In what must be seen as a repudiation of Donald Trump’s abhorrent second term as president, as well as the failures of the Republican-controlled House and Senate to actually govern, yesterday’s elections saw voters across America shift left in remarkable numbers. As a result, Democrats will take control of both the House and Senate in January. When they do, the legislative branch can hopefully return to its proper role providing a check on the executive branch, rather than a rubber stamp for it.
One election isn’t going to solve all the problems in America. Nevertheless, I find myself with a newly restored hope for the future. Even with billionaires (and one odious trillionaire) donating sickening amounts of money in an attempt to buy themselves a government, we can still make progress toward a more perfect union. And if you don’t believe it, consider that yesterday saw the election of America’s first Muslim senator (Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan). It saw the election of our first openly gay senator (Chris Pappas of New Hampshire). We elected our first Black female governor (Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia)1, along with our first female Native American senator and governor (Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota and Deb Haaland in New Mexico, respectively). That’s a lot of firsts, and you can bet that they won’t be lasts.
Progress toward government that represents all of America is marching on. That’s how it’s supposed to work. It’s nice to see that it still can.
Footnotes:
I’m not sure which is a funnier name, “Governor Bottoms” or “Governor Lance Bottoms”, but I love it either way. ↩︎
