What just happened?
Republicans lost badly in traditionally Republican states – Texas, Ohio, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and they still might lose Mississippi and Alaska. Importantly, Democrats won Governor’s races in Texas, Georgia, Iowa and Ohio. Democrats won races where Trump had won by double digits only two years earlier. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/ballotpedia/FMfcgzQjggsXfqqRMsSXrVqXwLRWHpDt
Young men and women moved away from Trump and the GOP. Hispanics moved away from Trump. Suburban, rural and urban voters moved away from Trump. https://apnews.com/article/2026-midterms-trump-democrats-young-voters-hispanic-voters-black-voters-9fc6de0b46af4336df2684c6d1d504d9 So GOP candidates lost from Maine to Texas, from Ohio and Iowa to Georgia and Kansas, in an election where both the GOP and the Democrats put Trump front and center.
Part of the story was some excellent Democratic candidates, like Talarico and Hinajosa. Another part was some very poor Republican candidates (e.g. Paxton and Graham). But the biggest part of the story was a wholesale rejection of Trump and his policies on a very gut level and widespread disgust with Republican elected officials who steadfastly declined to challenge his worst conduct, his bad personnel decisions, and his inhumane policy choices. Trump made the decision to go to war with Iran, to raise tariffs, to send troops into our cities, and to demonize all immigrants other than white South Africans. He and his GOP enablers is now paying the electoral price.
What the electorate wanted is better lives – paychecks that exceed inflation, more affordable health care, housing, gas, diesel, groceries, utilities. https://news.gallup.com/poll/716333/issues-voters-say-matter-midterm.aspx
What the electorate rejected was the Trump manufactured hatred of the “other” – whether the hard working immigrant, the black or brown neighbor and classmate, the gay couple down the street, the devout Muslim, or the person facing the immense challenges of sexual divergences, what the electorate rejected was a President more focused on his helipad and gilded ballroom and bathroom, on his crypto currency and golf courses than on their cost of living. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/11/04/republican-missteps-that-laid-groundwork-historic-midterm-rebuke/
It’s now up to the large Democratic majorities to refocus on the needs of everyday Americans, not the outlandish and insatiable wants and schemes of trillionaires and billionaires. I question Trump’s capacity to do that. I do not doubt that Democrats will try, but these are not such easy issues on which to reach consensus, let alone face and overcome a Presidential veto with the need for a 2/3rds vote over-ride. Let’s get on with it.