Conventional Wisdom: Midterms Edition

Newsweek · Newsweek Editors · 2026-11-05 08:52 UTC

Featuring: Monica de la Cruz, Henry Cuellar, Gavin Newsom, Greg Brockman, the Winkelvii and Alani Bankhead.

A wave election is supposed to be about the candidates. It ends up grading everyone who tried to tilt the odds around them: the mapmakers, the donors and the party officials deciding who gets to run.

Lines drawn to guarantee a seat can hand it to someone else, and money spent to sink a candidate can float him back.

Voters don’t just pick winners. They audit the plans.

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