How big was the 2026 Democratic midterm win, according to Susan Glasser?

Susan Glasser told Preet Bharara the 2026 result was the biggest Democratic showing in a midterm since 1946 and 1958, with a possible pickup of eight Senate seats and more than 35 House seats. She stressed the breadth of the map: Kansas, Texas, the Carolinas, Ohio and Michigan, states Trump had carried, all moved against him, which is why even he could not claim the election was rigged.

• Glasser said neither 2018 nor 2020 produced such a sweeping, broad-based rejection of Trump.
• Glasser recalled George H.W. Bush going from approval above 90% during the first Gulf War to losing re-election within two years.
• Glasser's column after the vote called Trump the narcissist of the National Mall, a nod to his reflecting-pool project.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on On with Kara Swisher (2026-11-05). Read the whole episode summary →

▸More from this episode