Democrats won control of the House and Senate in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Postelection polling showed widespread dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s economic policies.

About two-thirds of voters said Trump’s policies had made the economy worse. About 8 in 10 of those voters supported Democratic House candidates, according to the AP Voter Poll, a national survey conducted for The Associated Press and television news organizations.

The Democratic gains included Senate victories in Texas, Kansas and South Carolina, states Republicans had long counted on. The results suggest Republican claims of economic strength did not overcome concerns about household costs, even as the economy continued to grow.

For Trump and his Make America Great Again movement, the defeat raises questions about policies intended to protect American workers but associated with higher consumer costs. For Democrats, it brings pressure to show that control of Congress can produce relief when the new majority takes office in January 2027.

Growth and purchasing power diverged

The economy expanded at a 3.4% annualized rate in the third quarter, according to the Commerce Department’s advance estimate. Investment and consumer spending contributed to the increase.

Workers’ purchasing power weakened, however. Inflation-adjusted average hourly earnings for employees on private nonfarm payrolls fell 0.7% over the year through September, preliminary Labor Department figures showed. Consumer prices were 3.7% higher than a year earlier, while gasoline prices rose 34.2%.

Those figures help explain the gap between the administration’s account of the economy and voters’ assessments. Higher output did not necessarily mean an hour’s pay bought more.

Trump made high prices central to his 2024 campaign. “I got elected because of high prices,” he said at a Texas rally before the midterms, The New York Times reported Oct. 30.

Roughly 9 in 10 voters said the cost of living was a crucial or major consideration in their vote, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing the same survey.

Tariffs complicated Trump’s promise to lower costs. Research published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found tariff increases passed into consumer prices for imported goods and affected domestic products through higher input costs and reduced import competition.

The findings do not attribute all inflation to tariffs. They do show how protecting domestic producers can increase costs for their customers, creating a conflict between two of the administration’s economic goals.

The Iran war added pressure on energy markets, the Journal reported. More than 6 in 10 voters considered the decision to take military action wrong, according to the survey cited in its report.

Health insurance costs also rose. After enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expired, average monthly premiums paid by marketplace consumers after tax credits increased 58% in 2026, from $113 to $178, the health policy research organization KFF reported. The figures apply to marketplace consumers, not everyone with health insurance.

Republican strongholds changed hands

In Texas, James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton for the Senate and Gina Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott. Talarico became the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Texas since 1988, the AP reported.

In Kansas, minister Adam Hamilton defeated Sen. Roger Marshall. It was the state’s first Democratic Senate election victory since 1932, according to the AP.

Democrats also gained Republican-held Senate seats in Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina, bringing their pickups to at least seven, according to Ballotpedia. Governorships in Georgia, Iowa and Ohio also changed from Republican to Democratic control.

The outcomes do not establish that those states have permanently shifted toward Democrats or that economic concerns alone determined the results. The AP Voter Poll found government corruption also weighed heavily on voters.

The geographic reach of the losses nevertheless shows the limits of relying on Republican voting patterns to offset dissatisfaction with the administration. The economic message to the GOP and MAGA conservatives was that promises of future benefits had not resolved voters’ concerns about present costs.

Health care and tariffs loom in January

Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, has identified restoring ACA assistance, reversing Medicaid cuts and reclaiming congressional authority over tariffs as priorities. He outlined those positions in an Oct. 14 interview published by his office.

The proposals indicate where early disputes with the White House are likely to develop, but they are not a finalized legislative schedule. Trump will retain his veto, limiting what Democrats can enact without negotiations or Republican support.

Restoring insurance assistance would address a specific household expense. Challenging tariff authority would confront a policy that affects importers, manufacturers, retailers and their customers. Neither a congressional majority nor an opening round of votes guarantees lower prices.

For businesses, the result is likely to mean greater congressional scrutiny of the administration’s economic decisions, not an immediate reversal of its policies. Tariff exposure and health care funding will remain important planning questions as lawmakers and the White House negotiate.

Democrats’ first test will be whether they can translate the backlash into changes voters recognize in their own finances. Republicans lost congressional control despite economic growth. The incoming majority will face the same distinction between a stronger national economy and more affordable daily life.