In the midterm elections, the Democrats won a majority in the House of Representatives with 228 seats and in the Senate with 54, defeating Trump’s racist and violent rhetoric—which led to the defeat of Republican candidates—and electing governors in states such as Texas, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Mexico, and Georgia.
Beyond the numbers—which are certainly important—the political significance of these victories must be emphasized, given the issues addressed, the characteristics of the winners, and the nature of the election campaign. Social issues such as the cost of living, schools, healthcare, and housing were addressed with radical proposals—including investments in public services and the creation of affordable housing, the abolition of ICE, and a decisive challenge to the power of corporations, billionaires, and lobbyists—bringing the country’s enormous economic inequalities into sharp focus. Another hot-button issue—data centers, with their immense consumption of water and electricity—faced strong opposition from voters, who in at least 29 jurisdictions approved measures to ban or restrict their proliferation. And in Virginia, a referendum struck the ban on same-sex marriage from the state constitution.
As for the winners’ backgrounds, Gina Hinojosa is the first Latina to lead the state of Texas; Keisha Lance Bottoms is the first African American woman to serve as governor of Georgia; Deb Haaland is the first Native American governor of New Mexico; Peggy Flanagan is the first Native American senator in Minnesota; Abdul El-Sayed, elected in Michigan, is the first Muslim member of the Senate; and Chris Pappas, elected in New Hampshire, is the first openly gay senator. And Aber Kawas is the first Palestinian-American and the first Muslim woman to wear the hijab to be elected to the New York State Senate.
Among the winners, it is worth noting progressive candidates—or even openly socialist ones—most of whom are young, such as Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, and Brad Lander, elected in New York; William Lawrence, elected in Michigan; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of Puerto Rican descent; and Ilhan Omar, born in Somalia, both re-elected in New York and Minnesota, respectively. We must also mention the admirable commitment of Bernie Sanders, who, at 85 years old, participated in countless campaign events to support his young “disciples.”
Another key feature is linked to the type of campaign strategy, pioneered last year by Zohran Mamdani and then adopted by everyone else during the primaries and subsequently the midterm elections: the involvement of thousands of activists—mostly young people—as well as grassroots committees and organizations, door-to-door canvassing, and the skillful use of social media. On the other hand, there were moderate Democratic candidates or Republicans backed by lobbies and billionaires, who spent enormous sums on relentless campaign ads—which, however, were not enough to secure victory.
The sole, sad exception was the referendum to tax the ultra-rich in California: Proposition 40—a one-time 5% tax on assets exceeding $1 billion held by state residents as of January 1, 2026—was defeated by an extraordinary mobilization of billionaires, who, according to the Washington Post, spent 250 times more on advertising than the tax’s supporters. The usual scare tactic of the “billionaire exodus” proved successful this time, halting—at least for the moment—the advance of a basic measure of tax equity.
The setback in California, however, does not diminish the impact of the victory by the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party: not only social issues, but also strong stances on foreign policy, including condemnation of the wars and the genocide carried out by Israel in Gaza. Abdul El Sayed’s victory speech sums up this powerful mix well: “We all know that my name and my faith aren’t the reason you can’t afford gas; they aren’t the reason you can’t afford groceries or a doctor’s visit. We want our tax dollars spent here—on our schools, here—on our healthcare, here—on our infrastructures. We don’t want our money sent to fund apartheid, genocide, or war. It shouldn’t be hard to pay taxes and know that those dollars will be spent on us and our children, instead of being used to drop bombs on someone else’s children.”
In short, these elections teach us a powerful lesson: to win, you must have the courage to put forward radical proposals, to challenge entrenched interests, and to engage in politics by connecting with the people—by building roots in local communities and committing wholeheartedly to public meetings, door-to-door canvassing, and mobilizations. Who, in other countries, will have the courage to follow this example?
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
