Democratic thrashing redraws the map of state power

Democrats gained over 500 state legislative seats and flipped at least 12 chambers, reshaping state-level power in a midterm cycle that favored the party. The scale of the pickups exceeds recent cycles and gives Democrats control of agenda-setting in more states, affecting policy areas such as taxes, labor, health care, and redistricting. The gains also strengthen the party’s position ahead of the next round of map-drawing and statewide elections. Watch for final seat tallies as outstanding races are called and for how newly flipped chambers pursue legislative priorities.