“We haven’t done shit to bring the prices down. It turns out voters weren’t voting on the best ass.”
— A Republican strategist, quoted by the Washington Post.
Archives for 2026
A Big Night for the Big Apple
“The major Democratic gains Tuesday night raise the chances that three key positions in the U.S. government—president, House speaker and Senate majority leader—could all soon be held by New Yorkers,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Chris Van Hollen Weighs 2028 Bid
“While progressive Democrats have floated Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) as an alternative to the party’s Senate leader, Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Van Hollen said Wednesday he will not run for the post,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Van Hollen: “No. Because as I’ve said, I’m very actively kicking the tires on 2028 because I think that these debates will be resolved during that process. I do believe that is where this debate about the future of the Democratic Party and the future of politics in America will be centered.”
Trump Can’t Pack the Federal Reserve Board Now
“A recurring subplot of President Trump’s term has been a desire to replace Biden appointees to the powerful Federal Reserve Board of Governors — even ahead of their terms ending — with allies. That effort now looks dead in the water,” Axios reports.
“Even if Trump succeeds in his efforts to fire governor Lisa Cook, or to oust any of the other three Biden-era holdovers on the seven-member board, a Democratic Senate will likely block any replacements it views as insufficiently independent from the administration.”
Trump Won’t Play Role in GOP Race for Minority Leader
“President Trump said he won’t play a role in who Congressional Republicans select as the new minority leader after Tuesday’s midterm losses,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Said Trump: “We’ll stay out of it.”
Max Miller Concedes in Ohio
“Rep. Max Miller has conceded defeat in Ohio after a campaign marred by domestic abuse allegations,” the Associated Press reports.
“Miller lost to Democrat Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker and councilman, after remaining in a race that both Ohio’s Republican U.S. senators, one his former father-in-law, Bernie Moreno, had urged him to exit.”
Trump Says He’s Not Considering Replacing Hegseth
“Much of the post-midterms speculation about potential Cabinet shuffles has centered on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a key architect of Trump’s unpopular war with Iran who is already shaping up to be a top target of congressional Democrats,” the Associated Press reports.
“Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he is not considering replacing Hegseth… Hegseth has also been talked about as a potential appointed senator in Tennessee, where incumbent Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican, won the governor’s race on Tuesday and could pick her interim successor.”
Said Trump: “I actually think he’d be very popular if he did that.”
Democrats Balance Investigations with Affordability
“Democrats wasted no time gloating and warning the Trump administration about a pending flood of subpoenas and investigations once the 2026 midterm blue wave became clear,” Axios reports.
“Democrats are eager to exercise their oversight powers over the president and his allies, but they must navigate that while addressing Americans’ No. 1 election concern — the high cost of living.”
Another Bonus Quote of the Day
“When Republicans force voters to choose between policy and personal character, it is unfair to them and suicidal for us. Here in Texas, traditional conservatives and independents were asked to swallow an almost comical list of personal scandals and improprieties.”
— Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), quoted by Bloomberg.
Scott Colom Says He’s ‘Confident’ He Will Win
“Scott Colom said Wednesday morning that he is ‘confident’ he is on track to becoming the first Black senator from Mississippi in well over a century, with the race extremely tight and votes still being counted,” the Washington Sun reports.
Said Colom: “I am very happy with where we stand. I’m confident. I’m confident once the process lays out where we are, where the ballots are, we’re gonna win.”
Democratic Women Surpass 100 House Seats
“Women will lead more states as governors and represent more congressional districts than at any time in American history come January,” the Washington Post reports.
“The blue wave putting Democrats back in control of Congress is also creating a House Democratic caucus that looks much more like the nation, in terms of gender, than ever before. Democratic women’s gains also widen a significant gap between the number of Democratic women and Republican women in power.”
“For the first time, next year, more than 100 Democratic women will serve in the U.S. House.”
How Democrat Annie Andrews Shocked the World
Semafor: “By October, when the rest of the country began tuning into South Carolina — and spending money — Andrews quietly became the frontrunner.”
“On Oct. 5, the Andrews campaign received a poll showing her with a 3-point lead over Graham. But the Democrat’s campaign decided against publicly releasing the poll — or any subsequent internal poll — showing Andrews with a lead over Graham, wary of drawing too much attention from national Republicans and jeopardizing a peak at the right time.”
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JD Vance Blames Iran War for GOP Losses
“Vice President JD Vance placed the blame for the Republicans’ wipeout in the midterm elections squarely on the war with Iran, and said supporters of the war would have to reckon with the fact that they may have surrendered control of Congress for years as a result,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Vance said ‘the reason we lost is the war,’ and that any honest conversation must start with it.”
Said Vance: “If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest. But everyone knows why we lost.”
The Wrap: Alyssa Farah Griffin says JD Vance’s 2028 chances “just went down the toilet.”
Donald Trump Is Bad at Politics
Jonathan Chait: “Whatever misgivings some Republicans may have about Trump’s character or his policies, many subscribe to the theory that, if nothing else, the man knows how to win. And his aura of mastery has extended beyond his followers to the Americans who most detest him. The disgust with which many liberals regard Trump is mixed with fear and envy. His powers of persuasion are a source of endless fascination. They have launched a thousand diner safaris to explore his mystical hold on Real America, and inspired innumerable Democratic activists and intellectuals to ponder how they could create a Trump of their own.”
“But Trump is not a winner. He is, for the most part, a loser. In 2016, he lost the national popular vote—that is, the measure of which candidate Americans wanted to win the election—by two percentage points. His party lost control of the House in the 2018 midterms. Trump lost reelection in 2020. His sole unambiguous victory came in 2024, when he faced the clumsy fill-in candidate for an unpopular administration, against which he prevailed, almost by default.”
“And now he has lost again.”
Voters Set $400 Million of Elon Musk’s Money On Fire
“Elon Musk almost single-handedly funded the Republican midterms push. But of every traceable dollar Musk put into races that have been decided, more than 99 cents went to a race he lost,” Wired reports.
JB Pritzker Rolls Out a Day One Road Map for Congress
NBC News: “With Democrats set to take control of Congress with a resounding mandate for change, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is urging his party to act swiftly — with Trump-like speed — to advance an aggressive legislative and oversight agenda. To help them along, he is out with a road map for what Congress should tackle the moment they’re sworn in.”
“Fresh off a victory for a third gubernatorial term and looking toward a potential run for president in 2028, Pritzker is set to release a detailed 75-page plan Wednesday, with ideas on everything from increasing the federal minimum wage to restoring SNAP and Medicaid cuts.”
What Is It About Jon Ossoff?
David Graham: “Ossoff’s win is a testament to his deftness as both senator and candidate. In office, he has emphasized constituent services but also mastered the art of getting under the skin of Republican officials during Senate hearings, without ever seeming ruffled himself. On the stump, his campaign showed an acute sense of how to use media, even producing a new coinage—the ‘Ossoff angle’—to describe the upward camera perspective that his team worked to produce.”
“He paired these good visuals with a knack for the sound bite. In the most famous instance, in August, he slyly said that Trump ‘doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie.’ Although he omitted her last name, the moment made the president’s assistant Natalie Harp—who was previously familiar only to political reporters and political junkies—into a prominent figure. The ensuing news cycle was both damaging and distracting to the White House. As the youngest senator, Ossoff has shown a mastery of short-form video that few of his peers can dream of.”
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Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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