Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said Wednesday that the 2026 midterm results, which handed Democrats control of both the House and Senate, were not a routine outcome.
“This was not a normal midterm election,” Kennedy said. “If you have concluded otherwise, congratulations, you’re stupid.”
Kennedy acknowledged that the president’s party historically tends to lose congressional seats in midterm elections. But he argued that the size of the Democrats’ gains this year should serve as a serious warning to Republican leadership.
He said that going back about 50 years, it is fairly normal for midterms to cost the president’s party seats, or even control of one or both chambers. He cited 1998 and 2002 as notable exceptions.
“So, to the extent that the Republicans have lost control of Congress, historically, that’s not abnormal. It was the size of the loss,” Kennedy said. “Normally, there’s about a 7-vote swing. In this case, under normal circumstances, it would be a 7-vote swing in favor of the Democrats. In this election, there was a 13-vote - 13% swing. This was not a normal midterm election.”
