Democrats painted the nation blue in this year’s midterm elections. The Democratic Party has secured the House and the Senate. To the nation’s shock, even traditionally red states like Texas, Kansas and Iowa rode the blue wave.
Young voters played a huge role in this election’s flip. According to the AP Voter Poll, 73% of voters under the age of 30 voted for the Democratic candidate in their U.S. House district. Gabby Munoz, a senior bio pharmaceutical science major at USC, described feeling extremely relieved after the results rolled in.
“I think it was more of a relief after two years of uncertainty,” Munoz said. “It feels like we’re starting to get control of the democracy again, which is really nice to know that the people still have the higher say over our government and what’s going to be done in the future.”
Munoz was excited to find this midterm election was riddled with big “firsts” and a Democratic sweep of both the House and Senate.
Last night’s election ushered in the first Black female governor, Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia, and the first female Native American governor, Deb Haaland of New Mexico. Also, the first openly gay senator, Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, along with many more historic firsts.
“It definitely inspires hope. All these first time elected Latinos, women and also LGBTQ+ senators. There’s so much representation now. I’m really hopeful,” Munoz said.
Eve Levenson, board chair of Voters of Tomorrow, an organization that educates youth on justice and politics, thinks that these historic firsts will inspire younger voters.
“We’re seeing so many younger candidates winning for the first time and also we’re seeing so many young people voting,” said Levenson. “That means that we’re ushering in a generation of firsts across the board.”
Levenson notes that young people are concerned about the war with Iran, as well as, the cost of living due to the international conflict.
Jack Mundell, a USC freshman studying accounting, relates to Levenson’s opinion about the Iran war, but also believes that young voters swung blue due to disappointment with President Trump’s policies and his behavior.
“People are tired of Trump,” Mundell said. “People are tired of paying for wars that they don’t really believe in. I think that’s probably the main reason the Democrats were just better candidates this time.”
Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics estimates that the war with Iran has cost the average American household $2,000 so far. He cites energy prices as the biggest contributor to the rise in costs.
Mundell is frustrated with the economic impact of Trump’s policies and believes that this change was overdue. He hopes to see a restoration of professionalism in politics.
“I was hyped up. It was like time for it to happen, and it was cool to see states like Texas and Kansas flip,” said Mundell. “What I care the most about is probably professionalism or seeing some class in the candidates. Trump’s been doing a horrible job and devaluing the presidency and American politics.”
In California, Democrat Xavier Becerra became the first Latino governor of the state in over a century. His opponent, Steve Hilton, encouraged Becerra to “enjoy it while it lasts” in his concession speech claiming that in 2030, California will have a Republican governor.
Los Angeles still awaits its mayoral results, but candidate Nithya Raman currently holds a slight lead. The Berkeley IGS and Los Angeles Times Poll shows that Raman led among young voters. 69% of likely voters under the age of 30 reported that they support Raman over incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.
Kira Wensinger, a USC junior computer science major, hopes that Los Angeles’ elected officials will prioritize “everyday issues.”
“Honestly, being a California local and also living in L.A., I would really love to see action being taken to help the communities around here, especially the unhoused communities,” Wensinger said.
Edited by Fashion Castillo and Leo Li