Tuesday night (artist's rendering)
Tuesday turned out to be an utter bloodbath for Democrats, as a bad map, depressed midterm turnout, and deep hostility toward Barack Obama all combined to deliver defeats across the board for Team Blue. Republicans easily took control of the Senate, with pickups in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia. They also held Georgia, Kansas, and Kentucky and very nearly won in Virginia, a race that hadn't even looked close.
Even though the Senate picture had grown bleak in the campaign's final weeks, Democrats had nevertheless hoped to make gains on the gubernatorial front. It wasn't to be. Except for Pennsylvania, every major seat stayed in GOP hands, including Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Maine, and Wisconsin. Republicans actually managed to gain a few statehouses, like Arkansas, Illinois, and even dark blue Maryland. As of this writing, they were also leading in Colorado and Massachusetts—two more states held by Democrats.
The House picture was miserable, too, with Republicans easily padding their majority—likely by double digits—mostly by defeating vulnerable freshman and some conservative Democrats in red districts. More than one state legislature also flipped to the GOP, including the Nevada Senate, the West Virginia House, and probably a few more by the time you read this.
It was a bitter, humiliating night for the entire Democratic Party, and the finger-pointing, post-mortems, and prescriptions for the future will be legion. What lies next is not clear. But one thing is for certain: Campaign 2016 starts today, and our work is never done. We'll be right here, covering every single important race, without fear or favor, every single day. So keep tuning into us at Daily Kos Elections, your number one source for all election news.