WASHINGTON (November 4, 2026) — Will Marshall, president and founder of the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), released the following statement on the results of Tuesday’s midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of both the House and Senate and flipped Senate seats in Republican strongholds including Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Kansas:
“Tuesday’s Democratic rout marks a turning point. President Donald Trump isn’t going anywhere, but his spell is broken. This is an accountability moment, and it’s one he can’t gaslight his way out of.
“Midterms are a verdict on the president’s performance, and Trump created the conditions for this one himself. His tariffs and his attack on Iran pushed up living costs in the third straight national election dominated by inflation. His handpicked candidates, from Ken Paxton in Texas to Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio, set Republicans up for a fall. Even his mid-decade gerrymanders posed no barrier to the blue wave. Many of his own 2024 voters, especially Hispanic and young voters, turned against him.
“But Democrats shouldn’t mistake a thermostatic reaction against Trump for a mandate for the left. Left-wing radicalism isn’t the antidote to right-wing nationalism. A broad coalition that can win and sustain majorities is. Democrats should take their cue from the candidates who just won on the toughest terrain in American politics, and make extending these gains deep into the red zone their mission for 2028.”
Founded in 1989, PPI is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Find an expert and learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org. Follow us at @ppi.
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Media Contact: Ian O’Keefe – iokeefe@ppionline.
