Historic wins show the 2026 vote was about more than prices

The headline of the 2026 midterm election has been voters’ rejection of Trump’s economic policies. Prognosticators and reporters have attributed higher prices at the pump and grocery stores to Trump’s (mis)handling of inflation, tariffs, and the Iran War, leading to a historic blue wave that inundated former Republican strongholds such as Kansas, South Carolina, and Texas. “It’s the economy, stupid,” is the most convenient answer to understanding what motivated people to vote so markedly differently. However, it seems very unsatisfying and insufficient, given that wages for low- and middle-income American workers barely increased from 1979 to 2016, the average wage had about the same purchasing power from 1978 to 2018 and real wages fell between 2020 and 2025. 

Something else, just as meaningful as the economy and more directly attributable to the Trump agenda, motivated voters to the polls. In many ways, this election was also a referendum against those who willfully accept higher prices in exchange for racial hierarchies, authoritarianism, and violence against citizens and noncitizens alike. Even more than the price of gas, the 2026 election was also a repudiation of the racist, sexist, xenophobic, and Islamophobic policies and practices leveled against citizens, immigrants, candidates, and journalists.  

A racial and gender breakdown of who was elected provides a different insight and narrative than the election being a referendum on the economy, or even the war in Iran. The election was also an affirmation that democracy and policymaking must be inclusive of every race, gender identity, sexuality, and religion (for those who choose to practice).  

The election results show that diversity of candidates does and will matter to voters. Georgia’s Keisha Lance Bottoms and New Mexico’s Deb Haaland made history as the first Black woman and first Native American woman elected governor in their respective states, and Gina Hinojosa became the first Hispanic elected governor of Texas. California made Xavier Becerra the state’s first elected Latino governor. David Crowley, Byron Donalds and Aaron D. Ford will be the first Black governors of Wisconsin, Florida, and Nevada. Together with Keisha Lance Bottoms, they join Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, raising the number of Black governors from one to five. Ohio’s Amy Acton and Tennessee’s Marsha Blackburn will be the first women to govern their states. Minnesota voters elected Peggy Flanagan to become the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Abdul El-Sayed will be Michigan’s first Muslim U.S. senator and Chris Pappas will be New Hampshire’s first openly gay man in the Senate.  

Voters in former Confederate states flipped Senate, House, and state legislative seats in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Texas, and potentially Mississippi. In North Carolina Democrats won control of the state House for the first time in 16 years. Borrowing a line from Andre 3000, “The South got something to say.” 

How this election will reshape the economy remains to be seen, but it has provided immediate signals of racial progress.  

Skepticism of racial progress is certainly warranted, given the last two years of a sweeping policy agenda that has disproportionately impacted Americans of color.

The policies voters rejected

Immediately after the inauguration, the dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs contributed to Black women losing net total of 113,000 jobs between January and December 2025, according to the Institute for Women Policy Research (IWPR). IWPR found that at the height of the summer volatility, Black women accounted for 54.7% of all job losses among women, despite making up only 14.1% of the female workforce. The Economic Policy Institute’s (EPI) analysis of third-quarter 2026 data found that the national Black unemployment rate was 6.8% compared to 3.3% for white workers, roughly a 2-to-1 ratio. 

At the behest of President Trump, Republicans in eight states redrew new congressional maps over the last year, cutting across formerly majority-Black districts to seek a structural advantage by diluting the Black vote. However, the strategy seemingly backfired. The Hill reports that Republicans flipped only two of the 15 seats they targeted through redistricting. The strategy didn’t play out as expected due to high voter turnout, particularly among Black voters—a dynamic that Democratic pollster Terrance Woodbury calls “Blacklash.” The Washington Examiner quoted one campaign operative who said, “Yes, we came up short but that wasn’t due to redistricting failures, it was a total wipeout across the board.” 

Trump kept his campaign promise to carry out mass deportations. Images of longstanding community members being ripped from their homes and families by masked ICE agents became a regular feature of the news cycle. Most of these immigrants are people of color. Many are legal residents, some are U.S. citizens. Citizens of color across the country expressed growing concerns about being detained and harassed simply because of the color of their skin or their accent.  

Flagrant Islamophobia was directed at candidates and elected officials, inexplicitly questioning their loyalty to the Constitution, which protects their freedom of religion. Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed repeatedly had to respond to assertions that he was a member of a terrorist organization. On the campaign trail in Michigan in October, Trump said, “I’m here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator. And that’s a fact. Not gonna let that happen.”  

President Trump has called on Rep. Ilhan Omar, (D–Minn.), to “go back” to Somalia, referring to her as “garbage” and a “disgrace.” The Trump administration revoked Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals, leading to the expiration of legal status and work permits for thousands of residents of Springfield, Ohio, but it welcomed thousands of white Afrikaners from South Africa as refugees.  

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has fired or blocked the promotions of more than 80 admirals and generals since his appointment in January 2025, creating a “brass ceiling.” According to an NPR report, Hegseth blocked six individuals who were either women or Black from promotion to one-star general. 

Right alongside Trump’s economic agenda was a social one that attempted to curtail the political and economic participation of people of color and women. The election results should be seen as a signal that most Americans share values that reject bigotry, white supremacy, and xenophobia. This election made clear that racialized politics of the past is less of a political tool than a character statement of the politician who uses them. As reported by the New York Times 91% of Black people, 70% of Hispanics, 71% of Asians, and 47% of white people voted for Democrats in the U.S. House overall. These midterm election results showcase that the plurality of Americans rejected the Trump agenda.

The irony is that in 2024, Republicans relished tangible gains among Black and Latino voters. Many believed that Trump captured a portion of the population that Democrats seemingly took for granted. If there was a question whether 2024 gains among Black and Latino voters were a trend or moment in time, this election likely answered it.    

Experts can certainly attribute the election results to the economy and the Iran war, but failing to recognize this contest as a repudiation of bigotry could signal complicity to the status quo. With that said, Democrats must not rest on their election success, as getting elected is not the same as passing legislation. While representation is important, it’s not the end goal. Yes, affordability and the war in Iran will be on the agenda when new members take office on Jan. 3, but if equity isn’t on the table, those newly elected officials, like the Republicans they replaced, may soon be next to lose their seats.