As millions of partisans casted their votes in the 2026 Midterm Elections, they hoped for change. Democrats took Congress in a landslide. On January 3rd, candidates will be sworn in and Trump will become a lame-duck president as Democrats gain the majority in both the House and Senate.
hundreds of american historic firsts
More voices. More diversity. More representation.
- Abdul El-Sayed (D) will become the first Muslim person elected to the U.S. Senate.
El-Sayed will represent Michigan, which narrowly voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election, after overcoming adversity and harsh criticism over his religious and political beliefs. He advocates for Medicare for all, ICE reform, and Israeli accountability for their ruthless attacks on Palestine. He has studied at University of Michigan, University of Oxford, and Columbia University. He formerly served as Detroit’s health director, implementing programs for underserved communities, providing glasses to kids, and putting Narcan in vending machines.
- Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) will become the first ever Black female governor of an American state.
Former Mayor of Atlanta and former Senior Advisor to the President under the Biden Administration, Bottoms is also the first Black governor of Georgia and first woman to be governor of Georgia. She is the first Democratic Governor that Georgia will have had in 20 years.
- Peggy Flanagan (D) will become the first Native American female U.S. Senator.
Flanagan is the Minnesota senator-elect and was Lieutenant Governor in 2019. Her campaign focused on supporting family farms and small businesses, as well as access to abortion-care for her constituents in Minnesota.
- Deb Haaland (D) will become the first Native American female governor.
Halaand served as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior under the Biden Administration, and was the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary.
- Chris Pappas (D) will become the first openly gay man to be elected to the Senate.
Representing New Hampshire, Pappas was formerly a representative from New Hampshire’s first congressional district and he vows to protect equal rights, particularly advocating for the LGBTQ+ community.
- Melat Kiros (D) will become the first Gen Z woman in Congress.
Kiros is a Democratic Socialist and a 29-year-old Ethiopian Immigrant. She backs Medicare for all and universal childcare.
This only the beginning. Byron Donalds (R) will become Florida’s first Black governor, Gina Hinojosa (D) to be Texas’s first Latina governor, and Dr. Amy Acton (D) to become the first female governor of Ohio as well as their first Democrat in 16 years. The midterms brought unimaginable, large-scale change to America. Not only did the candidates themselves experience breakthroughs, but deep-rooted red states such as Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina were flipped blue. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton (D) won the first blue Senate seat since 1932, when Herbert Hoover was president.
a major turning point
Voters vehemently called for change, and they got it. The narrative is clear: Americans want more diversity, more young people in government, and a new era of Democracy. This rapid turnaround manifested itself in Trump’s recent approval ratings. Although many loyalist MAGA members stand unwaveringly behind President Trump, he sits at a 36% approval rate among Americans. This is the lowest approval rating for an American President before a midterm since Harry Truman in 1946.
The most instrumental reasons for this steep decline are Trump’s war in Iran, high cost of living, astronomical gas prices, and concerns over political corruption. Trump argued that the Iran war’s tank on gas prices stopped voters from seeing how well his economy was doing “as much as they should have.” As for political corruption, an article from the Economist states, “two-thirds of Americans say Mr Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself; in exit polls, nine in ten said government corruption was a major factor in their vote.”
The midterms also posed questions about the outcome of the 2028 Presidential Election. As of right now, Vice President JD Vance is seemingly the front-runner to receive the Republican party’s nomination. The GOP’s major failure in this election may have been a wake-up call for him to separate himself from Trump. He recently wrote on X, “everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.”
Despite his hopeful perspective, Vance faced major backlash leading up to the midterms for praising an appalling political campaign ad by Ohio gubernatorial candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy. The ad featured his opponents estranged mother, from whom she has been separated with since age 12, after her stepfather was charged for the sexual abuse of her and her brother. JD Vance praised Ramaswamy’s “audacity.”
DEmocrats in power: What happens now?
Democrats hold a congressional majority, which accompanies immense power. They will control the federal budget, congressional investigative powers, elect a new Speaker of the House, and can approve or deny judicial candidates. However, it is important they do not become hasty. Democrats have a lot of work ahead of them, as they do not hold a veto-proof majority or have enough to end a Senate filibuster.
One of the first steps for Democrats is electing new leadership. If Democrats keep current leadership, Hakeem Jeffries, the current House minority leader, will become the New Speaker of the House, and Chuck Schumer, current Senate minority leader, will become Senate Majority Leader. However, there has been conflicting discourse over these promotions. Both Jeffries and Schumer have received large contributions from AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee), and are established liberals, as opposed to some of the more progressive candidates who were elected in the recent midterms. A petition urging Democratic representatives to choose someone other than Jefferies as Speaker has collected over 1 million signatures since September. People are calling for change, and current Democratic party leadership has been wildly ineffective in enforcing this change or limiting Trump’s executive power.
As the Democrats take power, expect the reinstatement of Medicare and Medicaid funding and subsidies for insurance on Obamacare exchanges. Congress has the sole “power of the purse” and can enforce major change by determining what they will and will not fund. In addition to healthcare subsidies, Democrats hope to halt or slow funding to Israel, as well as to the war in Iran. Government funding expires on December 11th. Therefore, Congress will have to agree on a new budget before the new elects take office. Presumably, they will come to a temporary budget through February or March so that Democrats may offer a more permanent solution once they have their new majority. If Congress does not come to an agreement on the budget, the new Democratic majority could be welcomed under a government shutdown once again.
One of the most powerful tools for the new blue majority will be oversight. They will have full investigative powers, meaning they can issue subpoenas, bring officials in for testimony, and uncover corruption within the Trump administration. Hearings will be held on tariffs, affairs in Iran, and immigration atrocities committed by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). A paramount goal for the Democrats is transparency relating to the Epstein files, which they claim were mishandled and withheld from the public. Americans hopefully await transparency, accountability for those involved, and justice for victims.
Another power that Democrats will soon wield is the ability to block Trump’s judicial appointments and cabinet nominees. This is especially significant because two current Supreme Court Justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., are in their late 70s. If either decide to retire before the 2028 Presidential Election, Trump would have the power to appoint a new Justice, which Democrats could confirm or deny with their majority. The Senate’s ability to approve or block Presidential cabinet members would be crucial if the Democrats move to impeach any current members. Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of War, is a likely first target for waging war without Congressional authorization and the extrajudicial executions of alleged drug traffickers. RFK Jr., U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, may also be targeted for presiding over the worst measles outbreak in 35 years. As far as impeaching President Trump himself, chances are slim to none. Democrats have already impeached Trump twice in past years, both times failing to reach a Senate majority. Loyalist MAGA members seem to be immovable on his impeachment.
My thoughts
America has seen adversity in this past decade. Yet, from the development of Artificial Intelligence, to foreign wars, to internal conflict, and to a global pandemic, it has persevered. Partisans should be incredibly grateful for how much this country has endured and how it will continue to grow. Regardless of political parties, the U.S. saw the emergence of leaders who truly care about the wellbeing of America. Every person who voted in the midterms had their voice heard, and their vote mattered. Seeing more viewpoints in Congress, younger generations, and a diversity of backgrounds bestows hope in constituents that the government will better reflect the views of the American people. Seeing diversity in government not only lends hope for the present, but it is an investment in the American future. Today children can look at the TV and see someone like them advocating for what they believe in. These midterms were historic for more than the numbers, but for the ripple effect that they will create for future leaders. The resounding message it leaves us with is: Change is possible when we use our voice.