Democrats flip statehouses in midterm wave

The Democratic wave that flipped control of Congress from Republicans on Election Day also washed through to the state and local level, with several legislatures seeing historic changes in their balance of power. 

Democrats are now projected to control at least 10 more legislative chambers in 2027, with at least six states now having full Democratic control of the governor’s office and both chambers of state legislatures, according to projections from The Associated Press as of Friday.

Those states where Democrats achieved “trifectas” are Arizona, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Wisconsin.

That could have major implications for policies in these states on issues ranging from abortion access to economic policy and congressional redistricting. In many cases, state laws and policies become the blueprints for federal laws.

“So it’s going to be hard to get anything done at the federal level, so all the action and opportunities will be in the state,” Leslie Martes, chief executive officer at Forward Majority, a super PAC focused on state legislatures, told ABC News.

Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, told ABC News, “I think without question, we affected generational change in our state capitals across the country. This is going to usher in an entirely different perspective of leadership in the states, and states are where things get done.”

Here’s a look at some of the states where Democrats either notched trifectas or broke Republican holds on state government.

Georgia

Democrats swept every race for statewide office, with Black women — who have been hailed as the backbone of the Democratic Party — winning races for governor, secretary of state and attorney general. 

Democrats also won control of the Georgia House of Representatives for the first time in more than two decades and narrowed Republicans’ majority in the state Senate.

Georgians are already beginning to see policy shifts in light of Democrats’ victory. One day after the election, outgoing Republican Gov. Brian Kemp announced he would not call a special session to redraw the state’s congressional lines or limit Democratic Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms’ power, saying, “The voters of our state have spoken. As long as I’m governor, we will always respect the results of secure, accessible, and fair elections, and also abide by the laws and constitution of our state.”

At a post-election news conference on Friday, Bottoms indicated that expanding Medicaid in Georgia will be a priority for her and that she would consult with leaders in the legislature about possible steps they could take to change Georgia’s six-week abortion ban.

Pennsylvania

Democrats had already been hoping to hold onto the state House and flip control of the GOP-held state Senate, a major goal for Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and the state Democratic Party.

They achieved that goal, with Shapiro winning reelection and by flipping four seats in the state Senate.

They’re projected to have 26 seats in the state Senate to Republicans’ 24, according to The Associated Press, while maintaining a comfortable majority in the state House.

As for what they’ll do with the trifecta, Shapiro said Wednesday, “We will fund mass transit. We will raise the minimum wage. We will make sure that women have a right to reproductive freedom here in this Commonwealth. We will build more housing. We will allow survivors of abuse the ability to confront their abusers in court.”

Nevada

In Nevada, Democrats retained control of both chambers and with Aaron Ford winning his gubernatorial race against outgoing Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, Democrats will secure a trifecta. 

With all three branches of government in their control, Democrats could repeal Nevada’s “right-to-work” law that lets workers get union benefits without paying dues, which Ford has pledged to do.

Texas

In the Texas gubernatorial race, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and became the first Democrat elected governor of Texas in more than 30 years. She also became the first Hispanic woman to be elected governor in the state. 

Voters flipped the state House, breaking the trifecta Republicans have held since 2003. However, Republicans will still control the state Senate, according to The Associated Press.

Incoming Democratic Texas Attorney General Nathan Johnson told ABC News that he would scale back abortion law enforcement in the state, which comes after Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office had aggressively enforced restrictive abortion laws.

“[Paxton’s] been using the law to scare physicians, to scare women, to scare their families, to intimidate doctors out of providing, in some cases, life-preserving care or reproductive-preserving care. And I want physicians to know that I’m not going to interpret the law in a way that infringes upon their professional judgment or their relationship,” Johnson said. 

Wisconsin

Some Wisconsin Democrats warned ahead of the election that the gubernatorial race was flying under the radar and the blue wave may look more like a “ripple” in the swing state.

Democrat David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, defeated Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany to become the state’s first Black governor.

And for the first time in nearly two decades, Democrats in Wisconsin flipped control of both legislative chambers. In the state Senate, Democrats flipped three seats and flipped eight seats in the state assembly, according to The Associated Press.

The state government trifecta “would be a sea change,” state Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein told ABC News ahead of Election Day.

Democrats told ABC News they would focus on addressing affordability concerns, public education funding, data centers and protecting voting and reproductive rights. 

-ABC News’ Gabrielle Vinick, Halle Troadec and Clarissa Gonzalez contributed to this report