After Democrats won control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton weighed in on how the party should use its new influence.
Harris urged Democrats to use their power aggressively to offer “economic relief” and hold President Donald Trump’s administration to account for what she described as deep-rooted corruption. Hillary Clinton said the “post-Trump era begins now,” while Bill Clinton struck a more conciliatory tone and called for action to rein in the national debt.
“On Election Day, the American people spoke loud and clear: they are done with the corruption, incompetence, and callousness coming from the White House and the capitulation of Republican leaders,” Harris wrote Wednesday.
She said the next step was to deliver results, arguing that Democrats elected to federal, state and local offices should use every available tool to help working families and hold the administration accountable.
Hillary Clinton said the election showed that Americans wanted accountability and more affordable living costs. She added that the country could not recover without addressing the harm done, healing divisions and answering for what she called crimes against the people and the Constitution. She also warned that abuses of the past two years must not happen again.
Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee who lost to Donald Trump in 2016, said families should have the chance to thrive, children should be able to reach their potential and the American Dream should be attainable. She expressed confidence that Democrats could deliver on those goals, adding, “The post-Trump era begins now.”
Bill Clinton said the election had given Democrats an opportunity to rebuild trust. He said that meant addressing the cost of living, protecting health care, ending what he called senseless wars and tariffs that raise prices, managing the national debt and holding leaders accountable.
He said the result also brought a responsibility to approach the task with humility and determination, reaching out to people who had not voted for Democratic candidates.
The White House and the Republican National Committee did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
