A special Wednesday edition of Politics Chat. In today’s Politics Chat: The 2026 midterm election appears to have been a sea change in American politics. Democrats are projected to win at least 258 seats in the House of Representatives. Democrats flipped seven Senate seats in Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. Democrats also flipped governorships in Iowa, Georgia, Ohio, Nevada, and Texas. Rural voters swung heavily toward Democrats after cuts to Medicaid and food assistance. Elon Musk poured about half a billion into the midterms. About 124 million people voted, the highest midterm turnout since 1914 apart from 2018. The election was peaceful despite widespread fears of interference. The results were a repudiation of Trump and of the 40-year Reagan era. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Vice President JD Vance are already distancing themselves from Trump. Democrats plan to launch oversight hearings and subpoenas when the new Congress is seated in January. Grassroots organizing, not party leadership, drove the shift. Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe 250 to 250 | Follow Along https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2dS6uX1RkUzLppeUrqtvApwnR6whO7I_ You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hcrichardson YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson?sub_confirmation=1 © 2026 Heather Cox Richardson. All Rights Reserved. All content in this video is protected by copyright. Reproduction, distribution, or re-uploading, in whole or in part, without prior written consent is prohibited.