{"id":522812,"date":"2026-11-08T13:18:21","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T13:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/522812\/"},"modified":"2026-11-08T13:18:21","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T13:18:21","slug":"midterms-2026-sweeps-musicians-artists-and-a-model-into-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/522812\/","title":{"rendered":"Midterms 2026 sweeps musicians, artists and a model into power"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The \u201cblue <\/a>tsunami<\/a>\u201d in the 2026 midterm elections flipped control of both the House and the Senate last week, bringing a wave of Democrats, some with backgrounds in the arts. <\/p>\n

The influx of newly elected officials \u2014 artists, musicians, dancers and even a former Prada model among them \u2014 comes just weeks before Congress will take another look at the Trump administration\u2019s proposed 2027 budget<\/a>, which requests $1.5 trillion in defense spending and, once again, seeks to nix funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as the Institute of Museum and Library Services. <\/p>\n

Last year, Congress intervened against some of the arts cuts, but that didn\u2019t stop the administration from terminating hundreds of NEA grants<\/a> worth more than $27 million nationwide. <\/p>\n

Next year\u2019s massive reconfiguration of power, however, brings with it a number of elected officials with creative backgrounds, some of whom even incorporated music, dance and art into their campaigns and promises to constituents. <\/p>\n

U.S. Representative-elect Claire Valdez, says art is the first language she knew. \u201cIt is a language that crosses all kinds of divides and gives voice to something that is otherwise inexpressible and has tremendous power to change,\u201d she said. \u201cI think that transformation is needed now more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at some of the elected officials who have a little razzle-dazzle on their resumes. <\/p>\n

Iowa Governor-elect Rob Sand<\/p>\n

\"Model <\/p>\n

Then-model Rob Sand walks the runway in the Prada menswear spring 2003 ready to wear runway show in Milan, Italy. <\/p>\n

(Davide Maestri \/ Penske Media via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been 20 years since Iowa chose a Democrat to govern the state, but Iowans just elected a former Prada model to strut into office next year. The New York Times profiled<\/a> Sand in 2019, noting that the Brown University and University of Iowa College of Law graduate doesn\u2019t like to talk about his days modeling in Paris and Milan. Back then, he worked his way through college and ultimately earned a J.D. degree. <\/p>\n

The cat\u2019s out of the bag, though, and Sand seems to have surrendered to the social media attention and even leaned in. \u201cI\u2019m disappointed to learn images of me modeling for Prada are circulating,\u201d he wrote<\/a> alongside a grayscale fashion editorial. \u201cBecause this shot from Italian Vogue is much better.\u201d He also launched a \u201cMy Model Governor\u201d tee, featuring a chic twenty-something Sand showing off his sought-after bone structure. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s been about two decades since Sand, repped by IMG Models at the time, graced the catwalk for Giuliano Fujiwara and other high fashion designers. After college, he traded the runway for a courtroom, and in 2018, was elected state auditor as a Democrat, serving two terms. The now 44-year-old governor-elect appealed to Iowan voters using a campaign centered on public education, affordable living, anti-corruption and bipartisanship. His campaign slogan is: \u201cNot redder or bluer, but better and truer.\u201d He\u2019s a Jesus-loving hunting enthusiast whose first job was catching chickens, and he insists that he\u2019s more interested in public service than two-party politics. <\/p>\n

Texas\u2019 new Attorney General-elect Nathan Johnson<\/p>\n

\"Texas <\/p>\n

Texas state Sen. Nathan Johnson speaks against a bill that would add new abortion restrictions in Austin, Texas. <\/p>\n

(Eric Gay \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

From the top of the ballot to the bottom, Republicans lost their long-held grip on Texas last week. Democrat Nathan Johnson was elected Texas attorney general, an office held by Republicans for 28 years. This isn\u2019t the first time Johnson flipped Texas either. Back in 2018, he was elected to the Texas state Senate, and while he\u2019s impressed Texans with promises to root out corruption, restore traditional consumer protection and shift away from the high-profile culture wars of prior officeholders, he claims glory for something else: <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the 2000s, I wrote the musical scores wall-to-wall of 67 episodes of \u2018Dragon Ball Z\u2019 and five of the movies,\u201d he told Texas Sen. Taylor Rehmet in a video<\/a> posted to Facebook. \u201cIt was a lot of fun … And even then, it got me street cred with my kids\u2019 friends, and it gave me a creative outlet and a cultural connection that very few people had the opportunity to have.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Texas Attorney General-elect worked on \u201cDragon Ball Z: The World\u2019s Strongest,\u201d \u201cDragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might,\u201d \u201cDragon Ball Z: Broly \u2014 Second Coming,\u201d \u201cDragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn\u201d and \u201cDragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon.\u201d He also ran a music production company and composed classical stage music.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Texas Standard<\/a> after the midterm results were in, Johnson chalked up the blue wave to a \u201cnational revolt against meanness, against hateful speech and divisiveness.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople indulge in those sorts of things when everything else is feeling great,\u201d he said. \u201cBut at a time when corruption is confronting us in the face and people are super anxious about their economic future, there was a whole-scale rejection of Republican leadership.\u201d <\/p>\n

U.S. Representative-elect Bobby Pulido<\/p>\n

\"Bobby <\/p>\n

Bobby Pulido, a Latin Grammy winner, sings during his last concert, La \u00daltima Desvelada, at the Bert Ogden Arena.<\/p>\n

(Gabriel V. Cardenas\/For The Times)<\/p>\n

Another Democrat elected in the Lone Star state is the Latin Grammy-winning Tejano music star Bobby Pulido<\/a>, who will represent Texas\u2019 15th Congressional District. Pulido said<\/a> he\u2019s willing to trade his three-decade stage career and take a hefty pay cut to step into public service. He won 62% of the total vote of Texans across the Rio Grande Valley and central Texas on a platform of affordability, healthcare access, immigration reform and reconnecting with working-class Latino voters. <\/p>\n

\u201cI give you my word tonight that I will never forget where I came from,\u201d Pulido recently said during an Oct. concert, \u201cLa \u00daltima Desvelada\u201d (The Last Restless Night), in his hometown of Edinburg, Texas, per TejanoNation<\/a>. \u201cI did music for me, but I\u2019m running for Congress for you … Because I\u2019m not going to Washington to serve a political party, I\u2019m going to serve you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pulido defeated Republican incumbent Monica De La Cruz, who took jabs at his showbiz background during her campaign. \u201cThis election isn\u2019t about who you want performing at your niece\u2019s quincea\u00f1era,\u201d she said earlier this year, according to the Texas Tribune<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Tejano star responded<\/a> by performing at quincea\u00f1eras<\/a> across the congressional district, which only boosted his popularity in the region. \u201cIn south Texas, a quincea\u00f1era isn\u2019t just a pachanga. It\u2019s a rite of passage that brings family and neighbors together,\u201d said Pulido in a TikTok clip in March. \u201cAnd honestly, that\u2019s exactly what this campaign is about. We want to bring people together, not tear them apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. Representative-elect Claire Valdez<\/p>\n

\"Claire <\/p>\n

Congressional candidate Claire Valdez won her race against Brooklyn borough President Antonio Reynoso in the New York 7th District to succeed retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.). <\/p>\n

(Michael M. Santiago \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Valdez, a visual artist and union organizer, was elected to represent New York\u2019s 7th Congressional District with a campaign message that espoused the need for artists to \u201cchange our political, our economic, and our social order.\u201d Valdez\u2019s political aspirations are personal: She moved to New York to pursue a career as an artist and quickly realized the financial realities of making art under capitalism. Art should never be a luxury for the rich, she argues, but a necessity for all. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis district represents more artists than almost any other district in the country, and yet we live in a city where it\u2019s almost impossible to have the studio space, the time off, the money, the resources, the healthcare to make the art that we need in our society to shine,\u201d Valdez said<\/a> in a campaign speech earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not come to politics through electoral ambitions … I came to this place via my union. My union taught me that when people come together, we can organize for incredible things. We can move literal mountains, and we can beat back all the other people who make our lives a living hell, who have made this city unaffordable and impossible to thrive in, impossible to be an artist in. We deserve and demand a life of dignity, beauty for every single person, no matter where you are from. That\u2019s what\u2019s on the table, my friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Valdez worked as a program assistant in the visual arts department at Columbia University, where she became a union leader. In 2024, she was elected to the New York State Assembly to represent the 37th District in Queens. Last week, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani backed the candidate, who won 83% of the vote. <\/p>\n

Los Angeles Mayor-elect Nithya Raman<\/p>\n

\"Nithya <\/p>\n

Los Angeles Mayor-elect Nithya Raman arrives with supporters standing nearby to claim victory in the Los Angeles mayoral race. <\/p>\n

(Mario Tama \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Mayor-elect Nithya Raman was first elected to the L.A. City Council in 2020, and last week, she became the first challenger to defeat an incumbent Los Angeles mayor in more than two decades. While Raman didn\u2019t turn L.A. blue, the democratic socialist did beat Mayor Karen Bass, a more moderate Democrat, turning the city a deeper, more progressive shade of blue. <\/p>\n

Raman campaigned on a platform centered on housing affordability, public transit expansion, street safety, and a major overhaul of how the city approaches homelessness, but she also has a unique inside perspective on issues that plague Angelenos who work in entertainment. Her husband, Vali Chandrasekaran<\/a>, is a television writer and producer, with a resume stacked with popular shows including \u201cModern Family\u201d and \u201c30 Rock.\u201d The two met as undergrads at Harvard, where Raman was active in the university\u2019s arts scene, and contributed to student productions as a designer and choreographer. The two broke up but reconnected on the picket line during the 2007-08 Writers Guild Strike. <\/p>\n

According to a profile in the Harvard Crimson<\/a>, Raman studied classical dance with renowned Bharatanatyam dancer Leela Samson in Chennai, India, and toured with her dance company after she graduated in the early aughts. The mayor-elect told the outlet that she still follows dance when her schedule allows.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t just watch Indian classical dance, I watch all kinds of dance,\u201d Raman said. \u201cI\u2019m a dance aficionado, and when I\u2019m not busy on the campaign trail, I try and attend dance programs and performances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raman took the stage late on election night during her party<\/a> on the plaza outside the Greek Theatre, and asked the crowd: \u201cWill you all get on the dance floor with me?\u201d In response to the applause, she said, \u201cYes, we will dance. We will dance!\u201d <\/p>\n