EXPERT ADVISORY – Nov. 6, 2026 — R0102
Following Tuesday’s historic Democratic sweep in the U.S. midterm elections — where the party won enough seats to take control of both Congress and the Senate — Brock University Political Science experts say Canadians should temper their expectations of a shift in Canada-U.S. relations.
“Much will depend on how the Democrats use their power to address the factors that have destabilized Canada-U.S. relations,” says Blayne Haggart, Professor and Department Chair. “The Blue Wave was a direct rebuke of President Trump, but he is only a symptom of the deeper problems affecting the American republic.”
Beyond delivering a verdict on Trump and his policies, Haggart contends the midterm elections served as a referendum against tech oligarchs, artificial intelligence (AI) data centres and the Trump administration’s uncritical embrace of AI.
“It should also serve as a warning to federal and provincial governments here in Canada, who have embraced many of the same players and policies as the United States: voters don’t like the AI future that’s being imposed upon them without their consent,” he says.
Associate Professor Stefan Dolgert says that while Trump’s attempts to remake the U.S. according to his agenda may have suffered a severe setback with the midterm results, it’s far from clear how the next few years will play out.
“This defeat was largely self-inflicted. Without the spikes to gas prices and other deleterious effects on the U.S. economy due to the disastrous Iran war, voters would likely not have turned against Trump in the substantial manner that they did on Tuesday,” says Dolgert. “While the Democrats in the House and Senate will push back a great deal on his agenda and will attempt to restore some form of accountability, there is so much damage to undo and we simply cannot predict how enduring this anti-Trump momentum will be amongst the citizenry.”
He says while there is room for optimism, Canadians must temper it with “a healthy dose of caution as the U.S. takes its first steps on the difficult road to repair its battered democracy.”
With the Democrats having a large majority in Congress, Associate Professor Paul Hamilton says there’s little chance a small fragment of the caucus will hold the leadership hostage, like what happened with the Republicans under Speaker Mike Johnson.
“The election also demonstrated the power of a disciplined message and the benefits of meeting voters where they are. The win in the Senate means Trump won’t get another judicial appointment — at least not an ideologically right wing one,” he says.
Tuesday was also a night of historic “firsts” across the midterm elections, including the first Black female governor, California’s first elected Latino governor, Texas’ first Latina governor, first female Indigenous governor in New Mexico, the first Black governors for three states, the first female governors in three states, the first openly gay man elected to Senate, alongside the first Indigenous woman and first Muslim.
“In short, it was a great night for American democracy, which had been pronounced near death by many observers,” says Hamilton.
Brock University Political Science Professor Blayne Haggart and Associate Professors Stefan Dolgert and Paul Hamilton are available for media interviews on this topic.
For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
*Melinda Cheevers, Communications Specialist, Brock University, [email protected] or 289-241-5855
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