The Democratic wave that crashed into American politics on Tuesday night resembled more of a history-making tsunami.
The indications began early on election night, with key Florida Congressional districts targeted by GOP gerrymandering efforts remaining blue. Things only got worse for Republicans from there.
As the dust began to settle Wednesday, Democrats had already secured a 234-seat majority in the House (with dozens of seats still uncalled), and a 54-seat majority in the Senate, according to tallies from the Associated Press.
These figures only tell part of the story. These map and charts show just how much things have changed since 2024’s Republican sweep.
More than 2,000 counties swung toward Democrats in 2026
In the vast majority of counties with more than 90 percent of ballots counted, voters swung towards Democrats in Senate races this year.
But by far the steepest gains for Democrats were seen in Texas, where 48 of the 100 counties with the largest shifts left could be found. In Starr County along the Rio Grande, there was an eye-popping 72-percentage-point swing from President Trump in 2024 to James Talarico in 2026.
Red states saw some of the largest leftward shifts
President Trump comfortably carried South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Louisiana in 2024. Yet in Senate races across all five states, voters swung toward Democrats by more than 18 points, toppling a longtime Republican grip on Senate seats in South Carolina and Texas and threatening to do so in Mississippi, though the Mississippi race remains too close to call as of Wednesday afternoon.
One notable exception was Montana: Though Republican Kurt Alme was on track Wednesday to underperform Donald Trump in 2024, Democrat Alani Bankhead placed third in the race with just 12 percent of the vote behind Independent Seth Bodnar.
Gerrymandering attempts mostly did not pan out
Turning to the House, the Democratic rout overwhelmed attempts to redraw Congressional districts around the country in favor of Republicans: In Florida’s 14th District, for example, the Republican-controlled Legislature redrew the Tampa-area district to favor Republicans.
Heading into Tuesday, the Cook Political report rated the race a toss-up, noting Trump had won the area by 11 points in 2024. Though Republicans avoided the catastrophe seen in other red states, incumbent Democrat Kathy Castor retained her seat by a five-point margin on Tuesday.
Meanwhile in California, Democrats knocked out at least two GOP incumbents representing redrawn districts, though many races remain uncalled.
John Hancock can be reached at john.hancock@globe.com. Follow him @Hancock_JohnD. Christina Prignano can be reached at christina.prignano@globe.com. Follow her @cprignano.