In sharp contrast to two years ago, when they were in political mourning, Democrats are today celebrating their victory in the United States midterm elections, having taken back the House and Senate in spectacular fashion.

At Jamaica Observer press time, the Democratic Party was in control of 54 Senate seats, up from 47, and 238 House seats, an increase of 24, with prospects for more wins when outstanding counts are completed.

It takes 51 seats to win the 100-member Senate outright and 218 in the 435-member House.

Even though the White House remains in the hands of a Republican president until January 2029, Tuesday’s polls demonstrate without equivocation that America’s 250-year-old democracy — warts and all — is as vibrant as it ever was.

Following their loss of all three branches of government in the November 2024 presidential elections, Democrats and a great many other people across the globe contended American democracy was over. Indeed, one can accept that democracy is often a messy business, especially when the leader of a country is controversial in his/her views and actions, as was the case with President Donald Trump.

For example, the courts were kept extraordinarily busy litigating actions by the Administration, including lawsuits against perceived enemies of the president, most of which were thrown out by judges.

But, even there, the very fact that the courts were able to function as a bulwark, shows that a key institution of democracy did not lose its power to dispense justice. It is therefore a truism that one should watch the sale and not the noise of the market.

We note that the decision of the Administration to go to war with Iran, leading to high inflation, became the very reason for Tuesday’s electoral loss, as even US Vice-President Mr J D Vance conceded.

While we in this space do not take sides in American party politics, we maintain a healthy interest in it, especially because we believe that Jamaica is vested in a strong and vibrant US democracy, as the North American country is our most important trading partner and a lot more besides.

Of course, we could be said to be participants by proxy through our large Jamaican Diaspora which remains critical to the well-being of our country, notably by means of its substantial remittances.

For this reason, we are pleased to see the active participation of Jamaican nationals across party lines, with candidates securing prominent positions in Tuesday’s midterms, in Congress, state legislatures, governors’ offices, and local governments nationwide.

One standout victory on the night was Republican Mr Byron Donalds, who became governor-elect from Florida, becoming the state’s first black governor. His maternal family has Jamaican roots.

In Maryland, Democratic Governor Mr Wes Moore, whose mother is Jamaican, secured a second term, while Congresswoman Ms Yvette Clarke also secured re-election to Brooklyn’s Ninth Congressional District. She is the daughter of Jamaican immigrants.

Jamaican American Assembly member Mr Brian Cunningham won Brooklyn’s 43rd Assembly District; Jamaican-born Ms Denise Grant of Manchester retained her position as mayor of Lauderhill; her compatriot Mr Richard Campbell secured re-election to the city’s commission; and in Tamarac, Jamaican-born Ms Kicia Daniel won another term as city commissioner.

Long live democracy.