More than 300 districts moved to the left in the midterms this year


Districts across the country are looking a lot bluer after this year's midterms compared to two years ago.
A total of 312 districts voted more Democratic in the 2018 midterm elections than in the 2016 presidential election, The New York Times reports. With all 435 House seats on Tuesday's ballots, and 414 having reported results, that means more than 70 percent of them moved to the left.
On average, districts across the country became 10 points more Democratic this year. In districts that flipped from Republicans to Democrats, the shift was 22 percentage points on average. But even in districts where Republicans won, 169 of them experienced a Democratic shift.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That's certainly great news for the left, although districts didn't move towards the Democrats nearly as much as they did toward Republicans in 2010, when the average district shifted 19 percentage points to the right. That was the year that Republicans gained a total of 63 seats in the House; Democrats this year, meanwhile, are likely to wind up gaining around 30 seats. Check out the fascinating infographic on how House districts have shifted at The New York Times.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies
Speed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Act
speed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
‘Vile, racist’ leaked chats roil Young Republicans
Speed Read Leaders of Young Republican groups made racist, antisemitic and violent comments in private chats