The New York Times editorial board said Americans should “feel pride” after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections. (Getty Images)
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The New York Times editorial board took a victory lap Tuesday night following the Democratic Party’s sweeping wins in the midterm elections, insisting that now is the time for Americans to “feel pride.”
“In the face of the president’s many attempts to manipulate the midterm elections — through extreme gerrymandering, false claims of voter fraud, efforts to block mail voting and more — tens of millions of Americans responded by turning out and rejecting the Republican Party that has enabled him,” the Times’ Editorial Board wrote.
The article went on to list the key races in which Republicans lost, adding that the party “lost because many independents and even Republicans consider Mr. Trump’s second term to be a failure.”
STATE OF PLAY: BLUE WAVE SWEEPS DEMOCRATS INTO POWER, WITH KEY RACES STILL HANGING IN BALANCE
The New York Times editorial board on Wednesday celebrated the Democrats’ big wins, cheering that now is the time to “feel pride.” (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“The outcome creates a crucial check on Mr. Trump’s autocratic behavior,” the editorial board wrote. “It empowers Democrats to investigate his corruption and law breaking and pass legislation that offers an alternative to his counterproductive agenda. The country already feels changed, and it will in fact be changed in January.”
The comments come after Democrats recaptured both the House of Representatives and the Senate, while also winning several key gubernatorial races, in an electoral setback for President Donald Trump and Republicans.
Notably, Democrats netted significant wins in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kansas, Iowa and Texas, where Senator-elect James Talarico defeated Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in an upset victory.
“We just took back Texas,” Talarico told a crowd of supporters Tuesday night.
DEMOCRAT SEIZE HOUSE CONTROL IN STUNNING BLUE TSUNAMI, VOW RETRIBUTION AGAINST TRUMP ADMIN
The New York Times editorial board celebrated Democrats’ sweeping midterm victories as a rebuke of President Donald Trump’s second term. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed also delivered a crushing defeat against former Rep. Mike Rogers, further demolishing Republicans’ hopes of flipping the swing state in their favor.
While the editorial board conceded that the country “still faces many long-term problems to which neither party has offered clear solutions,” it added that “nonetheless, this is a day to feel pride.”
“Aspiring authoritarians often use legislative elections to cement their power and further undermine democracy,” the editorial board wrote. “In 2026, the American people refused to allow Mr. Trump to do so. The system has held.”
The board also praised who it described as “key workers” in the electoral process, patting the backs of “election workers, legal advocates and judges.”
“In many states, election officials took specific actions to stop interference from the Trump administration,” the board wrote. “Last year, the Justice Department demanded that states provide the federal government with voters’ birth dates, driver’s license information and partial Social Security numbers. Officials, including several Republicans, refused to comply.”
TRUMP ADMIN SUED OVER ALLEGED ILLEGAL COLLECTION OF SENSITIVE VOTER DATA FROM 47 STATES
Democrats recaptured both the House of Representatives and the Senate, while also winning several key gubernatorial races. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Times concluded by asserting that “the challenges ahead should not overshadow what Americans accomplished” in the midterm elections and that the country should be proud that “election workers, lawyers and judges defended the rules that protect the vote.”
“And tens of millions of Americans went to the polls to exercise their most fundamental democratic right,” the article reads. “Americans showed that the power to choose their leaders belongs to them. Now they must remain vigilant until officials certify every race and the winners take office.”
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The New York Times declined to comment when reached by Digital.
In light of Tuesday night’s election results, Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff signaled to Digital that the party’s overhaul of traditionally Republican states could signify a significant shift throughout the country.
“The easiest mistake Democrats can make is reading this as America suddenly falling in love with Democrats. It didn’t. Voters looked at the last two years and said, very clearly, ‘enough.’ When Republicans are losing places they should not even have to worry about, that is not some normal midterm correction. That is voters putting a brake on a presidency they think has gone too far,” Shroff told Digital.
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“The real test starts now. Democrats just got handed something much more valuable than a good election night: leverage,” he added. “If they use it only for hearings, cable sound-bites and settling scores, they will blow it. Voters wanted a check, but they also want the government to make their lives better. Democrats have to prove they can do both.”
Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back.
