Democrats, fresh off their sweeping victories in last week’s elections, faced bitter criticism and recriminations on Wednesday from within their own ranks after 11 of their members missed a vote on the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The absences, which boosted Republicans’ successful effort to block the impeachment on Tuesday, cast a shadow over what was otherwise a triumphant week for Democrats that was supposed to be focused on savoring their electoral wins, welcoming new members and plotting out their agenda for when they take the helm of both chambers of Congress.
Instead, Representative Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, the No. 2 Democrat in charge of tracking votes among her members, began a closed-door party meeting on Wednesday morning scolding lawmakers who had been absent for the impeachment vote, as others chastised their colleagues in public.
“Show up and do your job,” Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed, Democrat of Michigan, said bluntly on CNN Tuesday evening.
Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Democrat of California, appeared to be seething as she left the Capitol following the vote Tuesday night, telling the MeidasTouch Network that Democrats had squandered the opportunity to push the impeachment charges forward over Republican opposition. “People should have gotten their raggedy selves up these steps to vote,” she said.
In commemoration of Veterans Day today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, a monument that honors unidentified American service members who died in war.
Video captured Hegseth’s group of five people laughing near the monument. In response, one of the elite soldiers — tasked with helping maintain decorum at the monument literally 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — then turned and yelled to Hegseth’s group, “All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times!” The video clip of the interaction was broadcast nationwide by CNN.
Washington, D.C. — At the 2026 Popular Mandate conference, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) urged Democrats to deliver on the populist economic policies that led them to an historic victory in the 2026 midterm election last week.
“Democrats won – and won big – by recognizing Americans’ economic pain, denouncing Washington corruption that has made a rigged economy worse, and pledging to upend this system,” said Senator Warren. “That is a powerfully important lesson going into this next Congress and the next presidential primary in 2028.”
Senator Warren pointed to the evidence that populism won across the country, including Senators-elect James Talarico, Sherrod Brown, Adam Hamilton, Abdul El-Sayed, Troy Jackson, Peggy Flanagan, and Julianna Stratton.
- In Texas, James Talarico said bluntly that “the system is rigged” and pledged support for Senator Warren’s bipartisan bill with Republican Senator Josh Hawley to break up big medicine.
- In Ohio, Sherrod Brown channeled voter fury against AI data centers and said, “A handful of corrupt billionaires think they can buy power and keep this rigged system working in their favor… We’re proving that our voice is louder than their money.”
- In Kansas, Adam Hamilton won by calling for cracking down on corporate price gouging, stopping data centers from jacking up utility bills, and expanding Medicare.
- In North Carolina, Roy Cooper rolled out an ad in the final weeks saying he would, “fight the insurance companies and take on the utility monopolies.”
- In Iowa, Josh Turek put forward a serious plan to scrap the cap to tax the richest Americans so we can extend Social Security.
- In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed defended one of the most vulnerable Senate seats on the map with a full-on embrace of Medicare for All, a wealth tax for billionaires, and universal child care.
Senator Warren also laid out the task ahead, saying, “There are two massive barriers for Democrats to enact the change people want: First, the Senate filibuster. And second, Trump’s potential veto. But here’s the good news: we have tools to get where we need to be.”
She pointed to several ways Congress can make inroads now, including:
- Working with President Trump and Republicans if they’re willing to deliver for families;
- Pushing policies through reconciliation and spending bills “to pass big chunks of legislation that would improve people’s lives without a single Republican vote;”
- Challenging Trump and Republicans to oppose popular legislation to crack down on Trump’s corruption;
- And “hold(ing) Donald Trump and his cronies accountable for ripping off the American people.”
“Democrats are determined to make this economy and this government work for hard working people, and we have a plan for that: Part One: win the midterms. Part Two: Deliver big change. The time for Democrats to fight hard and produce results is now,” Senator Warren concluded in the speech.
Transcript: Senator Warren’s Speech at Popular Mandate Conference
November 10, 2026
As Prepared for Delivery
Senator Elizabeth Warren:
Intro
Thank you, Lindsay! It’s great to be with so many friends here at Popular Mandate!
One week after the 2026 midterms, the results are clear: Democrats won by fighting for populist economic policies.
In the most competitive 2026 races, in blue, purple, and red states, including places like Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina, Democrats won – and won big – by recognizing Americans’ economic pain, denouncing Washington corruption that has made a rigged economy worse, and pledging to upend this system.
That is a powerfully important lesson going into this next Congress and the next presidential primary in 2028.
Recall how Donald Trump swept back into power in the first place. Sure, I get it, lots of dog whistles and ugly stuff, but that wasn’t all. Trump promised he would lower costs “on Day 1.” Every day, over and over again,Trump got out and bragged that he would quote “end inflation and make America affordable again.” In his first major interview after the election, Trump said, “I won on groceries. Very simple word, groceries.”
Of course, Trump’s promises were empty. Instead of helping working people, Trump and Congressional Republicans took a wrecking ball to our economy, saying yes, yes, yes to every disastrous plan that he put in place.
- Cutting health care to finance tax breaks for rich people and giant corporations.
- Imposing chaotic and illegal tariffs.
- Launching a forever war.
Every one of those actions increased the cost of nearly everything for American families.
While he has been breaking the economy for regular people, Trump and his buddies have run the most corrupt administration in modern US history. Trump has turned the federal government into a corruption machine designed to rake in profits for himself, his family, and his cronies—and make everyone else pay the bill.
Gas prices over $5 a gallon. Ground beef prices spiking to more than $7 a pound. Inflation surging from the one-two-punch of Trump’s trade wars and Iran war. Mortgage rates above 7 percent. Credit card interest and car loans squeezing families hard.
But not everyone has felt the pressure. Corporate profits have skyrocketed to record levels while the share of income going to workers crashed to an all-time low.
Given the economic disaster that Trump unleashed, many DC pundits want to chalk up this election to nothing more than a referendum on the Republican Party, because of Trump’s failures on inflation and Iran. And yes, this is surely part of the story.
But those failures have a name – affordability. When the President said high prices mattered to him, he won. When he drove up prices and enriched himself instead of addressing those high costs, he lost.
In the wake of these historic wins, now is the time to listen to voters. It’s time to be clear-eyed about what voters heard – and liked – from winning candidates.
Populism Wins – Evidence
I’m going to focus on the Senate races, because that’s where I’ve put a lot of my efforts over the past two years – and where Democrats performed better than anyone thought was possible.
First, all kinds of Democrats who won were straightforward about the fact that the economy is rigged against working people. And they didn’t pull punches about whose fault that is.
Take James Talarico, the first Democratic senator from Texas in thirty years. Week after week on the trail, Talarico said bluntly that “the system is rigged.” In the final stretch of his campaign, he called out Elon Musk for trying to buy a Senate seat. Talarico won by over 10 points – in Texas. The future governor of Texas, Gina Hinojosa, made a similar argument. She said, quote “The one fight in this country is about economic power.”
In Ohio, my friend Sherrod Brown channeled voter fury against AI data centers. And when crypto bros and Big Tech billionaires tried to buy this Senate seat for the Republicans, Sherrod didn’t mince words. He said, “A handful of corrupt billionaires think they can buy power and keep this rigged system working in their favor, ”We’re proving that our voice is louder than their money.” And Sherrod was right.
In Kansas, yes, Kansas, Adam Hamilton won by calling for cracking down on corporate price gouging, stopping data centers from jacking up utility bills, and expanding Medicare. And by the way, speaking of Kansas, Dr. Roger Marshall lost because voters rejected him nickeling and diming his struggling patients. It was a stark contrast that made clear which candidate would fight for you.
Every winner made these arguments and made them loudly – Abdul El-Sayed, Troy Jackson, Peggy Flanagan, Juliana Stratton – the list goes on and on. Many of them did so in their primaries as well, beating DC establishment candidates who were just too damn timid to call out the rich and powerful.
Now, you might be thinking that the rhetoric was fiery, but that doesn’t mean this is actually a different breed of Democrats headed to Washington. And in fact, there are some self-titled “strategists” in our party who are happy to have Democrats rail against billionaires at their rallies – but they expect softer, more middle-of-the-road, corporate-friendly economic policies once in office. According to this logic, it’s fine to call yourself a populist if it helps you win in the general election, but don’t rock the boat so much that you tip your wealthy donors or rich CEO buddies into the water.
If we want a clue as to what these voters actually want from Congress, just look at what the winners actually promised to do.
For the first time in over a decade, North Carolina will have a Democratic Senator. Roy Cooper’s campaign slogan was “Make Stuff Cost Less.” His ad in the final weeks said he would “fight the insurance companies and take on the utility monopolies.” And Roy isn’t playing a part. He is a seasoned former attorney general, and his campaign plan to lower grocery prices called for blocking anti-competitive mergers and stopping companies from using algorithms to fix prices for food—pretty specific plans to favor customers over corporations.
Also, for the first time in 18 years, Iowa will have a Democratic Senator: self-described prairie populist Josh Turek. Josh believes that (quote) “health care is a human right.” He proudly calls himself a moderate Democrat. And he is. But this moderate Democrat made clear he’s ready to fight the powerful on behalf of the people of Iowa. He’s ready to fight the monopolies that own your health insurance, your pharmacy, and your PBM. He’s talked about breaking up Big Ag monopolies and the right to repair your own stuff. And with cuts to Social Security looming, he put forward a serious plan to scrap the cap to tax the richest Americans so we can extend Social Security in the future. Strong—and very specific.
James Talarico pledged support for my bipartisan bill with Republican Senator Josh Hawley to break up big medicine. Mary Peltola promised to ban price gouging and called to (quote) “block anti-competitive mergers that let grocery chains … (that) drive up prices.” Abdul El-Sayed criss-crossed Michigan and defended one of the most vulnerable Senate seats on the map with a full-on embrace of Medicare for All, a wealth tax for billionaires, and universal child care.
Populism Wins – Private Equity in Housing
I want to spend a minute telling you about one of my very favorite issues out on the campaign trail this year, because it offers an insight into what’s going on.
One of the biggest economic issues in these elections was housing. Last summer, Congress passed the biggest housing affordability legislation in 30 years. It’s a terrific bill with dozens of provisions designed to build more housing and lower costs. But here’s my favorite part: the new law also stops private equity and these Wall Street investors from buying up huge numbers of homes. The idea is simple: homes are for families, not corporations. As we got to the final passage of the Housing bill, there was a big fight inside the beltway to get that provision into the housing bill, and to keep it there. But in the real world, out on the campaign trail, in high school gymnasiums and parking lot rallies, the cheers for dumping private equity were long and loud. The private equity portion of the bill was the most remembered and most beloved.
In the final stretch of the midterms, candidates have debates. And one common gotcha question is: you’re a Democrat, so what do you agree with Trump on? Two answers in two states were exactly the same. Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and Josh Turek in Iowa both said they agree with Donald Trump that we should get private equity out of housing. Shazam!
This issue of private equity in housing caught fire in competitive races, including many House races. In New Mexico, Gabe Vasquez pushed back against private equity buying up manufactured housing. In Florida, Darren Soto made sure the Orlando voter guide included his vote in support of stopping “hedge funds from buying up many single-family homes.” In Iowa, Christina Bohannan told the Des Moines Register that she will take on corporate price gouging, including “the private equity firms that are buying up Iowa properties.”
But that’s not all. Adam Hamilton and Annie Andrews, two of the biggest underdog races in the county, both campaigned on going even further to rein in private equity. They looked at the bill we passed in the summer and said, “Hey, that’s pretty good, but we should do more.” And they are right. Congress should do more to stop Wall Street from buying up homes and private equity’s looting.
The Task Ahead
So yes, we won big by naming what is wrong and convincing voters that we would take on a rigged system in order to fix it.
But here’s the thing. It would be a tremendous breach of faith with the people who voted for us to spend the next two years ahead of the 2028 election railing against Trump and waiting for a future Democratic trifecta to deliver meaningful change.
Democrats must spend the next two years fighting to deliver for working people now. Yes, even with Donald Trump in the White House.
There are two massive barriers for Democrats to enact the change people want: First, the Senate filibuster. And second, Trump’s potential veto. But here’s the good news: we have tools to get where we need to be.
First, I’m ready to team up with any Republican who’s heard the American people loud and clear.
- If Trump is serious about lowering costs, then let’s take him up on his promise to cap credit card interest rates and save families hundreds of dollars.
- Trump says he supports cracking down on corporate healthcare middlemen – we’ve got a bipartisan bill to get it done.
- Protect Social Security from benefit cuts? I have a plan with Republican Senator Moreno to force billionaires to pay into Social Security at the same rate as a public school teacher, making the program solvent for a generation.
- And now is the time for Congress to expand on our bipartisan ROAD to Housing bill and pass additional legislation to build more homes.
Ready to go, Mr. President. Tell your Congressional team, and we’ll get this done.
But hear this: if Republicans won’t join us, Democrats will move ahead without them.
The reconciliation process allows us to pass big chunks of legislation that would improve people’s lives without a single Republican vote. Reverse the health care cuts the Republicans put in place, expand health care coverage, and fund universal childcare – all with a 51-vote majority in the Senate. And, to pay for it, we can start by reversing the tax breaks Trump and the Republicans handed out to millionaires and billionaires – again with 51 votes. A Democratic majority in Congress can also send the president a resolution that revokes his authority to wage war in Iran – again with 51 votes.
And let’s not forget one of our most powerful tools: Democrats have power on spending bills that require our votes, and we should use it. No more funding for a forever war with Iran. Cancel the looming cuts to health insurance and nutrition benefits put in place by Republicans last summer.
Next, where Democrats agree reconciliation is not an option, like with bills to ban stock trading by federal officials or crack down on Trump’s corruption in plain sight, Democrats should put the bills up for a vote. Let the Republicans decide if they want to stay tied to such corruption and, if they do, then let’s clear away Senate filibuster rules and pass the laws anyway.
Look, I get it. These bills could still face a veto from Donald Trump. But for me, that’s not enough reason not to try. Democrats must deliver popular, meaningful legislation to Trump’s desk and dare him to veto it.
- Dare him to veto an increase in the minimum wage for hard-working Americans.
- Dare him to veto a ban on price gouging.
- Dare him to veto a ban on AI surveillance pricing.
- Dare him to veto a ban on stock trading
- Dare him to veto legislation that gets money out of politics so no one can buy our democracy.
You can’t win what you don’t fight for. And if we don’t fight – if we hang back and sand down the edges of our economic agenda or trim our ambitions because we’re worried about what rich donors or giant corporations might think – then shame on us. I have already heard some Democrats accept defeat before we even tried fighting for progress. That breaks faith with the people who sent us here. Change can’t wait. We must deliver now.
Finally, accountability. Congress has the power to hold Donald Trump and his cronies accountable for ripping off the American people to make themselves richer. Under the Trump Administration, the corruption has been massive—beyond anything seen in American history.
Accountability is coming. If you’re a Wall Street executive, Big Tech CEOs, giant corporations that have been cheating people, you should be worried. And government officials who have put their own interests ahead of the public interest, should be worried too.
Democrats are determined to make this economy and this government work for hard-working people, and we have a plan for that: Part One: win the midterms. Part Two: Deliver big change. The time for Democrats to fight hard and produce results is now.
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