In a Nation opinion column, Elie Mystal argues the 2026 midterms prove Democrats can win without abandoning trans people, immigrants, or other principles. He cites results including J.D. Ford's defeat of Victoria Spartz in Indiana, logger Troy Jackson's win over Susan Collins in Maine, Abdul El-Sayed's victory in Michigan, and Peggy Flanagan's Minnesota win on a dismantling-ICE platform, and says the party's know-it-alls who backed Graham Platner were dead wrong.