Activists at Boston’s 2026 May Day Rally. Photo from a Mass 50501 volunteer.
Tuesday’s election results were a triumphant rejection of the administration’s agenda of tyranny, greed, hatred, and chaos. Democrats will enter 2027 with at least 54 Senate seats and 253 House seats, offering real opportunities to hold this administration accountable and reign in its attacks on democracy and the rule of law. For those of us who stayed up late two years ago hoping for late-breaking electoral results to block Trump’s return to office, then spent the following two years working to save our democracy in the streets, in our representative’s offices, and in our city council meetings, Tuesday night offered a cathartic opportunity to stay up late and watch good news roll in.
As we contemplate what comes next, we should recognize this moment for what it is: another opportunity to save our democracy after our politicians squandered the previous one. In 2021, a newly-elected Democratic trifecta entered power amidst efforts by the first Trump administration to interfere in accepting the results of the 2020 election, culminating in the Jan. 6th insurrection at the Capitol. Facing the question of accountability for this horrendous assault on our democracy, the House of Representatives impeached Trump and handed off responsibility for protecting our republic to the Senate. However, the Senate declined to fully hold Trump accountable, acquitting him after declining to hold witnesses in a rushed process described by Democratic Sen. Chris Coons as “People want to get home for Valentine‘s Day.”
This dereliction of constitutional duty continued over the course of the Biden administration, from Attorney General Merrick Garland’s reticence to investigate Trump’s crimes to the Senate’s refusal to eliminate the filibuster in order to protect our voting rights. The overall strategy, after a mass electoral mobilization by We The People to stop tyranny in the middle of a pandemic, was to avoid holding Trump accountable in order to avoid appearing too partisan and to attempt to treat a MAGA-infected Republican party as colleagues who could be negotiated with as part of business-as-usual. Heading into the 2024 election, the Supreme Court blocked states from omitting Trump on their ballots for supporting an insurrection, stating that this could only be done by Congress, who had declined to do so during their botched attempt at Impeachment and Removal.
Over the last two years, we have experienced the consequences of this failure in accountability. A man who should never have been eligible to appear on a ballot in the first place returned to power, subjecting us to a litany of crimes against our communities and our constitution. Our politicians’ failure to treat MAGA as a threat to our democratic government emboldened a constellation of politicians and oligarchs to engage in a wholesale dismantling and looting of our government. We The People have stood up for our republic from the beginning of this disgraceful administration, galvanizing our elected leaders and mobilizing for the most strident electoral repudiation of any presidential administration since 1974. Make no mistake: Tuesday’s victories belong to us, the voters, rather than to Democratic party leaders and their entourage of donors and consultants.
Heading into 2027, we must recognize that the only way to preserve our democracy is to hold accountable those who seek to destroy it, lest this infection of our republic continue to fester and weaken our body politic until its next resurgence. While many were brought to the polls by the harsh realities of the cost-of-living crisis, we cannot address affordability without rooting out the greed, corruption, and hatred that has spiraled our expenses through tariffs, wars, and cuts to public benefits.
This is the time for hearings. This is the time to hold the line and say not one more penny for ICE and not one more ill-advised military strike. This is not the time to approve the administration’s judges. This is certainly not the time to pass BAAJA, a bad permitting bill that will make it easier for the Trump administration to build whatever it wants in our communities, from data centers to ICE detention facilities, and is scheduled to be voted on as early as November 9th. This is the time to block further abuses of power by this administration and its coterie of oligarchs while building the power that we need to elect politicians in 2028 who will repair this damage and prevent this nightmare from ever recurring in the future.
We should celebrate this week’s victories with those who have fought together with us during these trying times. However, our work is not done. Elections are fundamentally an opportunity to choose the public servants who will be the most productive to yell at, and pressuring them is a crucial part of the democratic process. We should use this good news as fuel to keep fighting, so let your elected officials know that we refuse to waste this chance to protect our sacred democracy.
Every single U.S. citizen has three people representing them, including two senators and one representative. Anyone anywhere in the U.S. can find their senators here and their representative here. For all Massachusetts residents, your senators are currently:
Elizabeth Warren
DC office: (202) 224-4543
Boston office: (617) 565-3170
Springfield office: (413) 788-2690
Ed Markey
DC office: (202) 224-2742
Boston office: (617) 565-8519
Springfield office: (413) 785-4610
Your House representative depends on your district, which is determined by your home address.
Now is a great time to add their numbers to your contacts, if you haven’t already!
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