Students and Faculty React to Midterm Elections

On the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 3, the Amherst College community watched as the Democrats swept the 2026 U.S. midterm elections. The night ended with the Democratic Party taking control of the Senate and House of Representatives. Additionally, the Democrats gained majorities and governorships in several states. 

According to the Associated Press (AP), as of Tuesday, Democrats control 54 Senate seats and Republicans 44, with the remaining two, Alaska and Mississippi, still being counted. The Democrats also won 255 House seats, while Republicans won 167. AP has not yet called the other 13 seats. Additionally, gubernatorial elections have resulted in 28 Democratic Governors and 20 Republican Governors, with two of them, Alaska and Kansas, still yet to be called.

James J. Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought Lawrence Douglas attributed the Democrats’ decisive victory to high gas prices, persistent inflation, and the simple truth that “folks don’t like rule by a kleptocratic and autocratic elite.” 

On a similar note, Karl Loewenstein Senior Lecturer in Political Science and Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies Manuela Picq cited growing frustration against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a major reason behind why traditionally Republican voters flipped their votes.

Upon President Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2025, he had promised to deport 2 to 3 million Americans per year, a tenfold increase from the 271,484 formal ICE deportations and removals under President Joe Biden in 2024. As a part of this effort, federal officials took over the streets of Minneapolis in what officials dubbed “operation Metro surge” which led to the killings of Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renée Good by ICE. Afterward, thousands of “ICE Out For Good” protests and candlelight vigils swept the nation.

Picq cited a personal experience where “a friend who’s a Republican, told me in person, [they] thought [the government] was going to put ICE in the streets to pick up the pedophiles, not to pick up people working at Home Depot.” 

On election night, many students gathered to await election results at the 2026 midterm election watch party. The event took place on the third floor of the new Ford Student Center. Four rooms broadcasted different news networks to ensure a variety of perspectives and opinions were showcased and respected. Broadcasts included election coverage from FOX, ABC, NBC, and PBS. The event was jointly hosted by the Center for Community Engagement, Student Engagement and Leadership, Amherst College Votes, the Amherst Political Union, and Amherst Students for Democracy.

Excitement levels at the watch party increased considerably as the “blue wave” flooded broadcasts. “Once we started seeing everything turn blue,” Olivia Friedman ’30 described, “[the] room just got so loud [that] we almost broke the microphone, and the whole speaker system started getting messed up.” She found it “really special to be [at] Amherst” for this historic election.

Sam Becht ’29 felt “the energy was really good” and the event itself was “wonderful.” He cited the large turnout and engagement at the watch party as evidence of “how surprisingly engaged Amherst students are in elections and democracy on campus.”

Students at the watch party described feeling hopeful about the election results before polls even closed. Brady Chappell ’30 said “hopefully it [will go] blue.” According to Chappell, hope is “all you can do” while waiting for news on toss-up elections.

Friedman hoped that Democrats would win control of the Senate. She believed “a lot of people” at the watch party felt similarly.

Douglas also noted that many students and professors were hoping for a Democratic victory. “Even among conservative students, [I have] encountered very little support for [President] Trump,” he said. At the watch party, the room airing FOX News, a right-leaning media outlet, was notably empty by 9 p.m.

As the extent of the blue victory became clear, students reported going from feeling hopeful to happily surprised. Abby Simon ’27, who “expected a blue shift,” was “very surprised [...] by the extent” of the Democratic Party’s victories. She summarized her reaction to the election in just three words: “surprised and happy.” 

Becht “thought it was going to be a one-state toss-up” that decided which party would control the Senate. The Senate elections in Texas and Kansas were especially surprising to him. In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican incumbent Roger Marshall. Hamilton is the first Democrat to win a Senate race in Kansas since 1932. “Kansas was a huge shock. It wasn’t even on the radar,” Becht said. 

Another surprising red-to-blue flip was Annie Andrews’ defeat of Darline Graham in the South Carolina Senate race. Simon Wilson ’30 was especially astonished by Andrews’ success. “As somebody who lives in North Carolina, you always think of North Carolina as the swing state, not South Carolina, so that was totally shocking,” he said. Wilson added that “[Republican] gerrymandering […] backfired.” 

For many members of the community, the Texas election results were the most surprising of the night. Democrat James Talarico defeated his Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democrat to serve as a Senator for Texas since 1988. Additionally, Gina Hinojosa beat out the Republican incumbent, Greg Abbott. She will be the first Latinx Governor in Texas history.

Simon was astounded that Texas “got both a [Democratic] Senate representative and a [Democratic] Governor.” Similarly, Friedman, who hopes to pursue a career in politics, was especially moved by the success of Democrats in the traditionally Republican state of Texas. “Seeing Texas be blue is something that people joke would happen after pigs fly,” Friedman noted. 

Douglas expressed far less shock than Simon and Friedman. He recalled being in Texas the weekend before the election and not seeing a single Paxton sign, which he took to be a positive signal. Douglas sensed that “the Democrats had a good opportunity to win [in Texas].”  

“I think it’s extraordinary in terms of impact … not just because of the two majorities, but because of the number of Muslim women elected, Muslim men, trans[gender] women elected in conservative states, Black women elected,” Picq said. “All of that is more than just the Democrats coming back. It’s different. It’s also a renewal of which people, which sectors of society, and which narratives constitute the Democratic Party in charge,” she added. 

Looking toward the future, Friedman said this election “gives [her] so much hope for where things are going to be when [she] graduate[s].” Simon was also thinking about the future, namely what the Democrats will accomplish with their new Congressional majority. She thinks they will focus on the economy and “getting those gas prices down.” 

Becht, on the other hand, was already looking toward the next election cycle, saying that he is curious to see who will be the presidential nominees for the Democrats and Republicans in the 2028 General Election. Douglas noted that “the Democrats have a number of impressive young lawmakers [...] who are well positioned to be the standard bearer of the presidential election in 2028.” He highlighted Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, who won by a staggering 18%, as a potential presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.

Becht added that another subject weighing heavily on his mind is “how the country will rally and support different political waves” following the overwhelming Democratic success.