Political News
Reports on political developments, legislation, and leadership. The Daily Signal provides news and conservative analysis of American politics.
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breaking
DOJ Civil Rights Chief Harmeet Dhillon Resigning
Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, is resigning from her post, a source familiar confirmed to the Daily Signal. The DOJ did not immediately respond to the Daily Signal’s request for comment. Dhillon was a strong advocate for parental rights, religious liberty, and constitutional freedoms. While… -
opinion
3 Reasons Florida Didn’t Go Blue Like Texas
Call it a tale of two states. Both Republican-run. Both prosperous. Both heavily populated states that influence the rest of the nation. Yet in the blue tsunami, the results in Texas and Florida were very different. “In January … of the 10 largest states in this union, only one state will have Republican control of… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: What Trump Must Do After the Midterm Losses
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” from Daily Signal senior contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to Hanson’s own YouTube channel to watch past episodes. Victor Davis Hanson: I will say something, though, also about the midterms very quickly. Yes, what can he do now and what can… -
news
Referendum or Turnout Problem? GOP Insiders Split Over Who’s to Blame for Midterm Losses
Republicans lost Congress on Tuesday because voters felt the administration and the GOP stopped caring about them, several insiders told the Daily Signal. “This is a middle finger,” one former senior administration official said of the midterm election results. “I think it comes down to affordability and the war, and Americans feeling like the administration… -
analysis
PINK-AND-BLUE WAVE? The Role of Transgenderism in the Midterms
Transgender activist groups are getting out ahead of their skis when they interpret Democrat midterm victories as an endorsement of transgender ideology. The Human Rights Campaign touted its efforts boosting Democrats and portrayed the election results as vindication for candidates who resisted Republican attacks on transgender issues. The results, however, tell a more complicated story…. -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: America Faces a Radical New Political Reality
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal senior contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for the Daily Signal. I’m speaking late on midterm night, and it looks like this blue wave materialized in the… -
exclusive
EXCLUSIVE: White House Finalizes Policy to Lower Health Care Costs
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—President Donald Trump finalized new Medicare policies to lower costs by more than $1 billion next year for seniors, an administration official told the Daily Signal. “Next year, America’s seniors will save over $1 billion on high-cost drugs, like infusions to treat cancer, and over $2 billion over the next decade… -
news
Socialists Gain Ground in Congress, Setting Up Fight Over Democrat Agenda
Democratic Socialists of America are celebrating over 50 wins from Tuesday night’s midterm elections. With some races yet to be called, there will be at least five new socialists entering the House of Representatives and one entering the Senate for the 120th Congress. “Over 50 DSA victories tonight prove socialism can win in the U.S…. -
analysis
The ‘Becerra Era’: A New Governor, and the California That Could Have Been
Summary “You have now entered the Becerra Era,” declared California Gov.-elect Xavier Becerra in his victory speech Tuesday night. But for the nearly 3 million Californians who cast their ballots for Republican Steve Hilton, hopes for a different direction for the Golden State have faded as another Democrat administration prepares to take office. So, what… -
news
‘The Country’s Gonna Pay’: Congressman Weighs Why Trump’s Midterm Strategy Didn’t Work
Some Republicans are pointing fingers at President Donald Trump after his 32-day midterm blitz failed to save GOP majorities in Congress. “This was a complete repudiation of Trumpism,” one GOP strategist told the Daily Signal. “When you lose literally everything, there is no one else to blame. Trumpism expired, and conservatives need to start rebuilding… -
analysis
Did Socialists Just Lose Some of Their Expected Leverage in Congress?
The Democratic Socialists of America emerged from the 2026 midterms significantly stronger, but in a strange twist, the Democratic Party’s overwhelming success may deprive the DSA’s seven House members of the leverage they expected to wield. The DSA expanded its congressional footprint, helped elect allies at the state and local levels, and can point to… -
opinion
The Socialists Won More Than Just Elections on Tuesday
Summary Five new candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America won House seats Tuesday. Together with reelected Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., that brings the number of DSA-backed members in the next House of Representatives, as of this writing, to at least seven. This marks a significant expansion for a movement… -
news
‘Everyone Knows Why We Lost’: Vance Blames Iran War for Blue Wave
Vice President JD Vance blamed the Iran war for 2026 Democrat victories Wednesday in a blunt post on X. “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” stated Vance, who, at this point, is the presumed front-runner for the 2028 GOP presidential nomination. “If you’d like to argue it… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: Why Midterm Losses Won’t Stop Trump
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” from Daily Signal senior contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to Hanson’s own YouTube channel to watch past episodes. This episode was recorded before Tuesday night’s election results. Jack Fowler: Well, Victor, as much as people are consumed with domestic elections, we… -
news
Voters Punish GOP Over Economy, but Democrats May Still Have a Problem, Exit Polls Find
Summary Voters were more dissatisfied with the state of the economy in 2026 than they were in 2024, according to exit polling. While punishing the party in power was the antidote to that on Tuesday, most voters said they didn’t necessarily trust Democrats to handle key issues more than Republicans, as both parties had low… -
news
Mike Johnson’s Departure From GOP Leadership Sets Up Battle for Succession
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, took himself out of the race for minority leader on Wednesday, kicking off a battle within Congress for the coveted seat. Johnson announced his decision this morning, just hours after the House and the Senate were called for Democrats, on a call with his staff, the source told the… -
news
Why Voters Backed Democrats in Midterm Blowout
About three-quarters of voters said the Iran war was a crucial factor in which candidate they supported in the 2026 midterm elections, according to an NBC exit poll. Among the 74% of voters who said the Iran war was a crucial factor, 62% voted Democrat and 35% voted Republican. President Donald Trump’s operation in Iran… -
news
AI Fears Emerge as Winning Issue for Democrats
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Americans’ growing fears about artificial intelligence followed them to the polls Tuesday and spread across party lines. Seventy-six percent of voters reject building data centers in their local community, and 43% do not trust either party to tackle AI, according to early CNN exit poll results. These findings reflect similar results from… -
news
Big Night for Democrats Hides Conservatives’ Victories on Ballot Measures
On the same night voters delivered a blue wave and expanded abortion rights, conservatives saw some victories on ballot measures regarding election integrity and protecting women’s sports. Any hopes of passing the SAVE America Act disappeared with the new congressional majority. However, voters in multiple states approved measures to ensure that only citizens vote and… -
news
Trump’s Explanation for Midterm Blue Wave
President Donald Trump blamed the candidates and the Iran war for the massive Republican losses in the 2026 midterm elections. “They didn’t like the candidates, and some of the candidates that I endorsed fought me, and they didn’t like it,” he said in a late-night Fox Business interview. “This MAGA base is incredible, the most…