Democrats gained control of Congress following historic U.S. midterm election results, reshaping the political landscape for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term, said Western University political science professor Matthew Lebo.
Lebo, an expert in American politics, is available to media to explain the significance of the 2026 midterm election results and to outline what can be expected in the final two years of the Trump presidency.
“It was a huge night for the Democrats who won big House and Senate majorities as well as governorships and state houses,” said Lebo. “Donald Trump had asked voters to pretend he was on the ballot and that seems to have happened with huge turnout among angry Democrats and Independents.”
Lebo also said this could mean significant pushback from Congress on tariffs and hostile policies towards Canada.
Lebo added that the most surprising results include Democratic senators being elected in traditionally Republican-held states such as South Carolina, Iowa and Kansas, and possibly even Mississippi (that race has yet to be called as of publication time).
“The U.S. will have its first African American woman governor in Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia. There will be over 100 women members of Congress for the Democrats, a record for the party.”
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed will also become the first Muslim senator after winning in Michigan.
Lebo says he expects the next two years to be contentious, and as previously noted in his explanation of the significance of the U.S. midterms, Democratic majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate will likely be “more than confrontational.”
Commentary reflects the perspective and scholarly interest of Western faculty members and is not an articulation of official university policy on issues being addressed.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jacquelyn Mitchell, Media Relations Officer, Western University, (226) 386-9683, [email protected]
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