The Democrats have enjoyed a hugely successful night in the U.S. midterm elections with a “blue tsunami” meaning they have won back control of both chambers of Congress.
asserted
they → enjoy → Congress
Votes are still being counted in what has become a referendum on the second Trump presidency, but it is already clear voters have issued a stark rebuke to the commander-in-chief.
asserted
voters → count → chief
With the elections over, attention will now turn towards the 2028 presidential election and who will be the party’s candidate, as the Democrats look to take advantage of this new position of strength.
asserted
Democrats → turn → strength
Here, The Independent takes a look at those whose stock is rising ahead of a defining Democratic primary beginning next year.
asserted
stock → take → primary
One person who is not yet on this list is Abdul El-Sayed, who will become the first Muslim senator in US history after winning a key Senate seat in the battleground state of Michigan.
asserted
who → become → Michigan
Running on a staunchly left-wing platform, including criticism of Israel’s war inside Gaza, he has gained nationwide attention, but made more centrist Democrats nervous.
Jon Ossoff
asserted
he → run → Democrats
The 39-year-old senator, who stormed to victory in his re-election bid for the Senate with more than 59 per cent of the vote, is a rising star within the party.
asserted
who → storm → party
US-based prediction market platform Polymarket gives him a 24 per cent chance of winning the Democratic primary to become the party’s presidential nominee, after his electoral success saw a nine-point surge in recent hours.
asserted
success → base → hours
Ossoff has built his popularity through his direct and unsparing criticism of Trump, who he described on Tuesday night as a “lame duck president”.
asserted
he → build → president
He has drawn comparisons to former president Barack Obama, a strong orator with an appeal to both progressives and centrists who represents a youthful choice in an era of ageing presidents.
asserted
who → draw → presidents
"Together, we’ve affirmed that our task is not just to contain one president’s wickedness, but to heal the brokenness beneath," Ossoff told a crowd of voters on Tuesday evening.
asserted
Ossoff → affirm → evening
"The American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of the failed lame duck president Donald J. Trump."
Polymarket now has him as the frontrunner to become the next U.S. president with an 18 per cent chance on Polymarket, leading Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by four points and Vice President J.D. Vance by five.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
The U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district, known widely as AOC, has solidified her own standing in the midterms.
Ocasio-Cortez comfortably won re-election in her seat with more than 78 per cent of the vote, with 96 per cent of votes counted.
It saw her chances of taking the candidacy boost by two points to 18 per cent, according to Polymarket.
uncertain
chances → rebuke → Polymarket
The 37-year-old from the left of the Democrat party was first elected into her position in 2018,
asserted
old → elect → 2018
She was the frontrunner for the candidacy just three months ago after a surge in her odds – which saw her given a 23 per cent chance in August – followed a high-profile interview on ABC’s This Week, in which she refused to rule out a presidential campaign.
asserted
she → see → campaign
The 59-year-old veteran of Californian politics dominated the odds for months, peaking at 40 per cent likelihood of being the Democrats presidential nominee in November last year.
But his chances have since steadily declined.
asserted
chances → dominate → November
Analysts say his initial popularity was partly an immediate default candidate following Trump’s re-election in 2024.
asserted
popularity → say → 2024
It was also a product of his combative media style and his social media presence, including X posts written in all caps and riddle with spelling mistakes in an open mockery of President Trump.
asserted
It → include → Trump
Newsom will no longer be a governor after the midterms, having fulfilled the maximum of two terms permitted in California.
asserted
Newsom → fulfil → California
In September, he said his children would have the final say on whether he takes on a 2028 presidential run.
asserted
he → say → run
The former naval officer, who served as secretary of transportation during the Biden administration, has remained steadily among the top candidates in U.S. prediction markets since Trump retook office in January 2025.
asserted
Trump → serve → January
Buttigieg ran in the 2020 presidential primary, and would have become the youngest, and first openly gay, American president had his campaign been successful.
asserted
campaign → run → primary
After placing fourth in the South Caroline primary, Buttigieg dropped out of the race in early March and endorsed Biden.
asserted
Buttigieg → place → Biden
Polymarket currently gives him a four per cent chance of succeeding in the Democratic primary, with his chances having dropped significantly from 13 per cent one year ago.
asserted
chances → give → cent
Although Buttigieg has not officially launched a campaign, he has left the door open and refused to rule out a potential run.
Kamala Harris
Harris, the Democrat nominee for the 2024 presidential election, may be looking for a second chance.
Having served as vice president during the Biden administration, she was dealt a difficult hand when she assumed the candidacy in July 2025, after Biden eventually dropped out of the race amid mounting speculation.
Harris became the first presidential candidate to not have participated in the primaries since 1968, running the shortest presidential campaign in history at 107 days.
But ultimately, Harris failed to win over voters and proved unable to detangle herself from the legacy of the Biden administration.
uncertain
Harris → launch → administration
Harris has not confirmed a run, but neither has she ruled it out.
asserted
she → confirm → it
Polymarket give her a 3 per cent chance of being selected, but many experts believe she may be gearing up to run again.
uncertain
she → give → chance
The Aporia
