As Democrats are riding the high of several notable electoral victories on Tuesday, the outlook for 2026 appears a bit tougher.

Hours before the first major elections since President Donald Trump’s win last November, Sen. Bernie Sanders offered a stern warning for Democrats about the party’s secret talks to end the shutdown.

Democratic victories in Tuesday’s highest-profile, and under-the-radar, elections give the party a shot in the arm as they look to regroup and storm into next year’s key midterm elections.

N.Y., and his caucus mulling ways out of the government shutdown from a host of offers Republicans have made throughout the 36-day ordeal.

Democrats’ dominance in Tuesday’s elections reset expectations ahead of next year’s midterm battle for House and Senate control, reinvigorating a party that has been in the political wilderness and leaving Republicans lamenting that the gains President Donald Trump made a year ago with key portions of the electorate all but evaporated.

For a day, at least, beleaguered Democrats are hopeful again. But just beneath the party's relief at securing its first big electoral wins since last November’s drubbing lay unresolved questions about its direction heading into next year’s midterm elections.

The projected state House wins smooth over Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger's chances for advancing her agenda upon being sworn into office. Democrats Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones also won races for the state's lieutenant governor and attorney general, respectively.

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The Democratic Party secured control of the U.S. House of Representatives late on Tuesday with the Democrats winning at least 218 seats, the Associated Press reported.