University of Connecticut students are continuing to reflect on the results of the midterm elections and contemplate the country’s future following Election Day last week.
In the election, Democrats gained control of both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. According to NBC News, Democrats have currently secured 253 seats in the House and 54 seats in the Senate. Republicans have secured 167 House seats and 44 Senate seats.
UConn Political Science Professor Stephen Dyson said this election was historic because of the Democrats’ significant victories.
“It was possibly a once in a lifetime landslide for the democrats,” he said. “This was really an outlier and I thought we wouldn’t see one-sided results like this again.”
Major victories in Texas and Kansas helped Democrats secure control in the Senate. Both states have historically favored Republican candidates, making the results surprising to many students.
“I was most surprised about how Texas turned blue,” Julia VanOsdol, a first-semester student, said. “I haven’t been around that long to realize that Texas hasn’t turned blue in a while.”
Third-semester student Michael Uva said he was stunned witnessing the Democrats take over Congress.
“I was shocked with how much seats Republicans lost,” he said. “When I saw Texas turn blue, my jaw dropped to the floor and I was not expecting that.”
While many students were surprised by the election results, others focused on voter turnout. Some students said people cast more votes because of frustrations with President Donald Trump’s administration while others were grateful seeing more people exercise their right to vote.
“I was not surprised by the recent election due to the backlash the administration has faced regarding the war and tariffs,” Daniella Guerrieri, a seventh-semester student, said. “But it seems the election has gained much attention with people hoping things will change.”
Fifth-semester student Matthew McCarthy said he believed voters’ frustration played a major role in the election.
“I feel like the built-up frustrations with a lot of people finally came to fruition,” he said. “A lot of people came out to vote and made a difference.”
Third-semester student Yelsi Vega said she was pleased with the voter turnout.
“I hope we keep seeing more people vote because it actually makes a difference,” she said. “This time around, people who didn’t speak up before showed their voice now.”
With Democrats gaining control in Congress, students are now looking towards the issues they hope the majority will address. Students said the biggest concern was affordability and they hope the majority will help lower costs.
“I hope they make house prices, oil, gas, electricity and living cheaper to benefit the people first,” Uva said.
Guerrieri said she would like lower costs but isn’t optimistic that things will change.
“I hope things like affordability improve with the new change, but I am not too confident much will change,” she said. “I think too many people are blinded by the power of money and influence to care about the everyday person in America.”
As students consider what the election could mean for the next two years, Dyson expects Democrats to focus on investigating the Trump administration and challenging its policies.
“I think there will be a lot of investigations of things that have gone on in the administration so far and maybe things that are to come,” he said. “I think the Democrats will be able to pass a lot of legislation and then will sort of dare Trump to either sign or veto it.”