# Voters rejected cruelty at the midterms

> Democrats won big by running on kindness while Republicans suffered for a decade of meanness in politics and policy.
- Title: Voters rejected cruelty at the midterms · Vox | Shortify
- Summary: Democrats won big by running on kindness while Republicans suffered for a decade of meanness in politics and policy.
- Keywords: midterm elections 2026, adam hamilton, kansas senate, donald trump, jd vance, immigration enforcement, political civility, james talarico, amy acton, Vox
- Source: Vox — https://vox.com/today-explained-newsletter/509237/make-america-nice-again-midterms
- Author: Caitlin Dewey
- Published: 2026-11-05T22:30:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: midterm elections 2026, adam hamilton, kansas senate, donald trump, jd vance, immigration enforcement, political civility, james talarico, amy acton, news, culture
## Republicans lost big on Tuesday
The dust is settling on the midterm elections. Republicans are examining their shrunken ranks and trying to understand what went wrong.
## Trump blames his absence
President Donald Trump said Republicans lost because he wasn't on the ballot. Vice President JD Vance blamed the war in Iran.
## GOP operatives cite multiple causes
Republican operatives pointed to the affordability crisis, the appearance of corruption, and a slate of uninspiring candidates as reasons for defeat.
## One theory: voters rejected cruelty
Over forty-four thousand races played out across the country. One pattern emerges: voters turned against cruelty in politics and policy.
## A decade of meanness in politics
For the past ten years, meanness and cruelty have been the political mode. Lawmakers insulted opponents, used epithets, and pursued policies causing distress to marginalized groups.
## Trump's mass deportation campaign
Trump's mass deportation campaign ejected almost one million largely law-abiding people from the US. The administration regularly mocked and humiliated targets on social media.
## Voters rejected harsh immigration policy
In Colorado, fifty-five percent of voters rejected a measure requiring law enforcement to coordinate with federal immigration agents, despite half calling illegal immigration very serious.
## Hamilton won on kindness in Kansas
Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton, a Methodist megachurch pastor, ran on radical love, mercy and kindness. He won his seat by roughly five points in deep red Kansas.

> I want us to model what it looks like when thoughtful people actually work together to solve problems, instead of sling mud at each other.
## Voters swung against GOP in ICE raid areas
Voters also swung hard against Republicans in places that saw ICE raids or stricter enforcement, including heavily Hispanic areas of Florida, Kansas, and Texas.
## Cruelty was a bridge too far
Democratic strategist Lis Smith said voters supported border security and Border Patrol, but the cruelty of ICE tearing apart families and communities was too much.

> the cruelty of what ICE was doing, tearing apart families and communities, was just a bridge too far
## Key takeaway

Midterm voters rejected Republican cruelty in both campaign style and policy, electing candidates who ran on kindness and mercy instead.