Democrats have taken control of Congress in a sweeping blue wave – now the real work begins

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Tuesday was a victory for equity and inclusivity and a rejection of hate and fear. The biggest losers? Megadonors and Super Pacs

Rather than regurgitate the particular wins and losses that occurred on Tuesday, I thought it more useful, at this point, to look at the big picture and identify the largest overall winners and losers for the country as a whole.

Biggest winner: a diverse, equitable and inclusive America. It’s Donald Trump’s DEI nightmare. Georgia voters elected Keisha Lance Bottoms, the first Black female governor in the country. Texas chose Gina Hinojosa, the state’s first Latina governor and first Democratic governor in more than 30 years. California elected Xavier Becerra, the state’s first Latino governor. New Mexico chose Deb Haaland, the country’s first female Native American governor. Florida elected Byron Donalds, the first Black governor in Florida’s history (a Republican).

The real question in my mind is whether Democrats will take advantage of the new age of populism

The great sleeping giant of the US has awakened, taken a hard look at what’s become of the nation, and roared a thunderous “NO!”

What occurred on Tuesday was not – as some are saying – the inevitable midterm swing of the pendulum against the party in power. Texas hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 1988. The last time Kansas elected a Democratic senator was 1932.

Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Guardian US columnist and his newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com. His new book, Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America, is out now in the US and in the UK