Democrats won control of the Senate in the midterm elections, flipping Republican-held seats in some of the most conservative states in the country and securing new power to challenge President Trump and his agenda in Washington.

The party also captured the House, along with key governorships and state legislatures. The sweep amounts to a dramatic reversal from the 2024 election and strengthens Democrats' position for the final two years of Trump's presidency.

Ken Martin, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told Morning Edition that the results were the party's best in a century. He credited candidates who, in his telling, offered voters a positive agenda rather than relying solely on opposition to the president.

"This was a change election, and Americans sent a very clear message that they're looking for leaders who are fighting for them, not just the wealthy and well-connected," Martin said.

Martin said voters had given Democrats a mandate to address affordability and health care, and to confront what he called a "corrupt system" that benefits wealthy Americans.

How Democrats will turn those promises into policy remains an open question. Trump still holds veto power, which means the party's ability to deliver on its commitments will be tested during the final stretch of his presidency.

Martin expressed confidence that the new balance of power gives his party room to maneuver. "I think the reality is we have great leverage here," he said, pointing to Democratic control of Congress and of state governments.

Martin acknowledged that opposition to Trump helped drive the results, but he argued that voters also embraced the message Democratic candidates carried with them, not just their criticism of the White House. The outcome, in his view, was not simply a reaction against the president.

"Our candidates across the board ran for something, not against something," he said. "They gave people a sense of a positive vision of what Democrats would do while we're in power."

The full interview with Martin can be heard on Morning Edition.