How do Americans feel about the midterm results? It depends on how much money they make.

By Venessa Wong

Most Americans are 'thrilled' or 'happy' about the results of this year's election. Some are especially so.

Half of lower-income voters were positive about the midterm election results, and middle- and high-income voters were even more upbeat, according to YouGov's poll.

Elva Medina said she "woke up with so much joy and happiness, so much hope for things to change and to be better," when she heard the results of the U.S. midterm elections on Wednesday morning.

Medina, a 43-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from Mexico and parent to a 7-year-old child in the Kansas City, Mo., area, voted this year with education as a top-of-mind priority, wanting more resources for her daughter's school and less funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

While a blue wave for Democrats in Tuesday's election has disappointed Republicans, voters across the income spectrum are generally positive about the results.

In a poll conducted by YouGov on Wednesday, 26% of all voters said they were "thrilled" about the results of the election, and 30% were "happy."

Half of lower-income voters shared these positive reactions combined, and middle- and high-income voters were even more upbeat.

YouGov declined to comment on the data, but other results from its poll showed that voters ages 18 to 44 were happier about the results than older voters, and Black and Hispanic voters were happier than white voters.

Related: Gen Z voters told us the midterms boil down to affording life, as social causes take a back seat

While Medina, who works as a mental-health therapist, and her husband are high earners, she has seen other households in her community struggle with the costs of basic needs, and said she felt that "anything is better than where we're at right now" politically.

Chris Jaramillo, a former school-board president and a self-employed consultant in the Philadelphia area, supports his two children, ages 17 and 6, on a single income and also provides financial support to his grandmother and aunt as needed. He is part of the lower-income group in YouGov's framework.

Like many Americans, inflation was a top concern for Jaramillo heading to the ballot box. "Everyday purchases and common goods, like gas and groceries along with utilities, they're just too expensive," he told MarketWatch. Jaramillo has to "crunch each and every dollar, each and every paycheck, each and every month," he said. "It's such a challenge."

He added he's "hopeful" that with Democrats gaining control of Congress, programs his family and community rely on, such as Medicaid and Medicare, "can be revitalized" now.

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-Venessa Wong

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11-04-26 1706ET