Letters to the Editor | Nov. 5, 2026

Voters in Tuesday’s midterm election have spoken. The results have made Donald Trump a lame-duck president for his final two years in office, and have put our nation back on the path to truly making America great again.

Michael E. Deibert, Mohnton, Pa.

I remember a time years ago when the nation was torn and recovering from the depredations of a president some called a despot. And the man who succeeded him said something that came to mind this morning: “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works; our great republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule.”

The American people did it again Tuesday: We ruled, as the founders intended. Now, I pray we can reestablish the rule of law, reinstitute the proper balance between the president and the Congress, and be America again.

Linda Falcao, Baltimore

The mainstream media is, of course, absolutely giddy over the trouncing of the GOP, calling it not just a blue wave but a blue tsunami. Donald Trump is saying these election results are not a repudiation of him. Instead, he is saying the GOP lost congressional seats because it fielded poor candidates. Really, the guy’s narcissism borders on the psychopathic. I should be relieved with these election results in that my federal government pension is safe for the time being, but at the same time, I’m cognizant of really how screwed up the present-day Democratic Party is. The best I can hope for is a divided government — that is, a Democratic Congress and a GOP president, or vice versa, so neither party’s extreme policies, so repugnant to me, are enacted.

Fred Hearn, Turnersville

It’s true that the cost of living and affordability, the Iran war, corruption, and on and on are all important issues for Americans.

But the main unifying reason for these Republican losses is that the American people are fed up with being lied to — and justly so.

Joe Clendenin, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Benjamin Franklin would be proud. Americans decided to keep the republic and reject a king, Donald Trump. He said voters should vote as if he was running, and the candidates he endorsed lost. Democrats won Senate seats in red states, such as Iowa, Kansas, South Carolina, and Texas. The scare tactics of communism, Islamophobia, and the so-called transgender threat failed. Elon Musk couldn’t buy the election even though he spent more than $200 million in Texas alone. Voters were tired of the lies, the buffoonery, the corruption, the lawfare, and the actions of Trump, who is more concerned about filling his pockets and building monuments to himself than doing anything else. Americans voted in terms of the issues Democrats focused on: affordability, inflation, healthcare, education, data centers, immigration, trans rights, and the war in Iran. In typical Trump fashion, he’s already started pointing fingers, blaming Fox News, the quality of Republican candidates, and everybody but himself. He refuses to own it.

George Magakis Jr., Norristown

On Tuesday night we saw what had been predicted for months. The world watched as one party lost its majority and the other gained a majority. The American people spoke loudly and clearly. There were many historic moments and firsts that deserve recognition, but I will not attempt to count them all here. What matters most is that “We the People” exercised our right to change the direction of our government. Now, those entrusted with power have a responsibility to honor that decision and ensure a peaceful transfer of leadership.

We will soon learn something about the true greatness of America. Can we move forward as one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all, or will we spend the next two years consumed by lawsuits, reprisals, and the settling of political scores? This election has given us an opportunity for adjustment and correction. Whether we grow from it will depend on how both the winners and the losers respond.

Those who lost should resist the temptation to explain away everything the voters have said. There will be time to examine campaigns, candidates, and turnout, but there must also be a willingness to listen. What did people need that they were not receiving? Where did leadership become disconnected from the lives of ordinary families? Correction can be uncomfortable, but leaders who receive it with humility have an opportunity to become better public servants.

The incoming majority faces a different challenge, and perhaps a greater one. They must do something we have seen too little of in recent years: lead with humility, without reprisal, and with an eye toward justice rather than vengeance. The people have entrusted them with responsibility. That trust carries an obligation to serve the entire country, including the millions of Americans who voted for someone else.

My prayer is that we will use this moment wisely, with gratitude for the voice of the people and a renewed determination to pursue liberty and justice for all.

The Rev. Dr. Michel J. Faulkner, chair, Board of Directors, Philadelphia Council of Clergy

As a lifelong Republican who disavowed Donald Trump in his first term, I am holding on to a ray of hope for our country after Tuesday’s results. I only ask of the Democrats: Please, please, please, spend the next two years governing. Please undo as much damage as you can. Please write your laws in such a way that they are not easily sidestepped by executive fiat from the White House, no matter who is in charge. Please do not spend even one minute going after the president or his minions. Let Mitch McConnell’s gutless rationale after Trump’s impeachment for Jan. 6, 2021, come true: Let the U.S. Department of Justice in the next Democratic administration prosecute the hell out of them.

Stephen Cooney, Pottstown

The midterm election is over, and the Democrats have achieved a massive victory. In fact, metaphorically, it might well be called what one wag described as a decisive “Orange Crush,” a call-out to Donald Trump’s habit of slathering his face and hands with orange pancake makeup. Now it’s clear what must be done: President Trump must be impeached. Of course, it’s eminently clear the Senate lacks the 67 votes needed to convict him and remove him from the office of the presidency. Even some Republicans know that such an act would greatly benefit the country, help to preserve and protect our democracy, and is warranted and the right thing to do, but they won’t do it because they lack the political will and courage to put country over party and their own political survival.

Even so, now that the Democrats have retaken both chambers of Congress, the very first order of business should be — and in my view, it must be — to introduce articles of impeachment. Not because impeaching Trump is viable, or even remotely likely, but because it is a moral imperative. Sometimes an act, even if mostly symbolic, is still critically important, and impeaching Trump, even with no hope of conviction, is one of those moments.

Ken Derow, Swarthmore

Congratulations to all the voters who vented their Donald Trump frustration and voted Democrats back into power. You know what you voted against, but now you’re going to find out what you voted for. Every person gets the government they deserve. Welcome to the circus.

Michael G. Del Rossi, Blue Bell

Nov. 3 is a historic date. America took its first step in coming back together. Let the divisiveness of MAGA be over. Let us show that Democrats + Republicans = One America. We can work together. We must work together. We have had a challenge to our democracy. We have to protect it. We can do it — together. We are still the greatest nation in the world. God bless America!

Sheryl Kalick, Philadelphia

I am a die-hard Dem. And with the ’26 midterms finally behind us, with a tidal wave of blue victories, you might think I would like to gloat. And I do — but not for the reason you might suppose. I am gloating for the American voters who saw a dysfunctional one-sided government and said: “We want change! We need change!” How this change may turn out, only time will tell. But we know what we are leaving behind. Donald Trump and his MAGA cult were totally repudiated. Seeing as it is a cult of personality, an octogenarian, egotistical leader can’t shore up his dwindling base. And even though I am true blue, I feel good for the real GOP that has been debased and bullied by this charismatic loudmouth. I hope that with MAGA crumbling, the true Republican Party can rise from the ashes and join in restoring an America we can all be proud of. Let’s get to work.

Jim Lynch, Collegeville

Democrats were cautious going into this general election, concerned that pollsters may have overestimated their strength. It turns out that their strength was underestimated — hallelujah.

The electorate reacted rationally and delivered a more thorough lashing than anyone could have foreseen against the president and his supine followers in Congress and statehouses, those who have given him carte blanche to engage in the literal and figurative wreckage of our country and our values.

We voted against broken promises: a higher cost of living, senseless wars without end, ill-trained, masked immigration authorities who terrorize communities and break families apart, killing some people in the process. We cast ballots against corruption and a leader whose focus is on using the presidency to vastly enhance his mammoth fortune rather than to help his constituents, and on using the U.S. Department of Justice to persecute anyone who has ever crossed him.

The president has grudgingly said he will accept the result. What choice did he have with such a massive and resounding defeat nationwide? Claiming that all of the elections he lost were rigged was not possible, even for the election denier in chief.

We have placed in office those who will work for the people, not for the country’s oligarchy. Now they must produce. There is not a moment to waste for our country to reverse course.

Oren Spiegler, Peters Township

The Republican Party has paid for its sellout of the national interest and the concerns of its supporters. Now what? The Democrats once again have a chance to do something constructive on our behalf, rather than just continuing the electoral ping-pong match. Hurricane Trump is still blowing, but we have to start thinking about the aftermath while the damage still mounts. Like storm victims, we can’t waste time dreaming about the world we’ve lost, or cursing the storm. We need to live on while we rebuild. We must go back to work, or squander our livelihood. At the same time, there is wrecked furniture on the front lawn and mud on the kitchen floor.

We are going to need a balance between accountability for Donald Trump’s mess and progress toward a sustainable future. Sound policy on the economy, healthcare, climate, education, immigration, and more will require immediate remedies and long-term solutions all at once. Not just the Democrats, but all those responsible for all of this must step up and do the hard work they promised they would do. And we need to remind them we are watching.

Joe Jones, Mount Holly

It was gratifying to see voters push back against the excesses of the current administration, but the most important aspect of this election is that, so far at least, it does not appear that the results will be contested. That’s a victory for everyone.

As long as there is general agreement that votes are honestly counted, we at least have a chance to deal with the many other challenges we face.

Grant Calder, Philadelphia