Analysis: what comes now, after US midterm elections?

THE US midterm elections did not produce a so-called “blue wave”, but nor were they a victory for Donald Trump. And one of the ultimate winners from today was also a loser. Confused yet? Sarah Blake makes sense of the chaos.

DEMOCRATS have won back the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years and put the Trump White House firmly on the backfoot, but this was no blue wave.

With no towering figure to compete with the sheer weight of Trump’s persona and lacking a coherent and credible message beyond seething hatred of the president, Democrats struggled to expand their holdings as far as anticipated.

But while Republicans performed slightly better than predicted, this is certainly not a victory for Donald Trump.

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People vote at Sunset Mall, Nevada. Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP

Winning the House gives Democrats control over investigatory committees that will dig into every move the Trump administration makes. With subpoena powers to demand his tax returns and extensively probe his business dealings, Democrats will be able to make his life hell.

They will have the capability to slow Trump’s legislative agenda to a crawl, and even though Democrat leaders have resisted calling for impeachment proceedings to start against the president, they may well be tempted to do so, having been handed the power to commence them.

None of it bodes well. A Trump frustrated on the domestic stage is more likely to become more assertive internationally, and the one certainty about that option is that nothing is certain.

If Democrats focus on filibustering rather than creating a unifying, nation-building message to compare to Trump’s narrative of a booming economy and “making America great again”, they may well ensure he wins a second term.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California - soon expected to be House Majority Leader - (centre) speaks between two of her grandsons and Democrat heavyweights as they celebrate Democratic wins in the House of Representatives. Picture: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

One of the most surprising things about these results was that there were so few big surprises.

After the upending of all norms that was 2016, it was hard leading into Tuesday to find a pollster with an emphatic opinion. What was generally expected was that the Republicans would hold the Senate thanks to a favourable map and that Democrats would be propelled by suburban voters to take back the House. And that’s basically what happened.

Americans could be forgiven for wanting a break from politics after the febrile midterm ballot, but that’s not going to be the case.

In the morning, campaigning for the next general election will start in earnest.

Senator Ted Cruz saw off a strong challenge to hold his Texas Senate seat. Picture: AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Tonight’s successful Democrats read like a roll-call of aspiring presidential candidates for 2020, with Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand all winning their races.

And even though El Paso businessman Beto O’Rourke lost to incumbent Ted Cruz, the bruising fight he took to the Texas Senate race - without the aid of strategists, pollsters or consultants - puts him squarely in focus as a credible contender.

The charismatic O’Rourke, whose campaign ads went viral and who drew waves of celebrity support, raised more than $A100 million in funding without contributions from any political action committees. There are a lot of people suggesting he may be just what the Left needs in its search for an anti-Trump.

Beto O'Rourke makes his concession speech. His campaign saw him pole-vault into the national consciousness. Picture: AP Photo/Eric Gay

Originally published as Analysis: what comes now, after US midterm elections?