Behind The Story: What drove the US 'bluenami'?

Updated / Thursday, 5 Nov 2026 07:50

Americans woke up to a new political landscape as Democrats won control of the Senate and the House in US midterm elections, taking control of Congress for the rest of Donald Trump's presidency.

So how did this happen and what does it mean?

On this episode we talk to Michael Ricci, Professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy, and Justin McCarthy reporting live from Washington, as both sides digest the magnitude of the results.

Professor Ricci says there was a sense of shock at the scale of the results, with the polls missing the extent of the swing to the Democrats.

"Even in a closely divided country, we've never seen the voters here deliver such a universal verdict against one party in decades in a very long time. So definitely as I go around Washington this morning, a sense of shock on both sides."

Prof Ricci previously worked on Capitol Hill with as Director of Communications for former Republican speakers John Boehner and Pat Ryan. He says there are different reasons for the swing away from Republican candidates.

"There are no easy answers, but sometimes there are simple ones. I think Republicans, they're going to they're going to blame the war in Iran mostly because they feel that was connected to energy prices. "

He says the hardline on immigration may also have played a role.

"If you look at a lot of the states like Texas, South Carolina, Kansas, their urban centres, their cities in particular went strongly for Democrats. And some of that is seen as an overreach on immigration, going too far and energising Democrats. So it is multiple factors, but it all obviously leads back to not just the rebuke of President Trump, but just the toppling of his governing coalition."

So is this the end of the Make American Great Again (MAGA) movement, so closely associated with Trump's base? Prof Ricci thinks in it’s current form, yes.

"Clearly the places that MAGA went over the last two years, more government stake in private companies, being so pro-data centres, so pro-AI, voters rejected data centres across the board in the country.

"I think that what people expected MAGA to be was enforce immigration laws, no wars, focus on cost of living ruthlessly, be pro-agriculture, protect farmers, that was the MAGA that people voted for, that people expected, and it changed into something else. The president kind of lost his touch with the base a bit," Prof Ricci adds.

What happens next as the Democrats take over Congress in January?

There will obviously be a desire in the base for impeachments, Prof Ricci says.

"During President Trump's first term, there were impeachments, but a lot of Republicans liked that because it allowed them to raise their profiles and become bigger figures in the Republican Party. So, believe it or not, there are Republicans who would welcome that process because it would be an opportunity for them to have a big national debate with Democrats."

You can listen to Behind the Story on the RTÉ Listen app.

You can also find episodes on Apple and Spotify.