What a day.
I woke up to a country that just said no. Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate last night. They flipped seven Senate seats and more than two dozen House seats. Texas elected James Talarico over Ken Paxton. Kansas sent a Democrat to the Senate for the first time in 94 years. South Carolina, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, and Maine all flipped too. Pollsters didn't see half of it coming.
For weeks, we were promised a red wave. Instead, the president who told everyone to vote like he was on the ballot woke up saying he "wasn't on the Ballot." Funny how that works.
So yes, my liberal friends are celebrating today, and they've earned it. People knocked doors, made calls, drove neighbors to the polls, and showed up when it would've been easier to stay home. That's what democracy looks like when it works.
And my MAGA neighbors? A lot of them are hurting. Some are angry. Some are crying. Some are telling me it was rigged, even though the president himself told the New York Times he's "absolutely willing" to accept the results.
Here's the bittersweet part, and I'll be honest about it.
I've spent a lot of time going back and forth with people who don't see the world the way I do, and not all of them have been kind. So part of me wants to dance today. I won't pretend otherwise.
But I also know the people crying today are still my neighbors. We shop at the same grocery stores. They wait in the same doctor's offices and pharmacy lines I do. Many of them depend on Medicaid, Social Security, and disability services just like my community does. Winning doesn't mean they disappear. It means we have a chance to show them what governing for everyone actually looks like.
And here in Florida, the night was mixed. Ashley Moody held her Senate seat, and Byron Donalds is projected to become governor. The wave rolled across Texas and Kansas, but it didn't quite wash over the Sunshine State. Kathy Castor did hold on here in Tampa Bay, even after a map that was redrawn to push her out. That one felt good.
So that's where I am today. Grateful. Relieved. A little proud of this country. And still clear-eyed about how much work is left, especially at home.
To the folks celebrating: enjoy it, then get back to work. Promises made on the campaign trail mean nothing until they become votes in January.
To the folks hurting: I hear you. Losing hurts. The door to the conversation is still open, as long as it's a conversation and not a fight.
And to my disability community: we just gained a Congress that can protect the programs we live on. Let's make sure they do.
More soon.
Mr. Wheels