Democrats Take Both Chambers in Midterm Wins
Democrats won control of Congress while Nate Silver speculated Donald Trump could find a pretext to step back.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Elections
Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections. Nate Silver, co-host of the podcast Still Counting, said during a postmortem that he has a weird intuition Trump might find a pretense to quit.
Why it matters
The result shifts the balance of power in Washington, and Silver's remarks reflect a view that Trump's political standing has weakened after the midterms. Republicans had secured three Supreme Court justices and tax breaks for the wealthy during Trump's tenure.
Ossoff's 18-point margin in Georgia is the largest single figure cited in the postmortem, but the source does not provide statewide turnout or comparison data from prior midterms. It is unclear from the extraction whether any other race margins were analyzed beyond Georgia and Texas.
The players
Nate Silver
Nate Silver is a statistician and election forecaster who co-hosts the podcast Still Counting.
The details
Silver said Republicans made a deal with the devil in Trump and that Trump has lost the fear factor, which he argued could leave the president isolated. He floated the possibility that Trump might seek a pretense to step back from the presidency, citing Mar-a-Lago as a possible retreat location.
Timeline
Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Midterm elections held, with Democrats winning both chambers of Congress.
November 5, 2026: Silver's postmortem comments on the election published.
2028: Next presidential election, referenced by Silver.
Political Context
Democrats' control of both chambers after the 2026 midterms mirrors the 2018 midterms, when Democrats also gained House control during a Republican presidency. Republicans will face a divided Congress as they enter the 2028 presidential cycle.
A Democratic-controlled Congress will have the power to set committee agendas and advance or block legislation over the coming two years. Voters in Georgia and Texas saw close or decisive results that will shape representation in those states.
The takeaway
The midterm results show that voters can shift control of Congress even in a presidential term, and Silver's comments suggest the political environment around Trump has changed. Readers should watch how the new congressional majority uses its authority in the coming months.
Further reading
For more on how the midterm results are shaping the next cycle, see Elections coverage.
