On the latest episode of NAHB’s podcast, Housing Developments, CEO Jim Tobin and COO Paul Lopez are joined by Chief Advocacy Officer Ken Wingert to discuss the immediate aftermath of the midterm elections.

Democrats Take Control of House and Senate

Although a few Senate seats and several dozen House seats remain open, the Democrats have won clear majorities in the House and the Senate.

“Is there a bigger wave than a tsunami?” Tobin noted.

Redistricting efforts, which were initially projected to limit a Democratic majority, may not have had as great an impact as Republicans were expecting.

“When you gerrymander those districts, a lot of times you make them — your margins get a little bit thinner, so you get one of these wave years and you get caught,” Wingert explained. “And that certainly happened to Republicans in a number of places — North Carolina, Florida, Texas.”

“It may have actually hurt them more than it helped them, which might be a cautionary tale for folks thinking about redistricting going forward,” he added.

Some of the biggest surprises, including gubernatorial races, were South Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, Texas and Nevada, as well as a potential upset in Mississippi, which is still to be determined.

“It may not be historic, in terms of raw number of seats because of some of that gerrymandering, but in just terms of Democratic turnout, it was pretty, pretty incredible,” Wingert noted.

What Factors Contributed to the Election Outcomes

As noted in an earlier podcast episode, voters have been frustrated with the current economic climate, amid uncertainty and rising costs surrounding current policies related to tariffs, immigration enforcement and the Iran war.

Wingert pointed to optics as another contributing factor, and GOP candidates had a hard time distancing themselves from Trump.

“I would add to that the perception of ‘How is the president feeling about me? Is he concerned about my issues? Is he concerned about those things?’” he noted. “The last day before the election, he’s out in front of the Reflecting Pool, talking about all the great construction that we’ve done in Washington D.C. while people are paying double what they were a few months ago at the pump. And it just seems kind of out of touch.”

What to Expect Going Forward

Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become Speaker of the House, and Chuck Schumer is expected to be Majority Leader in the Senate. Speaker Mike Johnson has already announced he won’t return to leadership, and Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan have signaled they will seek the Speaker role.

NAHB has already been meeting with both sides of the aisle to discuss housing policies, including the possibility of a Housing 2.0 effort.

The shift in leadership also opens up the presidential fields for both parties heading into 2028.

“It’s going to be really interesting to see the maneuvering on the presidential side and both sides,” Wingert observed. “They’re not going to have a debate stage big enough for the Democrats for sure.”

Upcoming Events on Election Results and More

NAHB will do a deeper dive on the election results and what they mean for housing in a members-only webinar on Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. EST. Register now to attend. (Login required.)

It’s never too soon to begin registering for the 2027 International Builders’ Show, taking place in Las Vegas Feb. 2-4. Visit BuildersShow.com to learn more and register.

For more on the elections, check out the full episode above, on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts.