It’s a great time to be living in America today. Not because everything is going well, but because so much remains possible.
Something remarkable happened in our corner of New England. Vermont and New Hampshire, two states with different political traditions, delivered results that tell us something important about the country. And perhaps something more hopeful about American democracy.
In Vermont, Republican Gov. Phil Scott won an unprecedented sixth term. But Democrats regained veto-proof supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature. Molly Gray returned as lieutenant governor, and Becca Balint won another term in Congress. Across the Connecticut River, New Hampshire voters reelected Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte. Yet Democrats captured both chambers of the Legislature, all five seats on the Executive Council, and the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Jeanne Shaheen. Chris Pappas, an openly gay gentleman, defeated Republican John Sununu, helping Democrats regain control of the Senate.
The message was loud and clear — a demand for change, accountability, and, above all, results. People are less interested in ideological victories than in whether government can address the problems they encounter every day: housing costs, property taxes, healthcare, schools, energy prices and the challenge of making a living in communities where affordability has become a serious concern.
Democracy is often discussed as though it were an abstract constitutional arrangement. But in Vermont and New Hampshire, it is also a practical, everyday experience. It happens in town meetings, school budget debates, local elections and conversations between neighbors who may disagree about politics but still share a community meal. When my road gets broken, who do I call? Joe Major, of course, who won another term as a Vermont senator. This is how I feel the taste of democracy in America. The election suggests that people like me are prepared to defend that experience.
The consequences in Washington will be substantial. Democrats now control both chambers of Congress, creating a new political reality for President Trump, who thinks the world is his oyster. Congressional oversight will intensify. Budget negotiations will become more complicated. The administration will face a legislature less willing to accept its policies without scrutiny.
But the election should not be interpreted as a blank check for Democrats, either. Voters will expect them to address economic concerns, protect democratic institutions, and offer something more constructive than simply opposing Trump. Republicans, meanwhile, will have to reconsider their MAGA political direction.
The election has also refocused attention on figures such as Stephen Miller, Trump’s White House consigliere, who reminds some Americans of Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin senator whose anti-communist crusade terrorized the country in the 1950s. McCarthy wielded the Senate’s investigative power, while Miller operates from inside the White House. But the unsettling resemblance lies in the politics of fear, the use of perceived enemies to mobilize public anger.
But I wonder whether people like Miller would prove to be much consequential in the face of forces transforming American society today: the ambitions of millions of Americans who have tested their power at the ballot box. Or the technological revolution now underway.
AI is beginning to change how people think, work, learn, conduct business and obtain information. Last month, Dartmouth College held a conference with a title that could hardly be more relevant to the moment: “AI at 70: What Must Remain Human?” The college brought together scholars, business leaders and students to consider a technology that is advancing at a breathtaking pace. The conference was not simply a celebration of technological achievement. It was an examination of what AI might take away from us if we allow convenience to replace thinking. President Sian Beilock put the challenge particularly well. “Anyone can get a convincing answer from AI in seconds. The hard skill now is judgment,” she said.
Dr. Beilock’s concern was that students must learn not only how to use AI, but also how to think independently of it. That is a distinction with implications far beyond Dartmouth. Imagine a small business in White River Junction or Hanover using AI to compete with larger companies. A student in a rural school gaining access to Dartmouth educational resources that once required joining a major university. A Dartmouth Health innovative medical practice finding ways to improve administrative efficiency and make better use of limited resources. Technology could help overcome some of the disadvantages of living in a remote rural region.
It could also create new problems. Jobs will change. Some will disappear. The benefits may be concentrated in powerful corporations, while communities struggle to adapt. We should approach this transformation with curiosity, but also with caution.
The same technology will influence America’s international position. Competition with China will increasingly involve artificial intelligence, scientific research, military capabilities and economic power. Europe is reconsidering its security arrangements. Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to challenge the international order. These developments may seem distant from the Upper Valley. They are not. They will influence our economy, energy costs, businesses and the opportunities available to younger generations.
America remains exceptionally well positioned. Its universities, scientific institutions and entrepreneurial culture continue to generate innovation. Despite the political turmoil, the country possesses extraordinary resources and an ability to attract talent from around the world.
That’s one reason I remain optimistic; albeit, for those of us living in the Upper Valley, the coming years present a particular challenge. Can Vermont’s governor and Democratic Legislature work together? Can New Hampshire’s newly empowered Democrats deliver while Gov. Ayotte rules the roost? Can our communities adapt to technological change without losing the qualities that make them attractive places to live? These are practical questions, not partisan slogans.
The election has opened a new chapter. It has reminded us that voters retain the ability to change political direction and that democratic institutions still matter, and that America still matters.
Narain Batra is the author of “The First Freedoms and America’s Culture of Innovation.” He lives in the Upper Valley.