The results of the US midterm elections remind us to focus on the “foundations of our democracy”

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The country feels different as the results of the US midterm elections become known. When all votes are counted, Democrats will win the national popular vote in every House election by about 13 percentage points. Voters have spoken in large numbers: they want leaders who make everyday life a little easier.

Now politicians must respond and, essentially, must design policies that reduce costs for ordinary people in the United States. This is not about revenge: revenge is too different from the lived experiences of American consumers.

Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, says that one of the main things “Democrats must do now is hold accountable not only Trump officials, but also his enablers.” Rep. Robert Garcia of California posted on social media along the same lines: “Lawyer Up” for MAGA losers.

No, that’s playground antics. Instead, the next two years must demonstrate a willingness to listen to American citizens as every family struggles to make ends meet with food, utilities, health care, and other daily costs.

Roy Cooper’s North Carolina Senate campaign had a mantra that permeated every stop on his statewide tour: Make things cost less.

That’s all.

James Talarico, Jon Ossoff, Roy Cooper, among others, based their campaigns on populist economic agendas. They railed against President Trump’s economic record and called out corruption for what it is: self-promotion over the interests of American citizens.

Georgia Senator-elect Jon Ossoff made Trump’s attack on the rule of law practical. In everyday terms, he pointed out to voters how democracy and economic hardship depend on each other. He argued that “corruption is the reason why nothing works for ordinary people.”

We are ready as a nation to reintroduce the importance of science to achieve these goals.

In a recent comment in the magazine, NatureA group of authors maintains that “science is an essential backbone of democracy.” Science as a source of discovery, experience and innovation is intertwined, they continue, with democracy as a set of institutions, rules and procedures. They propose three pillars through which science enables democracy:

• establish shared factual baselines;
• contribute to trust in institutions; and,
• providing tools to adapt policies and organizations in response to changing circumstances.

Scientists agree that citizens have legitimate concerns “about economic restructuring, regional inequalities, how migration is governed, technological changes, aging populations, climate risks and geopolitical instability.” On the other hand, “experience strengthens democratic legitimacy when it is transparent, diverse, independent and open to scrutiny, as prescribed by the rules of science.”

Democracy, when it fulfills its responsibility as a rule of law, contributes to a reduction in CO2 emissions. Climate change, like voting in a democracy, is a collective action problem: a conflict between individual interest and group interest.

How can the acceptance of science translate into a populist message?

Congress can look forward and back on science-based clean energy in a variety of ways, from policies to investments, all of which will address the affordability crisis, improve public health and protect the environment, says Gretchen Colman, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists. That will include renewable energy and clean transportation, modernizing the electric grid, protecting our air and water, and more.

Science-based legislation, Colman continues, must be based “on facts and evidence, not political whims. We will call on Congress to restore funding for science, protect federal science agencies, and restore safeguards for federal scientists to conduct and communicate about their work without political interference.”

A national return to scientific reasoning is underway. Gina Hinojosa, elected as Texas’ first Democratic governor, has called for an immediate moratorium on data center development. He has accused developers of “raising our utility rates and depleting our water.” As reported in Bloomberg Greenhas promised to suspend approvals until “a legislative session that puts Texans first so that we no longer have communities in Texas that are powerless against these global corporations.”

In fact, the performance of data centers must also be questioned. Few AI-generated findings are peer-reviewed or tested in laboratories. Talk about mixed messages! We return to a nostalgic past by foregrounding large language models that are programmed to present particular, narrow, and selfish views, usually of billionaires seeking to protect their wealth. It is time to tax these rare individuals accordingly, remove any incentives for their built structures, and require them to provide significant contributions of renewable energy to the communities that host them.

Yes, energy plays an increasingly important role in today’s world. Instead of treating electrification as an option to move towards decarbonization, it is time to see that it is essential: we need to electrify everything quickly. In the United States, more than 60 state and local governments are also in court seeking damages from oil companies. These are the demands that Democrats in Congress should undertake as complements to the transition of virtually all industrial, transportation and building systems to electricity. This means subsidizing heat pumps, electric vehicles, solar panels, and home battery storage; Subsidies are much cheaper than financing wars over oil.

Final thoughts

Groundbreaking electoral events have elevated nontraditional candidates to levels of power and influence, as has the New York Times chronicles:

• The first Muslim senator, Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan;
• the first black female governor, Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia;
• the first openly gay senator, Chris Pappas of New Hampshire;
• the first Hispanic governors elected in Texas, Gina Hinojosa, and California, Xavier Becerra;
• Ohio’s first female governor, Amy Acton; and,
• the first Native American governor, Deb Haaland of New Mexico.

Political analyst Chris Armitrage suggests another important positive trend. “What lasts beyond January 2027 is the voter who had never voted in a midterm, did so in 2026 and now has the habit,” he concludes.

The urgency of climate change has brought democracy to a critical moment. Whether veteran, non-traditional or new voters, we must continue to advocate for inclusive and participatory democracy to address climate change. Collective climate action, shaped by democratic governance, strong civil society, and innovative advocacy strategies, can be a force for the right to a healthy planet.