So if you have forgotten, I study politics. American politics is my bread and butter. Why? I have literally no idea. I think the fact America is so, how do I put this nicely, politically challenged is what I love about it. So, as you can imagine, the midterm election was the highlight of my week. And honestly, it has been a beautiful day for anyone that wasn’t a straight white man.
It is safe to say the Democrats absolutely wiped the floor, winning a comfortable majority in both the House and Senate. (Sorry brief interruption here to explain to those who do not know. The House of Representatives and the Senate are voted in every 2 years, as opposed to the Presidency which is every 4. Whoever is in a majority in Congress has the power to essentially tell the president no. Thus the Democrats winning means they have the pleasure of getting a lot of Trump’s policies blocked. A BIG YAY). The first big piece of news to come from this is the fact that the state of Texas finally went blue. This is the first time since the 1970s. To be honest if I were Trump this would be the most humbling pill to swallow in this election. James Talarico took home a close, but all the same win of 55.08% of the vote.
Another thing I have to explain is that there’s these things called swing states. So basically, states such as Texas, are famously red states (not anymore LOL) and Washington is a blue state. However, states such as Michigan and Nevada are not necessarily aligned with either political party as strongly. These states are always the ones to watch for because they normally can dictate which party will win. This was especially apparent during the 2024 election.
Chris Pappas, won his New Hampshire victory by becoming the first openly gay Senator. His speech really warmed my heart, definitely give it a watch if you want to feel some emotion today. While this is a major victory for so many reasons, Pappas didn't waste time on emphasising how much of a milestone this was. He has already declared he is “ready to fight.” He covered some of his policy interests, such as affordability in healthcare, as well as his very openly pro-choice campaign. He also supports a pathway to citizenship for immigrants. This felt like a breath of fresh air to read about last night I am not going to lie.
Moving to the other side of the country, Abdul El-Sayed, won his seat in Michigan, making him the first Muslim Senator. Now you may have seen his slight tussle with a reporter from Sky News, and I honestly do not know what to make of it. To ask why the UK care about American politics felt a bit ignorant to me, because America likes to bang on about how big and important they are, and that’s why we have to care. Anyway, pushing that to one side for a second. I think this is such an important win, especially giving the debates in America currently about immigration (or a subtle way of saying their islamaphobia). I believe representation of race, gender and sexuality is incredibly important in politics, particularly for both policy and role modelling.
In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms becomes the first black female governor, winning 54.34% of the vote. (Governors are in the Executive btw) Now I, as well as many others, hope this is a step in the right direction for our own beloved Kamala Harris who plans on running in the 2028 election again (or dare I throw the name Michelle Obama out there). I think it is genuinely shocking that it is 2026 and this is the first black female governor, in fact I had to double check if that was actually correct because that was so shocking.
Now it would be remiss of me to talk American elections without bringing up the man who is obsessed with elections, Trump. He weirdly took the defeat quite well. He congratulated the democrats saying they “did a good job” although did admit he was a “little surprised.” And you know yourself, when you are shocked about a result you didn’t expect or want, you OF COURSE threaten to bomb Iran again. How could you not?
I have to admit, the midterms made me restore a bit of faith in humanity and the American people again. I slept quite comfortably knowing that we have a bit of humanity. As I tell everyone, American politics is genuinely fascinating and actually quite easy to follow, especially when the face of it all continues to mess up. It is great entertainment (I say as my dissertation is defeating me) and actually so incredibly important to follow.
Let me know what you think
Eva :)