Blue Tsunami Tore Through State Capitols: Here’s How Dems Could Remake American Life Beyond The Beltway

Democrats’ major victories at the state level could lead to major changes on school choice, labor laws, abortion, healthcare and other key policy agendas.

Democrats flipped at least 549 state legislative seats, 12 state legislatures and broke Republican supermajorities in 13 chambers in the largest flip in state power since the Tea Party wave during the 2010 midterm elections, when former President Barack Obama held office. Democrats will use their new majorities to attempt making policy changes on data centers, Obamacare coverage and election integrity, among others.

Before the election, Republicans controlled the executive and the legislature trifecta in 21 states and Democrats held the same control in 14 states. After Election Day, Democrats are set to hold state trifectas in 20 states, while Republicans will hold the trifecta in 16 states. Nine states are divided, according to Ballotpedia.

“There’s probably going to be a major effort legislatively by the new progressive majorities to overturn some of the big conservative victories, whether it’s school choice or on labor issues or on taxes … In Georgia, where Democrats had a very good evening on the governor’s race and all the statewide races, there’s going to be a big debate around whether Georgia expands Obamacare and Medicaid,” Williams told the DCNF. “You’re going to have, I think, a real robust debate in that state being newly divided politically.”

Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Wisconsin have new Democratic trifectas, and they broke Republican trifectas in Georgia, New Hampshire, Iowa, Ohio and Texas, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Medicaid and Affordable Care Act expansion was a central issue in the Georgia gubernatorial race, where Democratic Georgia Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated former Republican Georgia gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson. Democrats took control of the Georgia state House for the first time in over 20 years, holding 91 House seats. Republicans kept control of the state Senate.

Georgia is roughly one of ten states that never fully adopted the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion and instead runs Georgia Pathways, which is set to expire in 2026. About 12% of the state’s population is uninsured, making Georgia one of the highest uninsured states in the country. Bottoms argued that full expansion would benefit rural hospitals and healthcare systems strained by uninsured patents relying on emergency rooms.

Bottoms and the Georgia state House could face hurdles with trying to pass the expansion in the state Senate, who will still hold a majority in January. The Georgia Republican Party’s post-election playbook states they will “negotiate any wider coverage on Georgia terms: work requirements and private plans.”

Some state Senate Republicans did not reject the idea of expanding coverage in interviews with The Georgia Recorder, a local outlet.