What is this strange, post-election feeling? Oh right – it’s utter joy

Democrats had a sweeping night in Tuesday's midterm elections, and Guardian columnist Dave Schilling says the results left liberal voters stunned and giddy after roughly ten years of grim political news. Races in Texas, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi and Alaska looked competitive, and the outcome suggested to him that voters have soured on Donald Trump. The wins were not total: several states passed anti-trans bills, and California's one-time billionaire tax appears headed for defeat, according to The Guardian.

Schilling singles out speeches by Jon Ossoff and James Talarico as moving, and says Abdul El-Sayed's fury at the Trump administration energized him. He also enjoyed watching conservative commentators look shaken. He jokes that John Fetterman, the Democratic senator some feared would switch parties, has lost his relevance.

Looking ahead, Schilling notes that Democrats will hold a congressional majority and must decide on priorities, with possibilities ranging from impeachment to Medicare-for-all to ending funding for the Iran war. He acknowledges skeptics who point to modest rhetoric from party leaders and past Democratic failures in Congress, and warns the left against going dormant until the presidential race. Still, he plans to savor the moment until the new Congress is sworn in on 3 January.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →