Tuesday's midterms handed the Republican Party an absolute asskicking nationwide, Rural Democrats From Texas to Tehran: how papers across the world reacted to ‘Dem-olition’ job on Trump in US midterms | US midterm elections 2026 | The Guardian with some Democratic wins so big and so shocking that it’s hard to pick the most satisfying but the U.S. Senate comes to mind...along with the U.S. House... Missouri (that whiny Brattin is gone!)... Texas... Arizona... New Mexico... Georgia... Wisconsin... on and on and on. We heard a clip of Gov. DeSantis talking about the election results. He called it “as close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country as we have seen probably in the last 100 years.” He also said that their losses are “Going to hurt not just for the next two years but reverberate for the next decade or more...” Good. While they're busy scratching their heads trying to figure out what happened, we'll be busy organizing, talking to our neighbors and continuing to build for the future. We ain't done! Trump Got One Thing Right: We’re Not Tired of Winning.
In Missouri, Democrats flipped 16 State House seats and two State Senate seats without losing a single seat. Missouri Republicans suffer biggest electoral setback in a generation • Missouri Independent. The GOP supermajority is GONE in BOTH chambers. Republicans still hold the keys to Jefferson City, but they no longer have free rein: Blue Wave led Missouri Democrats to best election of 21st century | STLPR. So what now? The article title says it all: Following midterm landslide, Democrats pressed by supporters to deliver on promises • Missouri Independent. And they're right. Winning elections is important, but it's only the first step. The election may be over, but the real work is just beginning. If Democrats want to keep the trust voters placed in them, they must deliver because voters didn't show up in record numbers just to watch politicians take victory laps.
For the next two years, Democrats will be judged by what they accomplish. They won't be able to directly lower the cost of groceries, gas, housing, or health care, especially with Trump likely to veto much of their agenda. But they do have tools at their disposal: conducting oversight, investigating corruption, scrutinizing nominees, exposing failures, and using the budget process to advance priorities where possible. The challenge now is to show voters that the confidence they expressed at the ballot box was well placed.
New Missouri Democratic Leadership
The Missouri House Democratic Caucus elected or re-elected new leadership: Rep. Ashley Aune was re-elected as House Minority Leader; Rep. Marlon Anderson was re-elected as Assistant Minority Floor Leader; Rep. Mark Boyko was elected as Minority Caucus Whip; Rep. Eric Woods was elected as Minority Caucus Chair; Rep. Pattie Mansur was elected as Minority Caucus Secretary; Rep. Stephanie Boykin was elected Minority Caucus Vice Chair and Rep. Bridget Walsh Moore was re-elected as the Caucus Policy Chair.
And the Missouri Senate Democrats!
Rural Caucus News
Friendly reminder, the Rural Caucus will reorganize on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 2 PM. To vote or hold office, you’ll need to be a paid member; dues are $12: Missouri Democratic Party Rural Caucus — Donate via ActBlue. When you pay your dues, they will be good through 2027. We'll send a separate email with the Zoom link next week.
More Missouri News
Amendment 3 was thoroughly defeated: Missouri voters reject Amendment 3, preserving abortion rights approved in 2024 • Missouri Independent. We have to share this one. When we posted about the amendment's defeat, one response stood out from the rest: "I’m a moderate Republican but I have to say: THIS is why so many R’s lost. When I say moderate, I mean pro-choice. R’s have screwed themselves with this issue. Yesterday they tried to shove it down our throats again. This time we let them know who’s in charge. Congrats Democrats. I don’t agree with you on everything but on this you did us proud." We thought that was an awesome response. In spite of the loss, Missourians rejected another abortion ban. Republicans say they're not giving up yet. • Missouri Independent, Sen. Nick Schroer said Republicans still intend to pursue changes to the initiative petition process and policies aimed at restricting abortion, despite voters rejecting their proposals on both issues. If it weren't for that pesky Amendment 6.
Other big wins included Amendment 6: Missourians approve Amendment 6, helping keep ballot issues intact | STLPR; Prop A (Trump's gerrymandered map for Missouri went down in flames) Prop A goes down to defeat in Missouri | Jefferson City News Tribune, and the Republican slush fund (Amendment 7) Missouri voters reject proposal to create sovereign wealth fund | News From The States. But a disappointing loss is Amendment 8 which gives the MO Attorney General sole authority to remove sheriffs: Missouri Amendment 8 passes | Elections | komu.com.
Missouri has more than 11,600 kids stuck on the childcare subsidy waiting list, and over a third of eligible children aren't getting help: Missouri childcare subsidy waitlist grows as providers struggle to fill classrooms • Missouri Independent. The good news? Childcare openings exist. The bad news? The state has apparently decided that making those openings affordable would be a bridge too far.
National News
With executive orders, plans to control mail voting, and last-minute litigation in California and Alaska It Was Failed Election Meddling, Not Absence of Election Meddling | Cato at Liberty Blog - courts blocked all of it.
Call them the Comeuppance Caucus: The midterms’ most deserving losers - by Tom Schaller. And Trump is blaming everyone but himself for the midterm smackdown: Donald Trump is now radioactive - Salon.com. In an ass-backward way, Trump has a point. He didn’t do this all by himself; there’s no way he could have managed that. "He loaded up the pipe with bigotry and xenophobia and fear and insane conspiracy theories, and adult Republican humans inhaled it all eagerly and ran with it."
A KFF Health News review of first-year progress reports found that several states used their initial funding to sign multimillion-dollar consulting contracts instead of directing those dollars to patient care. Meanwhile, rural hospitals and health facilities have been left waiting for confirmation of their second-year funding: Trump Administration Delays Awards Slated To Improve Rural America’s Health | Health News | U.S. News. So who got paid right away? The consultants. Public records requests and state reports reviewed by journalists revealed substantial spending on outside administrative and management services, even as rural providers face funding unknowns and hospitals warn that Trump's upcoming Medicaid-related rules are worse, leading to service cuts and layoffs.Hospitals say Trump administration's upcoming rules are worse than Medicaid cuts and will force layoffs: 'There's no need to cut any more'
Did you hear the news - hot off the press: Susie Wiles is out as Trump's White House chief of staff, and Stephen Miller will take over starting Monday: Susie Wiles out, Stephen Miller in, as Trump’s chief of staff. Think about what that tells you. Voters just delivered one of the biggest rebukes in modern political history over Iran, gas prices, and chaos. Trump’s response is to hand the keys to one of the most radicalized men in his administration: Hell on Earth: Stephen Miller Is Trump’s New Chief of Staff – Mother Jones.
Nothing says "careful stewardship of public lands" quite like having an AI investor decide where AI companies get to build their next data centers. It's the proverbial fox overseeing the henhouse: Trump Officials Stand to Profit From AI Data Centers on Public Land — ProPublica. Enter Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Washington is celebrating 165,000 new jobs in October. But 339,000 more Americans were forced into part-time work because they couldn't find full-time jobs, bringing that total to 4.8 million: U.S. adds 165,000 jobs in October, exceeding forecasts By Investing.com. And forgive us for not breaking out the confetti. The jobs reports look great on release day and then get revised downward later.
Americans are increasingly concerned about corruption. Yet the SEC is looking to get rid of a rule that protects public pensions from politically motivated influence: SEC Wants to Eliminate Safeguards Against Political Corruption — Why Now? | Brennan Center for Justice.
Other News
Voters between the ages 18-29 supported Democrats in the midterms - an overwhelming margin of more than 40 points from 2024: In Shift From 2024, Young Men, White Youth, and Non-College Youth Vote Democratic in 2026 | CIRCLE. Even more pronounced is the figures flipped: 58% of young men supported a Democratic House candidate. We need to take heed what the survey said: "Already, left-leaning Gen-Z-led groups are taking a victory lap as they start to amass congressional clout. And they’re cautioning that the Democratic old guard must work to retain youth support heading into 2028."
Do you want to see how easy it is for people - some with questionable backgrounds - founded their own schools in unusual places. Read this: Here’s How Easy It Was for Journalists to Start Two Private Schools — ProPublica.
In closing...
Let's be clear about who deserves the credit for these victories. They weren't won by consultants, pollsters, or political insiders. They were won by ordinary people who knocked on doors, made phone calls, wrote postcards, donated what they could, volunteered their time, and showed up to vote.
They were built by grassroots organizers, young activists, working families, retirees, local leaders, and countless volunteers who refused to sit on the sidelines. They put in the work day after day, often without recognition, because they believed their communities and their country were worth fighting for.
This victory belongs to them. They earned it. And they deserve the credit.
—
Joshua Dunne
Chair
Jacqueline Farr
Vice-Chair
John Parks
Treasurer
