A Blue Tsunami Is Not a Blank Check 

Some are calling the 2026 midterm elections a blue tsunami. I’ve heard pundits attribute the election’s success to the rise of far-left candidates and others call it a repudiation of Trumpism. Regardless of how one assesses the election, we need to remind ourselves that an election victory is not a trophy. It is an opportunity. For those who won, it’s the day they are hired. And how leaders respond to this moment will say a lot about where we are headed as a country.

The numbers don’t lie. For those who are not happy with the results, it will be hard to claim this election was stolen. Americans sent a clear message. Democrats won control of both houses of Congress, delivering a sharp rebuke to President Trump and the direction of the country. There is plenty for Democrats to celebrate. However, I hope the celebration is followed by an equally important question: Now what?

Mario Cuomo famously said, “We campaign in poetry, but govern in prose.” After more than two decades in local government, I can tell you how true that is.

I love campaigns. I love the energy, the conversations, the feeling that ordinary people can come together and change something. But the signs eventually come down. The speeches end. And on Wednesday morning, someone still has to fix the streetlight, balance the budget, keep the water running and make sure families feel safe in their neighborhoods.

That is the part of democracy that rarely goes viral. It is also the part that matters most.

As mayor of Glendale, I have learned that residents are remarkably uninterested in excuses. They don’t care whether a delayed project is the fault of a department, a contractor or another level of government. They want to know what we are doing to solve it. They expect us to listen, make decisions and take responsibility when those decisions don’t work.

Washington could learn something from that.

In Glendale, some of the decisions I am proudest of were not unanimous or especially glamorous. They involved listening to people who disagreed, negotiating details and accepting that good government is usually an exercise in imperfect choices. That is not a failure of leadership. It is leadership.

Many people voted on [Tuesday, Nov. 3] because they are tired – tired of rising costs, tired of political chaos and tired of being told to hate their neighbors because they vote differently. They want affordable housing, decent health care, good jobs, safe streets and some semblance of confidence that the future will be better for their children.

Democrats should hear that as an invitation to govern, not permission to settle scores.

There must be accountability. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to investigate misconduct, demand answers and check executive power. But accountability is not revenge. And an endless cycle of investigations, outrage and retaliation cannot become a substitute for improving people’s lives.

The reality is that Democrats will control Congress, not the White House. President Trump will still have the veto pen. Moving the country forward will require negotiation, compromise and the courage to explain  –honestly – when agreement cannot be reached. That may disappoint people who want every political fight to end with a knockout. But governing is not boxing. You cannot build a lasting future by treating half the country as an enemy.

I also hope Republicans take the results seriously. Losing an election is painful but democracy gives every party the chance to listen, reassess and return with better ideas. No party owns the American people and no victory lasts forever.

I say this as someone who has won elections and watched friends lose them: the vote is not a judgment of anyone’s worth. It is a temporary grant of public trust and that trust has to be earned every day.

Campaign poetry reminds us what is possible. Governing prose determines whether we get there

The voters have spoken. Hopefully, both parties will listen. We’ll know for sure in 2028 if they did.

Ardy Kassakhian is the mayor of Glendale and a longtime public servant with more than two decades of experience in municipal government and public policy. He serves on the boards of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). He is also an adjunct professor of political science at Glendale Community College and holds degrees from UCLA and Northwestern University, with additional executive education at Harvard Kennedy School. The views expressed are his own.