Former President Barack Obama also praised voters for crushing trends with soaring turnouts. 36 million people cast their votes in early voting alone, compared to 27.2 million in 2014. | AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin Elections Obama on Democratic wins: 'It is a start'

Former President Barack Obama praised Democratic midterm efforts in a Twitter post Wednesday morning, pointing to strong Democratic performances in previously solidly Republican areas.

In a statement posted on his Twitter feed, Obama celebrated the diversity of candidates who ran across the country, including alumni of his own administration. Tuesday's election saw high turnouts at the polls and produced the most women in Congress in the country's history. It also broke barriers with the first Native American woman elected to Congress and major upsets in previously comfortably Republican districts.


"Obviously, the Democrats' success in flipping the House of Representatives, several governorships, and state legislatures will get the most attention," Obama wrote. "But even more important than what we won is how we won: by competing in places we haven't been competitive in a long time."

Even unsuccessful Democrats such as Senate candidate Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) laid new rails for the party, running the first competitive Democratic campaign for the seat in decades. Democrats also swept up House seats in educated suburban areas that carried Republicans in 2016.

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In an indirect jab at President Donald Trump's incendiary and divisive rhetoric, Obama wrote that Democrats won by celebrating their differences and diversity.

"I'm hopeful that going forward, we'll begin a return to the values we expect in our public life -- honesty, decency, compromise, and standing up for one another as Americans, not separated by our differences, but bound together by one common creed," he wrote.

"The change we need won’t come from one election alone — but it is a start."

Obama also praised voters for crushing trends with soaring turnouts. Voters in some districts waited several hours to vote due to unexpectedly large crowds, and 36 million people cast their votes in early voting alone, compared to 27.2 million in 2014.

Republicans still increased their majority in the Senate, and the West Wing celebrated the election as a victory. Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway said on "Fox & Friends" Wednesday morning that the Democratic House takeover was expected based on historical trends and praised Republican's Senate gains as a historic victory for Trump.