There are the wins obvious from orbit – such as the staggering breadth of Democratic victories across the board in Tuesday’s midterm elections – and then there are the wins that are harder to see at first glance, but are arguably no less important. In that category, we consider it a win that 2026’s elections were clean and uncontested, free of dark suggestions of fraud; that no major issues were reported around ballot integrity or ICE activity at polling places; and that opinion polls themselves, while underestimating the force of Tuesday’s “blue tsunami,” were nonetheless generally accurate in predicting winners – all of which goes a long way toward restoring Americans’ sometimes-shaky faith in our electoral democracy.
And while, as is our custom, this week’s edition is devoted entirely to the election, there’s no way we couldn’t include this gem that would be in the winner’s circle any other week: Take it away, Layla Clark, on the marimba for Thomas Jefferson High School in Jefferson Hills, whose performance has left us … Thunderstruck.
Imagine putting together an entire halftime show based off of one woman doing a cover of Thunderstruck on xylophone……and having it KICK TOTAL ASS! https://t.co/BH2BWW5ibO
— Hammer and Nigel (@hammerandnigel) November 1, 2026
Keep reading for more winners and losers!