By Lynn La for CalMatters
Originally published Nov. 4, 2026
The blue tsunami was bigger than almost any Democrat could dream up.
Democrats not only reclaimed control of the House by a decisive margin, but they flipped the Senate too, claiming seats in deep red states like Kansas, South Carolina, and Texas. That gives the party a powerful check on President Donald Trump in his final two years in office.
An Associated Press poll released Tuesday showed many voters disapproved of the president and also faulted Congress for not doing its job.
Now some California Democrats will wield gavels as they kick off investigations into the administration when they take the majority in January.
Rep. Robert Garcia of Long Beach had a two word message to Republicans: “Lawyer up.” The second-term Democrat is on track to lead the House Oversight Committee, which can be used to investigate just about anything in government.
Sen. Alex Padilla, the top Democrat of the Senate rules committee, and Rep. Pete Aguilar of San Bernardino, the chairperson of the House Democratic Caucus, would also likely gain more sway in Congress to challenge Trump.
On the social media site X, both of them signaled they planned to check the president. Padilla posted an image of a blue wave and mocked Trump’s recent rallies where he urged his supporters to vote as if he was on the ballot.
“America: HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR,” Padilla wrote.
Aguilar, meanwhile, wrote “House Republicans’ days of rubber stamping Trump’s reckless agenda are coming to an end.”
Amid concerns by Democrats that Trump would challenge the results of the midterm elections, the president said Tuesday in an interview with The New York Times that he would accept the results and that he looks forward to working with Democrats.
To see how California’s congressional races are going, check out our rundown here from CalMatters’ Maya C. Miller.
