President Donald Trump has spent the past two years trying to subvert American democracy. On Tuesday, 3 November 2026, voters stood up to him.
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.
Democrats retook control of the Senate and are poised to retake the House as well. The repudiation was broad enough to overcome America’s political polarization.
Republicans lost races even in traditionally deep-red places, including Kansas, Kentucky, Iowa, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas. They lost because many independents and even Republicans consider Mr. Trump’s second term to be a failure.
The outcome creates a crucial check on Mr Trump’s autocratic behaviour. It empowers Democrats to investigate his corruption and lawbreaking 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 country still faces many long-term problems to which neither party has offered clear solutions. And over the next two years, while Mr Trump remains president, Congress and judges will need to be prepared to counter further attempts by him to undermine the constitutional order.
Nonetheless, this is a day to feel pride. Aspiring authoritarians often use legislative elections to cement their power and further undermine democracy.
In 2026, the American people refused to allow Mr Trump to do so. The system has held.
The New York Times Editorial Board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom.
