Democrats expand power in Washington and Republicans face defeat at the polls, says Jesse Watters

Republicans suffered a heavy defeat in the midterm elections, according to Fox News presenter Jesse Watters. On the program "Jesse Watters Primetime", broadcast on the Fox Business channel, he stated that Democrats could win nine seats in the Senate, which would be the worst-case scenario for President Donald Trump's party, with a score of 56 to 44.

According to Watters, Democrats secured the House and Senate and won important races for state governorships in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas. The most surprising result, he said, was the departure of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and the state now has its first Hispanic governor, Hinojosa. Florida was the only place where Republicans held out, with every statewide race won by the party.

The presenter highlighted defeats in territories historically favorable to the Republicans. In Iowa, the party hadn't lost in nearly 20 years. In South Carolina, Lindsey Graham's seat hadn't changed hands in 30 years. In Maine, the gap was almost 40 years, and in Kansas, almost 90. In Texas, according to him, Jamie Talarico beat Paxton by 12 points, and the state had its best Democratic result since 1993.

Economy, war and tariffs

Watters attributed the defeat mainly to the war with Iran and, in part, to the trade war. He said that the president promised that these two bets would pay off, and that the presenter believes they would, but that the return did not come quickly enough. According to him, Trump's approval began to fall on "Liberation Day", when the country was not prepared.

The presenter stated that reindustrialization is a slow and painful process, and that farmers in Republican states paid the price when China stopped buying their crops. Regarding Iran, he said that the Strait of Hormuz was blocked and that the prices of gasoline, diesel and fertilizers had risen. In his opinion, all of this came in the wake of "Bidenomics": high prices and interest rates suffocated voters, especially young people.

Watters considered that the fundamentals have strengths. He said that the stock market is doing well, that unemployment is low and that new steel mills, shipyards and car factories are being built, but that the situation remains unstable for many people. He also cited the weariness of the Epstein episode, the murder of Charlie Kirk and the low mobilization of the base as additional factors.

Electorate and artificial intelligence

The numbers per group, according to the presenter, show a wide shift. The men would have changed 17 points from the previous election, and the Democrats would have won between them. Among young people, the swing was 32 points, with 70% of those under 30 voting for Democrats. Among Hispanics, the movement was 28 points to the left, and blacks remained loyal to the party. Whites were split, with Democrats getting 48% or 49%. For him, if the Republicans are unable to win handily among whites, the party "as it is today" will be finished.

There was also a message for the technology sector. According to Watters, Texas should be home to almost half of the country's data centers, which is no longer the case. Where AI moratoriums were voted on, in 41 districts, all 41 were approved. He interpreted the result as voters demanding something in exchange for having this infrastructure in their backyard, and said the country is in trouble in the AI ​​race.

What lies ahead

For Watters, the wear and tear will be felt for some time, and the Republican Party may only regain the Senate in the next decade. He predicted hearings, investigations and even possible impeachment. Trump, according to the presenter, is open to signing bipartisan projects, but he already describes himself as "Mr. Veto": Democratic proposals such as the expansion of the Supreme Court or nationalized healthcare would be vetoed, and overturning them would require two-thirds of Congress, which should not happen.

The presenter concluded that history will judge Trump as a bold and consequential leader, but that, in the short term, voters have delivered their verdict. For the market, the message, according to the channel's analysis, is that high prices, high interest rates and uncertainty about war and tariffs remain at the center of voter mood, and that Washington must enter a period of divided government and political confrontation.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.