Democrats begin year 2026 with warning to Republicans

A shock election victory for Democrats in deep-redTexas on Saturdayis giving the opposition party ajolt of momentum to begin 2026 — a year that will decide the fate of Donald Trump's twin congressional majorities, and possibly his presidency.

- John Bowden, The Independent

Zohran Mamdani

Democrats elsewhere are seeing other signs, too, that the various dynamics that kept voters at home or willing to consider voting for Trump in 2024 are shifting, Despite being shy of the majority, members in both chambers are brimming with optimism and are beginning to talk openly about the possibility of pulling off a clean sweep of the GOP in November.

Saturday's runoff election in the Fort Worth area put a northern Texas district that voted for Donald Trump by I7 points in 2024 into the hands (briefly) of a Democrat, Taylor Rehmet, who supports statewide rent stabilization, vows to halt the sale of public lands, and end charter school voucher programs. It's a potential sign not only of the appeal of a message akin to Zohran Mamdani’s in what is thought of as a much more conservative area, but also the rejuvenation of the Democratic brand in the wake of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden’s campaign and administration.