By Michael Powers, Iowa City
The people of the United States of America decisively defeated the fascist agenda of President Donald Trump and the MAGA coalition. The extreme-right policies proved to be far too extreme for Americans along every political line from the center to left-organized labor, immigrant’s rights organizations, oppressed communities, faiths, and genders-to win back the House and Senate for the Democratic Party. Our very own state made headlines with flipping the Governorship, one Senate seat, and three House seats, ripping federal power away from the pedophile protecting Iowa Republicans.
Tuesday’s victory was not won with a single day of voting but with relentless organizing and fighting for the demands of working people. But most importantly standing up against reaction, chauvinism, and genocide. If we seek to continue to improve the lives for working and oppressed peoples, and receive justice for those who have been wronged by the fascist-pedophile-MAGA administration then having the leaders to meet this moment is the top priority.
Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer have proven themselves inept at leading this anti-MAGA center-left coalition. During the peak of the ICE gestapo thugs murdering random Americans on the street, the most that could be mustered up by the honorable Schumer and Jeffries were “strongly worded letters” and empty speeches of accountability. Polling data analysis done by Quinnipiac University Poll, in September of 2026, found that only 21 percent approve of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job. So, why should we delude ourselves into believing that they will not be roadblocks to a working-class agenda? When both take money from the very people who put Trump and MAGA into power, and those who are committing and profit from the genocide in Palestine?
“Federal Election Commission filings show that Anduril’s CEO and chief operating officer gave $144,300 to Jeffries’ fundraising committees, while a manager at Palantir contributed another $44,300. His donors also include the head of a cryptocurrency advocacy group and investment executives at Bain Capital, D.E. Shaw, and Renaissance Technologies. AIPAC’s political action committee routed more than $427,000 in donor contributions to his campaign and fundraising committees this cycle.” —Donald Shaw, Sludge
Rising gas prices, grocery costs, and healthcare expenses weighed heavily on voters. Americans demand action on working-class issues: end the criminal war on Iran, lower gas and grocery prices, address the housing crisis, secure trade union rights, and stop monopoly price gouging. People must see concrete change or their anger will be felt in the 2028 elections.
The fascist onslaught has been blunted for now. However, if escalation is Trump’s next move, the people must respond with collective demands. The election does not resolve the root causes that allowed MAGA to rise. Blinding inequality, precarious work, and the disintegration of democratic rights that characterize our capitalist system. The mandate to the new Congress is clear, break with a status quo that has too long served the monopoly-billionaire class.
