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Election Day Aftershocks, Democratic Game Plan, Grand Old Mess
Jack O’Donnell
November 09, 2026
Wow.
Elections always bring change and surprises, but Tuesday’s results are simply remarkable and will stand as a striking rebuke to President Donald Trump and his party, one only comparable to Democratic gains in 1974 following Watergate and President Richard Nixon’s resignation. Trump told Americans to vote like he was on the ballot and, unfortunately for Republicans, they did.
Democrats will control Congress by healthy margins, a prospect that was inconceivable a year ago. They won in places like Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, and Mississippi, states long thought to be out of reach.
Democrats also won big in New York, less surprising, of course, but they scored big gains in the legislature, which is also remarkable when you stop to consider how much of the state was already represented by Democrats.
The story so far:
Governor Kathy Hochul crushed it. She annihilated Republican nominee Bruce Blakeman by almost twenty points, winning 76% of the vote in New York City, winning in his home base of Nassau County and Suffolk County, dominating the Hudson Valley, and holding Erie, Monroe, Onondaga, Tompkins, Albany, and Schenectady across Upstate—a resounding victory that won her a second term and reinforced her dominant position in New York politics.
Hochul was not the only Democrat to win. Speaker Carl Heastie and Assembly Democrats had a record night. Democrats will go from having 103 seats to at least 109, and they are still favored to win two undecided contests, which would put them at a 111-39 majority in January, a historic record.
Republicans managed to flip one seat: former Oneida County Legislator Mike Gentile won an open race in the Utica area, but Democrats have flipped at least seven:
Three flips were on Long Island, where labor organizer Josh Slaughter beat Assembly Member Joe DeStefano while attorney Craig Herskowitz and former teacher Kim Keiserman both flipped open seats.
Democrats won three districts in southern Brooklyn with District Leader Joey Cohen-Saban defeating Assemblymember Michael Novakhov, New York City Council staffer Christopher McCreight besting Assemblymember Alec Brook-Krasny, and Democratic committee member Joyce Xie taking down Assemblymember Lester Chang. In the Albany area, Chloe Pierce defeated Republican Assemblymember Scott Bendett.
The two undecided races are in Auburn, where teachers union organizer Ian Phillips holds a 50.2% lead against Republican Assemblymember John Lemondes, and in Cheektowaga, where college administrator Ryan Taughrin has 50.4 percent of the vote against Republican Assemblymember Pat Chludzinski.
Senate Democrats, led by Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and new DSCC Chair Shelley Mayer, also had a record-breaking night: their majority is poised to increase from 41-22 to 47-16. The party also remains alive in one undecided contest, leaving open the possibility of a 48-15 majority.
Democrats flipped six seats: in the Hudson Valley, Nyack Mayor Joe Rand defeated Sen. Bill Weber; Dutchess County Legislator Lisa Kaul beat Sen. Rob Rolison; Assembly staffer Larry He ousted Sen. Steve Chan in Brooklyn; attorney Sarah Rogerson declared victory over Sen. Jim Tedisco in Saratoga; on Long Island, Attorney Chris Murray bested Sen. Anthony Palumbo in eastern Suffolk County and health care administrator Lisa Vider defeated Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick in Nassau.
One race is heading for a recount: Republican Sen. Jake Ashby led State Historian Devin Lander by 318 votes after 119,000 ballots had been tabulated. Republicans in the state Senate—a fearsomely powerful conference when the GOP had a seemingly unkillable majority—may be reduced to as few as 15 members.
One Congressional race worth noting is in the 17th District, where Democrat Cait Conley defeated GOP Rep. Mike Lawler for his Hudson Valley district. The district voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and was seen as one of the most competitive races this midterm cycle. Lawler, who conceded to Conley even as thousands of ballots remained uncounted because of Board of Elections failures, tried to distance himself from Trump on the campaign trail, but still lost as his Democratic opponent painted him as the president’s puppet. Hours before polls closed Tuesday, Trump tried to drive turnout for Lawler in the district’s Hasidic communities by taking to social media to declare him “a tremendous friend to the Jewish community.”
New York’s Republicans are not taking it well. Marc Molinaro, a former Republican congressman and incoming state assemblyman, suggested a different sort of cleaning: The state party, he wrote on X, “needs an enema.”
Representative Elise Stefanik, a one-time gubernatorial hopeful, called out Blakeman for running a “low-energy” campaign—the same insult Mr. Trump lobbed at Jeb Bush, Florida's former governor, during the 2006 presidential race. Blakeman was not having it. He told the New York Times, “I took two days off in 11 months; I think that’s pretty remarkable.” He also shared his thoughts about Stefanik on social media: “Elise Stefanik is a selfish, do nothing politician that didn’t lift a finger to help Republican candidates in New York this year.”
Later, Stefanik declined to comment beyond her social media posts, where she pointedly acknowledged that feelings were “raw in the aftermath of Tuesday’s result,” an experience she said she was not familiar with, since she had “never lost any of my seven elections.” Stefanik continued, “I know that this is a tough loss in NY and I imagine it takes time to process . . . I’m going to give some Upstate grace whether deserved or not.”
Representative-elect Anthony Constantino—who will replace Stefanik—urged the party to fire its leader, Ed Cox. “In NYS, the Republican Party is mostly a Con Job that helps Democrats win . . . Even Bruce Blakeman was in on the con. He just wandered around like a headless chicken going from stupid dinner to stupid dinner and charming the ‘party’ while ignoring the people. I am with the people and insist we rebuild the Party. Fire Ed Cox!”
Cox did not respond to a request for comment, instead issuing a statement calling for unity: “This is not the time for accusations or a circular firing squad. It’s a time for Republicans to regroup, come together, and develop a strategy for moving forward, building upon the foundation of the six House seats that Republicans continue to hold.”
Brooklyn’s own Hakeem Jeffries will be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. Many have criticized Jeffries for his laid-back style, saying he was the wrong choice to lead Democrats and wasn't up for leading the fight against Trump. Now he leads the largest majority the House has seen in years. That majority is extremely significant; it means that unlike Speaker Mike Johnson (and Kevin McCarthy), Jeffries will not have to cut the same deals—or face the same threats and blackmail—to win the Speaker’s gavel. Jeffries and his team recruited the candidates, raised the money, and most importantly, steered the message. Here’s a good look at Jeffries’s influence on making affordability the central theme of the Democratic campaign (as well as the government shutdown).
Will he still have problems with the left, especially the Congressional Progressive Caucus (expected to grow to 100 members, including six DSA members)? Of course, but it is worth noting that the moderate-to-conservative members of the Blue Dog Caucus (up to 20) and the centrist New Democrat Coalition (projected to hit at least 140 members) are expected to grow further, with the centrists already flipping many more seats. A few committee and leadership fights are expected—notably for the Financial Services Chair—but Jeffries and his leadership team, including future Majority Leader Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and future Majority Whip Pete Aguilar of California, are sailing into leadership. Together, buoyed by numbers that could reach 260, they are preaching a deliberative, consensus-building blueprint for governing, one without the hardline tactics favored by House Republicans over the last two years.
At a post-election news conference, Jeffries stressed consensus proposals like reversing Republican-led Medicaid cuts and extending enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits in response to questions about Medicare for All. Jeffries emphasized the collective, saying, “We’ll have a family conversation when we get back, and certainly in the new Congress, about what’s the best way to do that beyond what we know we need to do immediately.” The House will gavel back into session next week; sitting Democrats will gather with incoming freshmen for orientation, offering an early opportunity for members from disparate ideological factions to begin that conversation.
Another Brooklynite, Charles “Chuck” Schumer, has also been the target of slings and arrows, attacks that fell considerably short, as shown by Tuesday’s results. The Atlantic put it well: “Over the past two grim years, Chuck Schumer emerged as the symbol of everything that Democrats despised about themselves: the last aging Boomer who wouldn’t let go, the centrist without the steel to brawl with President Trump, a messenger forever mangling the message. Taunting the Senate minority leader became the easiest way for Democratic candidates to preen for the base and signal independence.”
“If you’re Chuck Schumer, I’m pretty damn dangerous,” Abdul El-Sayed jeered during the Michigan primary.
Instead, Democrats had flipped half a dozen Senate seats by the time the clock struck midnight, taking control of the Chamber in a result that was unthinkable only a year ago. On Election Day, Democrats did not hold a single Senate seat in a state that Trump had won all three times he ran for president. By Wednesday, they had senators-elect in six of them—including five that the president won by double digits in 2024. Democrats will enter 2027 with 56 seats. Democrats flipped seats in South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, Texas, Maine, Alaska, and Mississippi. One important result is that none of Trump’s nominees—for the Supreme Court or top administration posts—will be confirmed without Democratic consent.
The victories required Schumer and the left—many of whom were the loudest voices criticizing him last year—to set aside their differences and focus on winning, with a message about the “three c’s”: chaos, costs, and corruption.
Political fights loom ahead—including on funding the government, restoring healthcare subsidies and possible impeachments—all of which could strain Democrats’ unity. “We’re a big tent party,” Schumer said, noting that Democratic candidates across the spectrum all shared remarkably similar messages focused on reducing costs. “You talk about it differently in Maine than you talk about it in Kansas, but it was all the same message . . . And we will be united as a caucus focusing on those issues.”
Some newly elected Democrats say they will not vote for Schumer as leader. Troy Jackson of Maine affirmed that position this week. Abdul El-Sayed, along with Juliana Stratton of Illinois and Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota, have said they will not back Schumer, while Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said the caucus needs to have a “robust discussion” about Democrats’ goals and how to achieve them before committing to anyone as leader. Unlike the House—where the Speaker is an official office chosen in a public vote—Senate Democrats choose their leader by secret ballot.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said no one should doubt Schumer’s job security. He called Schumer the “principal architect” of Democrats’ historic victory, citing his candidate recruitment, fundraising, and messaging focus on costs and corruption. “I think he’s very much to be credited, and the caucus realizes it,” he said.
Asked about how he would handle a possible push from progressive Democrats to impeach Trump, Schumer said the victorious party’s No. 1 focus has to be addressing high costs and going after corruption. “Look, there was such rampant corruption, there has to be some investigations, but we’re not going to take our eye off the ball,” he said.
Longtime political ally, JB Poersch, president of Senate Majority PAC, a Schumer-linked super PAC, offered, “You just gotta stay on the horse,” he said. “Schumer never fell off the horse. He stays on the horse.”
Very true. He will be reelected as leader in a vote later this year.
What was the biggest factor behind the blue sweep on Election Night? Chime in and comment on our poll below!
Current Senate Majority Leader John Thune is expected to win another term as GOP leader, but there is more friction there. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) collected signatures to force a GOP conference-wide meeting to discuss delaying Senate Republican leadership elections. The letter is a sign of conservatives’ discontent with the South Dakota Republican in the wake of the overwhelming Democratic victory on Election Day. Five Senate Republicans have signed on to Johnson’s effort so far, and Johnson is planning to keep collecting signatures. Thune has scheduled leadership elections for Tuesday and is expected to win, but delaying them could give a potential challenger time to mount a run.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has announced he will not seek to remain leader when Republicans head into the minority in January. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan have announced plans to run for the position in party leadership elections on Tuesday. In a letter to colleagues, Scalise proposed a new task force to speak to people in "Real America" and use the input to craft legislation on top issues including Social Security and Medicare. "We have big tasks ahead, and tested leadership is needed now more than ever. I am ready to lead this conference," the Louisiana Republican said.
Jordan, an Ohio Republican, emphasized law and order, low taxes, and traditional values as top priorities in his letter to colleagues. "To restore our majority, we must restore voters' faith in our ability to deliver on these principles," Jordan wrote.
Jordan and Scalise each mounted failed bids to become House speaker after Republican hardliners ousted Kevin McCarthy from the top chamber post in 2023. The task of replacing McCarthy paralyzed the House for weeks until Johnson finally emerged as a compromise candidate. The decision may be made without Trump's input, who told reporters he would stay out of the Republican leadership election. "The speaker was fantastic. The people under him were fantastic. All good people," he said.
On an otherwise difficult night, the Sunshine State results were one of the few outcomes the GOP could hang their hats on. Incumbent Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) dispatched her socialist Democratic opponent Angie Nixon for the right to serve the remaining two years of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Senate term.
In the governor’s race, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) held off Democrat David Jolly by fewer than two percentage points, a narrower margin than many had expected, but in this environment, a win is a win, and that reflects well on outgoing Gov. Ron DeSantis, who posted on social media: “Florida sweeps again—congrats to the statewide ticket,” noting Republican wins in the race to succeed him, as well as in the contests for attorney general, agriculture commissioner, and chief financial officer. In a separate post, DeSantis emphasized: “With the loss of governors’ races in Texas, Ohio, and Georgia, there will be only one state of the top ten most populous states with a Republican governor: Florida.” DeSantis is preparing a presidential bid for 2028.
Now that elections are over, we are truly into budget time in New York. The Fiscal Year 2028 Quick Start Budget Meeting is today at 2 pm in 124 Capitol. It brings together the New York State Division of Budget, Senate Finance Committee, Assembly Ways & Means, and the New York State Comptroller’s Office to discuss and agree on fiscal projections to keep future budget negotiations on track. Buckle up!
Can AI help government do more without doing away with its workforce? In this week’s On the Record, OD&A’s VP of Public Affairs, Ralph Ortega, explores that question and the key takeaways from a Citizens Budget Commission discussion on AI’s impact on government and the state’s economy. Read on! |  |
Finally, Britain is preparing for the worst, but apparently some have different ideas about what constitutes an emergency. A government call to stockpile 72 hours of essentials has sparked an unexpected debate over what belongs in the survival kit, including mascara and Sauvignon Blanc! |  |
 | Jack on the winners, the losers, and the political fallout from Election Day: 🎙️What’s behind the blue surge? 🎙️How can Democrats deliver? 🎙️Impact on 2028 |
Get to know the people behind the work at O'Donnell & Associates with our Meet the Team podcast series. Listen as we go ‘From the Lobby’ with candid conversations on politics, government, and life beyond the office. Catch every episode on our employee bio pages here.
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ICYMI: OD&A’s Ralph Ortega goes On the Record to examine the pressures facing New York’s healthcare sector, from Medicaid cuts and budget challenges to workforce shortages and rising costs. Check out his latest reporting on the issues shaping care across the state: |  |
Ralph Ortega’s in-depth look at New York’s housing crisis: From the personal stories behind the numbers to Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal’s perspective on affordability, to conversations with OD&A clients and government leaders about the investments and ideas shaping what comes next, catch up on the conversation.
 Delaware North’s Kate DelGobbo & Shannon Patch with OD&A’s Dave Granville Celebrating 170 years of education, opportunity, and community impact! O’Donnell & Associates was honored to join Niagara University for its 170th Anniversary President’s Dinner. We are proud to partner with NU in its longstanding commitment to making higher education accessible to all. | It was a wonderful evening recognizing the students, alumni, and community leaders who carry Niagara’s mission forward and make a lasting difference in the lives of others.  Congratulations to Niagara University on this remarkable milestone! |
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, (D) New York
Our OD&A team joined New York’s Democratic leaders and elected officials, fresh off big Election Day victories, in Puerto Rico for SOMOS 2026! The annual gathering brings together leaders from across New York to exchange ideas, strengthen relationships, and discuss key priorities in Washington and ahead of the next Legislative Session in Albany. We value the opportunity to connect with leaders from across the state and be part of the conversations shaping New York’s future. |  OD&A’s Diane Ong, Michael Greco & Kara Hughes |
What was the biggest factor behind the blue sweep on Election Night? |
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November 9, 1965: The Great Northeast Blackout of 1965 struck the northeastern United States and parts of eastern Canada after a circuit breaker near Niagara Falls in Ontario tripped. The blackout affected over 30 million people, and led to the postponement of the very first New York Knicks game. Read on!
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