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Monday, November 9, 2026Nov 9

Sohn: For blue waves, give Trump his due

Aaron Borton, The New York Times / Accompanied by running mate Jacqueline Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear, a Democrat, declares victory in his challenge to incumbent Gov. Matt Bevin on Tuesday night in Louisville, Ky.
Aaron Borton, The New York Times / Accompanied by running mate Jacqueline Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear, a Democrat, declares victory in his challenge to incumbent Gov. Matt Bevin on Tuesday night in Louisville, Ky. Aaron Borton, The New York Times / Accompanied by running mate Jacqueline Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear, a Democrat, declares victory in his challenge to incumbent Gov. Matt Bevin on Tuesday night in Louisville, Ky.

Not given in this space to saying much good about Donald Trump, we do need today to give him his due: He is doing his part to make good on his Make America Great Again promise. He’s increasingly turning it a beautiful Democratic Blue.

* First it was the December 2017 special election in Alabama – the one that gave the Heart of Dixie its first Democratic win for a statewide federal office – a U.S. Senate seat – in more than a quarter of a century.

Trump had stumped steadfastly for defrocked federal judge Roy Moore, but Doug Jones won a stunning red-state upset by 22,000 votes, 50% to 48%.

Just a month before that, largely red Virginia spun its own “resistance” energy – sparked by Trump’s stolen presidential victory in 2016 – into three Democratic statewide gains.

* And don’t forget the Blue Tsunami of 2018 – the one that gave Democrats a majority in the House of Representatives and placed the Speaker’s gavel firmly back into the hands of Nancy Pelosi. Altogether, Democrats picked up a net gain of 40 seats. It was the largest Democratic House gain in four and half decades.