The midterm elections marked a night of historic firsts: Adam Hamilton became the first Democratic senator elected in Kansas in nearly 100 years; Chris Pappas is now the first openly gay man to be voted into the Senate; Keisha Lance Bottoms is the first Black woman to be elected as a US governor; Bentley Hudgins is the first transgender and nonbinary lawmaker to be voted into the Georgia General Assembly—the list goes on.
How better to chronicle a generational evening in US history than on social media? Our founding fathers recounted watershed moments via post riders and printed broadsides; in the mid-19th century, dispatches were sent via the Pony Express. President Lincoln’s shooting was rushed to the public via Morse code tapped over the wires, and during World War I, we utilized undersea telegraph cables. Yet in our long history spanning radio broadcasts, satellite television, and smoke signals, nothing has quite captured the zeitgeist like an X post.
“CNN is now saying the national anthem has been changed to a reggaeton cover of Pink Pony Club,” tweeted one user last night, right as the media joined a chorus of policy analysts and pundits to announce a new dawn as Democrats took control of Congress—a blue wave. Or rather, a blue tsunami.
Social media users across the country then took to X to mourn, deny, or celebrate the victory. Yet amid the cacophony of social media’s tweets, posts, replies, comments, and reels, the most notorious influencer grew shockingly quiet: President Donald Trump himself. Despite posting a half-hearted image of a MAGA-red hat reading “VETO,” Trump has not said much online in the hours following the victory.
In the months leading up to the midterms, social media did more than simply sway victories. In fact, it propelled candidates like Jon Ossoff to the forefront through short-form vertical videos, made contenders such as Abdul El-Sayed go viral through clips set to songs like Eminem’s 2010 hit “Not Afraid,” and directed Gen Z focus to key races through memes (“TEXAS JUST WENT BLUE. PUT PRONOUNS BACK IN YOUR BIO NOW,” New York City Council member Chi Ossé posted in his Instagram Stories last night).
