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Beyond the Blue Wave: Republican Victories That Shouldn’t Be Overlooked in the 2026 Midterms
Democrats made major gains in Tuesday’s midterm elections, winning control of both chambers of Congress and flipping several governorships. Amid those national headlines, however, Republican candidates also secured victories across the country, including in Florida, Texas, Guam, and several state attorney general races.The November 3 election produced a major shift in American politics. Democrats gained seats in Congress and expanded their influence in state governments. Those developments matter, but they do not tell the whole story of election night.
From statewide offices to congressional districts, Republicans held on to several important positions. Some victories were decisive. Others came by surprisingly narrow margins, eliciting questions about the political scene heading toward the next election cycle.
Florida Republicans Retain Key Statewide Offices
Republican Byron Donalds defeated Democrat David Jolly to become Florida’s next governor and the state’s first Black governor.
With approximately 99% of votes counted in an early Wednesday report, Donalds led 50% to 48.7%.
The victory continued nearly three decades of Republican control of Florida’s governorship. But the margin was considerably narrower than Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s nearly 20-point reelection victory in 2022.
Republican Ashley Moody also won Florida’s U.S. Senate race against Democrat Angie Nixon, while Attorney General James Uthmeier won a full-term election.
Florida voters also approved Amendment 3, expanding the state’s homestead property-tax exemption.
Together, the results showed Republicans could retain major statewide offices even as Democrats mounted more competitive challenges.
Texas Republicans Hold Several Congressional Seats
Although Democrats won major statewide contests in Texas, several Republican members of Congress secured reelection.
Rep. Brandon Gill won another term representing Texas’s 26th Congressional District. Unofficial Texas Secretary of State returns showed Gill with 182,648 votes against Democrat Steven Shook’s 147,944, with 100% of polling locations reporting.
Republican Reps. Beth Van Duyne, Roger Williams and Michael Cloud also led their respective races in the reported returns.
Cloud’s victory in the 27th Congressional District was especially narrow, with a lead of approximately 6,540 votes.
In Denton County, Republican County Judge Andy Eads won reelection by fewer than 6,000 votes, another example of how competitive some traditionally Republican offices became.
Guam Elects Republican Governor
Thousands of miles from the continental United States, voters in Guam elected Republican Tony Ada and running mate E.J. Calvo.
According to unofficial election returns, the Republican ticket received 15,945 votes, compared with 14,925 for Democrats Therese Terlaje and Sabina Perez.
The 1,020-vote margin returned Guam’s governorship to Republican control.
Republicans also retained their existing 8–7 majority in the territory’s 15-member Legislature. Meanwhile, Democrats led the contest for Guam’s nonvoting congressional delegate, demonstrating the mixed nature of the territory’s election results.
Republican Attorneys General Win Across Multiple States
Beyond the higher-profile congressional and gubernatorial contests, Republican candidates won attorney general races in several states.
- Alabama – Katherine Robertson won an open-seat contest with approximately 55% of the vote.
- Idaho – Attorney General Raúl Labrador secured reelection with nearly 60%, while Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers won another term with approximately 56%.
- North Dakota – Attorney General Drew Wrigley won with nearly 64%, and Oklahoma Republican Jon Echols captured an open attorney general seat with about 55%.
- South Carolina – Republican David Stumbo also won an open-seat contest with about 52%.
- Arkansas – incumbent Tim Griffin won reelection unopposed, as did
- South Dakota – Republican Lance Russell in his state’s open attorney general contest.
These offices carry substantial responsibilities involving law enforcement, consumer protection, state litigation and the defense of state laws.
Washington State Voters Give Girls’ Sports Initiative an Early Lead
One of the most closely watched ballot measures in Washington state also produced a significant election-night development.
Initiative 638, which would establish sex-based eligibility requirements for female-designated K–12 school athletics, was leading with 56.76% support in unofficial returns updated early Wednesday.
The measure would prohibit students defined as biologically male from participating in female-designated K–12 school sports and require healthcare providers to verify biological sex.
Medical examinations before participation in school athletics are not new. For decades, schools have used preparticipation sports physicals to evaluate students’ health and fitness for athletic competition, including screening for medical conditions that could affect their safety.
Initiative 638 builds on that existing process by adding a biological-sex verification requirement for students participating in female-designated sports. Under the measure, healthcare providers would verify biological sex using one or more specified medical criteria, including reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or naturally produced testosterone levels.
Supporters argue that the additional requirement would help preserve fairness and safety in girls’ athletics. Opponents argue that sex verification goes beyond the purpose of traditional sports physicals and raises medical privacy concerns.
In a separate case, high school wrestler Kallie Keeler alleges that a transgender opponent sexually assaulted her during a wrestling match. Her lawsuit and a related emergency application to the U.S. Supreme Court have brought additional attention to the state’s policies.
The allegations remain contested, and the Supreme Court emergency application is distinct from a decision to hear the underlying case.
Washington’s initiative results remain unofficial while officials count additional ballots.
A Warning in the Margins
The Republican victories were significant, but so were the margins.
Florida’s governor’s race was decided by roughly 1.3 percentage points in the available returns, compared with a Republican victory of more than 19 points four years earlier.
Just over 1,000 votes decided Guam’s gubernatorial contest. Several Republican-held congressional and local offices also faced competitive challenges.
These differences do not establish a single explanation for the election results. Candidate differences, turnout, economic concerns and local political conditions all require examination.
What they do establish is that retaining an office does not necessarily mean retaining the same level of voter support.
The Full Election Picture
The 2026 midterms delivered major Democratic gains, including projected control of the U.S. House and Senate. Those outcomes will influence the federal legislative agenda and the balance of political power.
At the same time, Republican victories in Florida, Texas, Guam, and multiple state offices show the election produced a more varied set of results than the national congressional headlines alone suggest.
For voters examining what happened Tuesday, both developments matter: the offices that changed hands and those that remained under Republican control.
Editor’s note: Results reflect election calls and unofficial returns available November 4, 2026. Certification schedules differ by jurisdiction, and vote totals may change as counting continues.
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