Newsom on possible Democrat ‘tsunami’ on Election Day: ‘That’s a word I haven’t used lightly’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Sunday said there’s a chance that there could be a massive Democratic victory, or a “blue tsunami,” on Election Day, and that there is momentum behind the party to reclaim one or both chambers of Congress.

“It could be that blue tsunami, but you make that legitimate and obvious point,” Newsom said on “ Decision Desk ’26: Midterm Preview ,” hosted by 2WAY in collaboration with The Hill and NewsNation, to moderator and journalist Mark Halperin. “The margins in those Senate races suggest that, obviously, maybe it won’t be on that side of the aisle, as well.”

“We’re all going to be experts in hindsight. It will all be obvious –– what’s happened –– in 48 hours. But I just –– that tsunami. That’s a word I haven’t used lightly and it’s a word that I’m sharing privately and publicly,” he told Halperin and his co-hosts for the evening, Democratic strategist Kevin Walling and conservative commentator Larry O’Connor.

The governor added, “I just feel it everywhere I’ve been. These things seems to be teed up despite the headwinds of today in Michigan,” referring to Rep. Haley Stevens’s (D-Mich.) endorsement of Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who is up for reelection on Tuesday, appeared after Newsom and dismissed any chances of a “tsunami.” He said there was a “frustration” at the state and national levels against Democrats.

“People are feeling the pain,” he said. “I listened to Gavin Newsom. It’s as if he hasn’t been in elected office for 30 years though. California and New York are two of the most expensive states anywhere in the country because of the policy decisions that they make…”

“And so I don’t think the blue tsunami, as Gavin Newsom predicts, is going to be reaching New York in terms of my congressional seat,” Lawler later added.

Polling estimates show that Democrats are primed to likely win the House on Tuesday. The Hill’s election partner Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) holds an 83-percent probability that Democrats win the House, who will need at least three seats to win a majority.

Democrats must flip four Republican-held seats to win the Senate. DDHQ estimates that they have a 62-percent chance to bring the Senate under Democratic control.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) on Sunday said there will be “debate” within the GOP about the MAGA movement should they suffer losses in the midterms. He cited “Ronald Reagan principles” as something the party has backed away from during President Trump’s two administrations.

“I think the Republican Party, I think America yearns for those principles … And I surely would like to see a debate, and I know I want to be a part of it,” he said on CNN.

Trump, who has seen his approval rating plummet across several polls over his handling on the economy and the Iran war, has called on Republicans to “ pretend ” as though he is on the ballot to increase voter turnout, which is generally lower in each midterm cycle.