend → Democrats
However, voters under 30 accounted for only about one in 10 of the electorate, limiting the overall impact of the shift.
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voters → account → shift
Their dissatisfaction with the country's direction was evident, with about half saying they were angry about the state of affairs.
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they → say → affairs
Nearly 6 in 10 also said opposing Trump was one reason for their House vote.
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opposing → say → vote
The Democratic shift among younger voters was visible in all five Senate races where the party gained seats — Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio and North Carolina.
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party → gain → seats
Hispanic voters move back towards Democrats
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voters → move → Democrats
Republicans appeared to lose most, if not all, of the gains Trump made among Hispanic voters in 2024.
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Trump → appear → 2024
About 6 in 10 Hispanic voters backed Democratic candidates in their local House races, while roughly one-third supported Republicans.
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third → back → Republicans
This compared with around 4 in 10 Hispanic voters who had backed Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
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who → compare → election
The shift was particularly evident in Texas, where Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in the Senate race.
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Talarico → defeat → race
Roughly 6 in 10 Hispanic voters supported Talarico, compared with about 3 in 10 who voted for Paxton.
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who → support → Paxton
In Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody managed to narrowly secure re-election, but received support from fewer than half of Hispanic voters.
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Moody → manage → voters
Trump's gains among Black voters prove short-lived
Black voters also moved back towards Democrats after Trump's gains in the previous presidential election.
Only about 1 in 10 Black men supported the Republican candidate in their local House race, down from roughly one-quarter who had backed Trump in 2024.
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who → prove → 2024
Around 9 in 10 Black voters supported Democratic House candidates, compared with approximately 8 in 10 who voted for Harris.
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who → support → Harris
The shift was particularly pronounced in Georgia, where Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor.
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Bottoms → pronounce → Georgia
About 9 in 10 Black men supported Bottoms, compared with roughly three-quarters who had backed Harris in 2024.
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who → support → 2024
Support among Black women remained around 9 in 10.
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Support → remain → women
In Florida, however, Republican Byron Donalds, elected the state's first Black governor, did not secure comparable support.
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Donalds → elect → support
About one-quarter of Black men voted for him over Democrat David Jolly, while only around 1 in 10 Black women backed the Republican.
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women → vote → Republican
Moderates give Democrats an edge
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Moderates → give → edge
Democrats also strengthened their position among moderate voters, a group that proved particularly important in Senate races where the party flipped Republican-held seats.
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party → strengthen → seats
Around two-thirds of moderates supported Democratic candidates in their local House races, up from approximately 6 in 10 who had backed Harris in 2024.
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who → support → 2024
The poll found that roughly 8 in 10 moderates believed Congress was not doing enough to provide checks and balances on the presidency.
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Congress → find → presidency
A similar proportion reported experiencing at least moderate financial hardship because of inflation over the past year.
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proportion → report → year
Moderate voters were a significant part of Democratic victories in several closely contested Senate races.
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voters → contest → races
In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton won roughly 7 in 10 moderate voters, compared with around half who supported Harris in 2024.
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who → win → 2024
In Iowa, Josh Turek secured about two-thirds of moderates, while Roy Cooper won roughly three-quarters of the group in North Carolina.
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Cooper → secure → Carolina
Lower-income voters turn towards Democrats amid cost concerns
Economic pressures also appear to have influenced the shift, with lower-income voters moving towards Democrats amid concerns over the rising cost of living.
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voters → turn → living
More than half of voters whose household income was below $50,000 in 2025 backed Democratic candidates in their local House races.
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income → back → races
In 2024, this group had been almost evenly divided between Trump and Harris.
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group → divide → Trump
Around 3 in 10 US voters reported an annual household income below $50,000.
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voters → report → 50,000
These voters were more likely than higher-income groups to express concern over food and grocery prices, fuel costs and utility bills.
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voters → express → prices
About 6 in 10 voters earning less than $50,000 said the cost of living was crucial to their voting decision, compared with roughly half of those earning more.
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cost → earn → more
The AP Voter Poll was conducted by SSRS for The Associated Press, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News Media, NBC News and Versant.
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Poll → conduct → Press
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
