The Daily

The midterm elections were an electoral tsunami for Democrats: a complete collapse of the Republican coalition and a landslide victory.

Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The New York Times, examines the results to figure out which voters showed up, which stayed home and how much billions in campaign spending mattered.

Guest: Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The New York Times.

Background Reading

• There’s no modern precedent for this Democratic tsunami.
• Trump is confronting an identity he would rather not: a lame duck.

Photo: Nicole Craine for The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On Tuesday night, the blue wave that polls predicted landed with extraordinary force across the United States as Democrats flipped control of both the House and the Senate.

Nate Cohn, Lisa Lerer and Shane Goldmacher of The New York Times discuss an extraordinary shift in power and a new era of American politics.

Guest:

• Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The New York Times.
• Lisa Lerer, a national political correspondent for The New York Times.
• Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading:

• Democrats seized control of Congress as voters rebuked President Trump.
• A Democratic rout stunned Texas in a seismic shift that was once unthinkable.

Photo: Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After two years of campaigning, the 2026 midterm election is now in the hands of the American voters.

As the ballot counting begins, Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The New York Times, offers a guide for how to understand the results.

Guest: Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The New York Times.

Background reading:

• Here are four scenarios for how the midterms could go.
• The final polls show a blue surge. Can we trust them?
• Here’s what to know about the fight for Congress.

Photo: Erin Schaff/The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.