The prospect of Texas “going blue” was one of the big stories throughout this election—and rightly so. In anticipation of this threat, Republican lawmakers redistricted the state after Donald Trump’s win in 2024, carving out new seats calculated to skew Republican. But that gerrymander seemed to be based on the assumption that Latino voters would continue voting along the same lines they had in 2024. The New Yorker staff writer Jesús Rodríguez, who covered James Talarico’s and Gina Hinojosa’s campaigns, talks with David Remnick about the effects of the gerrymander, and what the race in Texas tells Democrats about 2028.

Further reading and listening:

• “James Talarico’s Final Sprint,” by Jesús Rodríguez
• “Texas Democrats Venture Into ‘No Man’s Land,’” by Jesús Rodríguez
• “Gina Hinojosa Thinks Texas Is Different this Time,” an episode of The New Yorker Radio
• “The Well-Funded Fight to Keep Latinos Voting Republican,” by Jesús Rodríguez

• “Gina Hinojosa’s Populism for Democrats,” by Stephania Taladrid

New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.

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Though Pete Buttigieg, the former Secretary of Transportation and Indiana mayor, wasn’t on the midterms ballot, he campaigned for Democrats across the country in this election. Buttigieg’s ability to hold his own with red-state audiences and right-leaning media has made him an important voice for the Democratic Party, and he is a likely contender for the 2028 Presidential nomination. He talks with David Remnick about the Democrats’ historic rout; their mandate for the past two years of Donald Trump’s Presidency; and what potential 2028 candidates need to focus on.

Further reading and listening:

• “A Blue Wave Just Crashed on Trump,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells
• “Donald Trump’s Repudiation, America’s Revenge,” by Susan B. Glasser
• “Can Mayor Pete Be a Democratic Front-Runner?,” an episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour

New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.

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Amid all the prognostication about which party will emerge triumphant during the midterms, there has also been increasing alarm: Will it be a free and fair election? As soon as Donald Trump returned to office, he began making moves to create disruption—demanding private voter data from states, threatening election officials with jail time, and even seizing ballots from prior elections to investigate alleged fraud. And although, so far, none of the White House’s efforts have threatened to significantly alter the results, the Department of Justice has hinted that there is more to come. The U.S. Attorney General, Todd Blanche, has not ruled out using the force of law to prevent election certifications. Furthermore, a lawsuit from the Trump Administration against the State of Alaska is already under way, before a single vote has even been counted. The reporter Barton Gellman and David Remnick discuss the threats to the midterm elections and Gellman’s new piece, “The State Officials Defending the Midterms from the President.”

Further reading:

• “How ICE Is Targeting the 2026 Midterms,” by Jonathan Blitzer
• “What the Gerrymandering Wars Mean for the Midterms—and 2028,” by Isaac Chotiner
• “The G.O.P.’s Latest Voter-Suppression Plan,” by Sue Halpern
• “Donald Trump Already Knows the 2026 Election Is ‘Rigged,’ ” by Susan B. Glasser

New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.