James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa on November 3, 2026, after learning they both won the Texas midterm election.
By Stephanie Van Hook
Let me be the first to say: the red-blue electoral system we have in the United States is flawed on so many levels. Elected representatives are only a small part of democracy, but also highly symbolic of public sentiment and consciousness. So it’s a joy to participate in as well as bear witness to a nonviolent movement that has been at work in the US to take the wind out of MAGA’s divisive agenda. This stunning wave of newly elected Democrats is just one part of the larger story. It’s about people coming together to reject hatred, division, and violence. In communities across the country, people are saying: we want big money out of our political system; we want ICE out of our cities and towns; and we want our tax dollars to fund healthcare, infrastructure, and our communal well-being instead of wasting it on genocide, wars, and weapons.
Think about it: the buildup to these elections was marked by a strong grassroots movement helping people reclaim their agency after being made to feel helpless. As one friend put it: “I was raised in Texas and voted in every midterm and election, and I felt hopeless. This is a huge change—the first time Texas has been anything but red since 1988. And so many people came out!” The elections themselves remained largely peaceful, and that says a lot about the force of democracy that continues to live and breathe in our country, despite some serious setbacks. Now the work will be to continue to build the nonviolent movement, no matter who is in office.
As we say over and over again at Metta, the revolution is not about putting a different person in power as much as it is awakening a different power in people, and that is perhaps the most important message of this midterm election.
The power of nonviolence is awakening. Let’s keep it alive.