The historic Blue Tsunami we all witnessed across this country provided a clear mandate for Democrats and a clear demonstration that Americans want our elected officials focused on fixing the real problems they face every day instead of promoting a meaningless culture war that has zero impact on our lives while corporate fat cats pick our pockets to line their own.
But, that being said, I can’t help but remember the words of Young Jeezy: And then what?
Look, I’m as blown away by the election results as anyone.
Last week, Democrats regained control of both houses of Congress, flipping at least 43 seats in the House and seven in the Senate. We flipped five governorships; 500 legislative seats took districts that have been red for a generation and turned them blue, and there are even more races left to be called.
According to The New York Times, the Black voter share grew dramatically. In Alabama, it went from 22% in 2024 to 26% in 2026. In Mississippi, it went from 30% in 2024 to 33% in 2026; in South Carolina, it went from 21% in 2024 to 24% in 2026. In Louisiana, it went from 27% in 2024 to 30% in 2026, and in Georgia, it went from 29% in 2024 to 32% in 2026.
That’s a three- to four-percent growth in all of those states, and even in states like Michigan, Illinois, and New York, where there was no measurable change, that’s compared to a presidential year, which, in and of itself, is absolutely huge.
In North Carolina, Senator-elect Roy Cooper got more votes from early voting than Michael Whatley got in total, and the same thing happened in Texas and Georgia. So, yes, I’m pretty excited.
But I’m also a realist because I know progress isn’t permanent and things can change in a heartbeat, especially if you don’t keep your eye on the ball. I know that we need to protect this electoral progress, so we can’t afford to mismanage our politics, our policies, or the promises we made on the campaign trail.
We can’t afford to mismanage the broad coalition that propelled us to a historic election night.
That’s what the Republicans did, and we see what it got them.
In 1967, Dr. King spoke at a similar moment, saying we had to choose between chaos and community, and in 2005, Young Jeezy asked the same question: “And then what?”
Our “what” is simple:
- We have to lower the cost of living.
- We have to save affordable healthcare.
- We have to hold the crooks who’ve been running this country for the past two years accountable for their crimes.
Does that mean we launch a campaign of retribution that gets us bogged down in some neverending impeachment fight? Of course not.
We stand up against corruption while working for the people because they need our help more than they need political payback.
We choose community because we know too well what chaos looks like.
It looks like skyrocketing foreclosure rates and car repossessions. It looks like more than half of Americans are forced to rely on credit cards to pay for basic needs like groceries, rent and utilities, student debt has jumped since the Trump administration reversed course on Biden repayment and forgiveness plans and an unconstitutional war that costs us record-high diesel prices and fertilizer costs, along with 16 unnecessary American deaths.
It looks like Americans are having to take out loans to pay for groceries even though they’re making six figures, and affordable housing is sitting vacant because folks still can’t afford it, particularly with the dramatic cuts to SNAP and Medicaid we saw in Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill.”
According to the Federal Reserve, the net worth of Black households is down 25%. That’s chaos.
We choose community. We choose raising the minimum wage, tackling price gouging, expanding voting rights, and putting back the subsidies that helped you pay for health insurance. We chose standing up for each other.
Young Jeezy asked the question, “And then what?” Community is the answer, and it’s time to get to work.
