A look at the key races offers plenty of reasons why.

Democrats flipped House seats in Texas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Kentucky and Colorado, among others. And they were poised to make gains in Virginia and Indiana.

Black Democrats in the southern states turned out in record number, helping to carry their party to victory. And Hispanic voters, whose support had helped secure Trump's presidential victory in 2024, swung decisively back to the Democrats.

Democrats won all three House races in the overwhelmingly Hispanic congressional districts along the Texas-Mexico border.

And Hispanic voters helped Democrats hold House seats in Florida that the state's Republicans had sought to flip by redrawing the congressional district lines.

In fact, the congressional redistricting battles that had dominated headlines for months last year ended up being a bust for the Republicans.

In Texas, they had hoped their line-drawing would net five new seats for their party. But on Tuesday they may end up losing one seat.

If there is a silver lining for conservatives, Florida as a whole still appears to tilt to the right.

Republican Senator Ashley Moody narrowly won re-election, as did congressman Byron Donalds, who was elected the Sunshine State's first black governor.

And embattled Republicans were able to hold governorships in Vermont and New Hampshire. But the bright spots were few and far between.

Just two years ago, Trump won the presidency with 48% of the vote. He claimed an electoral mandate.

He then went about governing like it, pushing sometimes unpopular policies on trade and immigration, and launching an Iran war that is opposed by most of the American public.

On Tuesday, voters gave him the kind of stinging rebuke that will not be easily forgotten.