The results of the 2026 US midterm elections deliver a decisive rebuke to Donald Trump and his Republican Party. By winning control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Democrats have dealt a major blow to the administration’s political agenda and opened the door to greater scrutiny of its actions.
Voters have rejected a political project that has become synonymous with rising living costs, deepening inequality, attacks on democratic institutions and a disastrous war with Iran.
Trump’s relentless support for Israel amid its onslaught of Gaza, too, has played a significant part in the changing attitudes of the president, even among his own supporters.
The election results, including Democratic victories in traditionally Republican states, are evidence of growing frustration with an administration that has failed to deliver on its promises.
The consequences are significant. With control of both chambers of Congress, Democrats will have greater power to block legislation, scrutinise the administration and investigate its conduct. Democratic gains in gubernatorial elections further demonstrate the scale of the Republican setback.
But, a rejection of Trump is not, in itself, a mandate for the transformation that millions of people urgently need.
The Democratic Party has long been part of a political establishment that has failed to adequately confront corporate power, economic insecurity and the militarisation of US foreign policy. Winning elections must translate into concrete improvements in people’s lives: affordable housing, decent wages, universal healthcare, stronger public services and an end to destructive wars.
Nor can democracy be defended through electoral victories alone. It requires organised citizens, independent movements and institutions capable of challenging concentrated economic and political power, whoever occupies the White House.
For progressives across the United States and internationally, these results offer both an opportunity and a responsibility. The defeat of Trump’s congressional majority creates space to resist authoritarianism, but that space must be used to advance a genuinely democratic, socially just and peaceful alternative.
On November 4, we will be hosting a fascinating livestream discussion that tackles this very subject, with an esteemed panel made up of Naomi Klein, Astra Taylor and our very own Yanis Varoufakis. Please join us, and contribute with your perspectives and questions.
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