The blue wave landed in the states too, with consequences that rival the changes coming to Washington. Sane, pro-equality policies can now be adopted for most Americans at the state level, and the number of states where a plutocratic, racist agenda can be easily enacted has drastically shrunk.
By winning control of the governor’s office or state legislature this week, Democrats will have trifectas in six additional states: Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. (A trifecta is control of both houses of the state legislature and the governor’s office.) That puts Democrats at trifectas in 22 states, whose combined populations are about 54 percent of Americans. That’s up from around 40 percent of Americans living in Democratic trifectas preelection.
Blue America can no longer be treated as synonymous with “the coasts,” since so many states where Democrats are setting policy are far from oceans.
And with Democrats winning gubernatorial races in Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, Texas, and the majority of seats in both houses of New Hampshire’s state legislature, about 24 percent of Americans will live in states (18) where Republicans control all levers of power. That’s down from around 40 percent preelection.
That’s huge too. Texas is the second-largest state by population, with 32 million people. Ohio is seventh (12 million). Georgia eighth at 11 million. Democrats winning the governorships in those states will have massive effects. Atlanta, Austin, Columbus, and other major cities will now have a governor who wants to work with them, not attack them. Texas’s Greg Abbott was perhaps the most MAGA politician in the country, infamously busing unauthorized immigrants to Northern cities without their consent. His defeat by Democrat Gina Hinojosa is perhaps the most important single election result this week.
Overall, to reiterate, 54 percent of Americans will live in Democratic-dominated states over the next two years, compared to 24 percent in Republican ones. (Some states still have divided governments.) That’s a big Democratic advantage, far bigger than they will have in Washington.
These state results really matter. Few major bills pass in Washington, even when one party has total control, because of the Senate filibuster. Now, with Democrats controlling the House and the Senate, Trump’s agenda is (thankfully) mostly dead. And issues such as education are largely decided by states anyway. What happens in blue trifecta states? Workers get higher minimum wages and paid leave. People struggling financially have easier access to unemployment benefits and Medicaid. Local public schools and transportation systems are better funded. Policies aren’t passed that make it harder to vote, get an abortion, or seek medical care that affirms your gender identity. The candidate who wins the most voters is quickly declared the winner of elections.
What happens in red trifecta states? Districts are gerrymandered to ensure that African Americans and other left-leaning groups have as little representation in state capitals and Washington as possible. Cities are stripped of powers to run their local police departments and schools and regulate businesses in their communities. Public schools are defunded while upper-income families get state-funded vouchers to pay for private schools that often discriminate against LGBTQ students. University professors are barred from speaking honestly about racial and LGBTQ issues. Elections that Democrats win are questioned.
Even if you don’t live in Red America, you should care about what happens there. Your fellow Americans are denied civil rights and economic opportunities—and no, everyone can’t and shouldn’t have to move to a blue state. Republicans use their redistricting powers to make it as hard as possible for Democrats to win control of the U.S. House—even though that failed miserably in the 2026 cycle.
States run by Democrats are far from perfect. They often have massive income inequality, public schools segregated by race and class, and super-high housing prices. And many state legislators and governors are unwilling to push policies that help lower-income people because they are carrying out the interests of corporations and the superwealthy.
But blue trifecta states are at least largely trying to create some version of multiracial equalitarian democracy. Having more of them is good. And seeing Republican trifecta America shrink, particularly the GOP losing control of Texas, makes 2026 a truly monumental election cycle.
