Tuesday’s midterm election results were a victory for creating a government by, for, and of the people. At a time when many of our political leaders were openly threatening to disrupt or even sabotage our electoral system, voters overwhelmingly chose change and candidates who champion safe, secure, and fair elections.
That is not to say that this so-called blue wave is a panacea, nor does the outcome mean a lasting embrace of Democrats. I still believe that the ideological and political categories of our two-party system are broken. Ballot boxes never fit neatly into our faith.
But at the same time, I’m relieved that our democracy and election system held, thanks to the professionalism and vigilance of election officials and poll workers, poll chaplains, and countless volunteers. I’m grateful for the overwhelming and record-breaking turnout, which served as a clear rebuke of President Donald Trump and the Make America Great Again movement. While the work ahead of us remains enormous, I am encouraged that the House and Senate will soon be equipped to provide a Constitutional check on Trump’s impulses and abuses of power, as they were always intended to do.
And just as our nation celebrates its 250th birthday, this midterm also gave our nation many firsts that are also worth celebrating, including Deb Haaland as our nation’s first Native American woman Governor, Peggy Flanagan as the first Native-American woman Senator, Keisha Lance Bottoms as the first African-American woman Governor, Gina Hinojosa, Texas’ first Latina Governor, Byron Donalds, the first Black Republican to be elected governor, and Abdul El-Sayed as the first Muslim-American Senator.
Here are some of my hopes and prayers for what this political realignment can mean for the future of America and for the ongoing role of faith in our public life.
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End of election denialism
It’s important to celebrate the degree to which our election system held, and our democracy worked in this election. This reality can be far too easy to take for granted, particularly in the face of so many efforts to suppress voters, undermine confidence in the system, and sow fear and confusion in an effort to deter voting. A record early voting and a historically high turnout were always the best way to defeat these efforts and prevent further democratic backsliding. My hope and prayer is that Trump and his allies will continue to accept the results and that this election will enable our nation to turn the page on election denialism.
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Political momentum against corruption
The outcome will build enough political will to seriously redress corruption in our system, from gerrymandered districts to no-bid contracts and pay-to-play pardons and much more. Democratic Senator John Ossoff and Senator-elect James Talarico’s campaign messages focused a great deal on connecting the Trump family’s corruption with people’s material struggles. While nearly $12 billion was spent on these midterms, it is heartening that Elon Musk’s attempt to buy the election failed and seemingly backfired. Nine in ten voters called government corruption a crucial or major factor in their vote, edging out cost of living (89%), according to NBC News exit polling. This signals an electorate that is fed up and ready for change. This change can include some measures that could even gain bipartisan support, such as banning Congressional stock trading and taking measures to further restrict money in politics.
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Repudiation of Trumpism
Voters were clearly dissatisfied with the cost of living and the economy. But I read the results as not only a rebuke of Trump’s policies, from mass deportation, the Iran war, and policies that have exacerbated Americans’ economic struggles, but also of his often hateful, pugnacious, and narcissistic style of politics. I pray that this outcome lead to deeper spiritual transformation, and be the rebirth of a more hopeful and unifying politics that replaces a zero-sum, us-versus-them approach with a politics of unity, compassion, and courage. This stunning loss should force a reckoning within the Trump coalition that pleaded with voters to look the other way on Trump’s increasingly cruel, vindictive, and incompetent approach to politics.
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Changing the narrative of Christians in politics
For far too long, Republicans have acted as though they have a monopoly on God, while too many Democrats have been reticent to talk about their faith, ceding the religious vote to the Trump coalition. This election turned that paradigm on its head, with many faith-forward Democratic candidates leading successful campaigns. From Senator-elect Adam Hamilton in Kansas to Talarico in Texas to Representative-elect Lindsay James in Iowa, and more, our new crop of elected leaders seems prepared to break partisanship’s hold on Christianity. My hope is that their voices in our national politics can continue to help to change this narrative and offer a more hopeful faith-inspired leadership that prioritizes justice, loving our neighbor, and advancing the common good.
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Progress on common ground solutions to real economic struggles and pain
The new Congress will need to act boldly in passing legislation that directly addresses the cost of living crisis and people’s deep economic hurt and precarity. While I want to resist being naïve, this landslide outcome could even open the door to new opportunities for the new Democratic majority to find common ground with a president who is much less ideological than his party. Trump has spent much of his second term focused on vanity projects and an unpopular war, and he can now plainly see where this has led him with the American public. Might this electoral reckoning inspire Trump to start thinking about different ways to actually improve his abysmal approval ratings, enabling bipartisan conversations and breakthroughs on popular policy issues like raising the minimum wage or expanding and making the child tax credit fully refundable?
I pray and commit to ensuring that this midterm election brings more than a seismic partisan shift in power. In addition, we need spiritual renewal and a cultural shift that leads to lasting political transformation.
his stunning loss should force a reckoning within the Trump coalition that pleaded with voters to look the other way on Trump’s increasingly cruel, vindictive, and incompetent approach to politics.
Rev. Adam Russell Taylor is president of Sojourners and author of A More Perfect Union: A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community. Follow him on Bluesky @revadamtaylor.
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