Lots of Congratulations to Spread Around: Change Research’s Clients and Their 2026 Midterm Impact

Tuesday night was a historic one for the country. Democrats flipped both the House and the Senate in a sweeping midterm rebuke, and Change Research congratulates winners up and down the ballot. We are especially grateful to the candidates and organizations we partnered with this cycle who won more than 60 races spanning federal, statewide, and local offices from coast to coast.

Here is a look at some of their wins, and at the races still too close to call.

Texas Made History

Perhaps the biggest story of the night belongs to Texas. James Talarico won the U.S. Senate race with 55.1% of the vote, defeating Attorney General Ken Paxton and ending a 32-year Democratic losing streak in Texas statewide elections. In the governor’s race, Gina Hinojosa unseated Greg Abbott, becoming the first Democratic governor of Texas since 1995 and the first Latina governor in the state’s history. We were glad to work with partner organizations supporting both campaigns.

Texas also delivered down the ballot. The Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee, one of our partners this cycle, flipped three seats that had long been out of reach, as Stephanie Guerrero Saenz unseated Rep. Denise Villalobos in District 34, Oziel “Ozzie” Ochoa Jr. unseated Rep. Janie Lopez in District 37, and Denise Wooten unseated Rep. Ben Bumgarner in District 63. Suleman Lalani won Texas House District 76 with 66.2%. Alisa Simmons was elected Tarrant County judge, the first Democrat to hold the seat in 40 years. Congratulations to all of them on a remarkable night for the Lone Star State.

Breaking the Supermajority in Ohio

The Ohio House Democratic Caucus set out this cycle to break the Republican veto-proof supermajority that had blocked Democratic priorities for years, and we were proud to support that effort by polling more than a dozen Ohio House districts. Democrats needed to flip six seats to get there.

They won ten confirmed seats on Tuesday, unseating five Republican incumbents and flipping five open seats. Congratulations to Crystal Lett (District 11), Megan Coy (17), J. Noah Spinner (31), Samantha Salamon (35), Rose Lounsbury (36), Tom Herner (37), Daquan Neal (39), Krista Allison (49), Mike Baker (52), and Shelby Kimball (60). Five more races have yet to be called.

This marks an important shift for Ohio. Amy Acton won the Ohio governor’s race, becoming the first Democratic governor of Ohio in 20 years. Without a supermajority, Republicans can no longer override her vetoes, so legislation will need bipartisan support. That is a real change in how Ohio is governed, and the credit belongs to the caucus and the candidates who made it happen.

Also in Ohio: Allison Russo, a Change Research client, won the Ohio Secretary of State race 50.3% to 46.8%.

Georgia’s Statewide Sweep

Congratulations to the Georgia Alliance, our partner this cycle, on a historic night in Georgia: Keisha Lance Bottoms won the governor’s race with 54.3%, and every Democrat on the Georgia statewide ballot won. Democrats also won control of the Georgia House for the first time in 22 years, helped by Danielle Bell in District 44 (52%), Mishael White in District 81 (53.8%), Michelle Kang in District 99 (58.5%), and Farooq Mughal in District 105 (60.8%).

Congratulations as well to Everton Blair, who won the special election in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District following the passing of Rep. David Scott. We were proud to poll Blair’s race earlier in the cycle and to help elect him to Congress.

Federal and Statewide Wins

Our clients and partners won critical races around the country. We polled directly for winning candidates:

Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Alaska governor-elect, longtime friend of Change Research and client this cycle
Juan de Jesus Sanchez III, won New Mexico commissioner of public lands with 60.3%
Abdul El-Sayed, won Michigan’s Senate race with about 52% to become the first Muslim elected to the Senate; Change Research polled during the primary
Scott Wiener, won California’s 11th Congressional District with 55% to succeed Nancy Pelosi

We also polled with organizations supporting candidates, including:

Roy Cooper won a North Carolina Senate seat with 58.7%
Carolina Forward helped Democrats win 70 of 120 seats and flip the state House for the first time since 2010
Adam Hamilton won his Kansas Senate seat with 51.0%, polled through Real Truth Operating Co.
Molly Gray unseated Republican incumbent John Rodgers in Vermont’s lieutenant governor race, 62.7% to 37.1%
Kentuckians Not Corruption helped flip Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District and elect Zach Dembo with 52.7%
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez held Washington’s 3rd Congressional District with 54.2%, polled through the Northwest Progressive Institute (NPI)

Legislative Chambers, State by State

Beyond Texas, Ohio, Georgia, and North Carolina, our state legislative partners won in eight more states from the Northeast to the Southwest.

Connecticut: Carolann Reid unseated Republican incumbent Jason Perillo in Senate District 21, and Joe de la Cruz unseated Republican incumbent Heather Somers in Senate District 18.
Delaware: Democrats won two of three targeted Senate races, with Spiros Mantzavinos winning District 7 and Kyra Hoffner winning District 14.
Indiana: Natasha Baker flipped Senate District 22 with 59%, unseating 28-year Republican incumbent Ron Alting and helping break the Republican supermajority.
New Mexico: The House Democratic Campaign Committee won six of its targeted districts: Abby Foster won District 27, Nathan Small won District 36, Raul Turrieta flipped District 39, Kathleen Cates won District 44, Chriselle Martínez flipped District 57, and Charlotte Little won District 68.
Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus held its majority and reelected key incumbents, and in the state Senate, Mark Pinsley unseated Republican Jarrett Coleman in District 16 as Democrats won the chamber for the first time in 48 years.
South Carolina: Cynthia O. Ford flipped District 57, Montez Aiken flipped District 102, and Korey Williams flipped District 122, while Nick Uricchio held District 115 with 57.1%.
Utah: The Utah Donor Collaborative went four for four. Jake Fitisemanu won House District 30 with 65.5%, Ashlee Matthews won House District 37 with 65.5%, Drew Howells unseated Republican Rep. Ken Ivory in House District 39 with 60.1%, and Christina “CJ” Hernandez flipped Senate District 5 with 55.9%.
West Virginia: Former Delegate John Williams unseated Republican incumbent Mike Oliverio in Senate District 13, 55% to 41%.

Up and Down the Ballot

We were also lucky to work with candidates and causes well beyond the marquee races, from governor’s mansions and statehouses to county offices, city councils, and school ballot measures.

California: Xavier Becerra won the governor’s race, and in San Francisco, Gary McCoy won the District 8 Board of Supervisors seat, a race we polled for GrowSF.
Indiana: The Indianapolis Public Schools referendum passed with 63.3%.
Maryland: Comptroller Brooke Lierman won with 66.9%, and Scott Goldberg won a Montgomery County Council seat.
Michigan: Alabas Farhat won House District 3 with 85%.
Nevada: Daniele Monroe-Moreno won the North Las Vegas mayor’s race with 58.1%, and Ryan Hampton won Assembly District 9 with 60%.
New Jersey: In Burlington County, Brolo (105,599 votes) and Chebra (105,013) won both County Commissioner seats comfortably, with Republicans at roughly 54,000 votes each.
Oklahoma: Chaunté Gilmore unseated Republican Rep. Marilyn Stark in House District 100 with 59%.
Tennessee: Mark Proctor beat Republican Bill Hancock in House District 59, helping flip the Rutherford County delegation blue.
Utah: Sim Gill won the Salt Lake County district attorney race, 66.3% to 33.7%.
Virginia: In Virginia Beach, Worth Remick won District 6 with 63.8%, and Joash Schulman held District 9 with 50.7%.

Still to Watch

At the time of writing, several races remain uncalled, and a few are worth watching closely.

The Mississippi U.S. Senate race between Democrat Scott Colom and incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith is essentially tied. Colom leads by 1,724 votes (466,226 to 464,502) in Thursday afternoon’s count, with roughly 3,600 mail ballots outstanding and affidavit ballots able to be cured until November 10. A Colom win would be the first Democratic Senate victory in Mississippi since 1982. Change Research polled this race on behalf of the 365 Project.

California: Two Change Research clients hold leads as the state counts its ballots. Eric Jones leads in the 4th Congressional District with 51.5%, and Melanie Bagby leads the Sonoma County District 4 supervisor race with 52.3%. In Los Angeles, Measure FD, a half-cent sales tax to fund the Los Angeles Fire Department, leads 53.7% to 46.3%.
Kansas: Democrat Cindy Holscher leads the governor’s race by about 7,000 votes (549,974 to 542,929), and the state has begun a close-race audit. Gov. Laura Kelly has congratulated Holscher as “Governor-elect,” though NBC still lists the race as too close to call.
Ohio: Five Ohio House races were still too close to call as of Wednesday afternoon, with Democrats at 42 seats so far.

A Cycle to Be Proud Of

Across federal, statewide, and local races, in chambers and courthouses, in purple states and in states people said couldn’t be won, the candidates and organizations we worked with delivered. More than 60 wins and counting. The map looks different today than it did before polls opened on Tuesday, and the credit belongs to the candidates who ran, the staff and volunteers who powered their campaigns, and the organizations that invested in them. We are grateful to have played a part.

To everyone who worked with us, whatever the results were, we thank you. It’s an honor to work with so many impressive candidates and great organizations. As a new class of leaders is sworn into office in the months to come, we are optimistic for governments at all levels that address people’s needs and make the world more humane, scientific, and just.