You will surely hear about them in the months to come. Several figures from the Democratic Party little known to the general public emerged from the start of the midterm campaign until their victory at the end of the vote on Wednesday November 4. The blue wave, which allowed the party to win the Senate and the House of Representatives, highlights these personalities who will count between now and the 2028 presidential election in the United States. James Talarico, Abdul el-Sayed, Jon Ossoff... Franceinfo looks back on the journey of four of them.
James Talarico, a moderate Christian who defeated the Republicans in their Texas stronghold
At only 37 years old, Democrat James Talarico achieved a real tour de force by winning the senatorial seat at stake in Texas. He thus shifted this bastion of American conservatism to the left. In this oil and agricultural territory, where Donald Trump won by 14 points in 2024, the Democrats had not won a statewide election for more than 30 years.
The victory of James Talarico against Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas and close ally of Donald Trump, is one of the most significant of the election. Elected to the Texas Parliament since 2018, this former teacher campaigned by denouncing economic inequality and corruption. Symbol of a new generation of Democrats presenting themselves as moderates, the Presbyterian seminarian placed his Christian faith at the center of his political commitment and insisted on the need for unity and promised “policies of love”.
Abdul el-Sayed, representative of the democratic left and first Muslim elected to the Senate
“Michigan, we did it!”, declared Democrat Abdul el-Sayed to the hundreds of people gathered at his headquarters in Detroit, announcing his victory in the senatorial election. The battle was a test for the left wing of the Democratic Party, from which the 42-year-old doctor comes. He was opposed in this close election to Republican Mike Rogers, a former member of the House of Representatives and FBI agent supported by Donald Trump.
Like Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, Abdul el-Sayed had campaigned by promoting left-wing measures, including the establishment of universal medical coverage. The Republicans had led an aggressive, sometimes Islamophobic campaign against the candidate in recent months, not hesitating to portray him as an extremist or even a “terrorist sympathizer”.
Jon Ossoff, widely re-elected in Georgia and favorite for 2028
He's not really a new face. However, with his resounding re-election as senator from Georgia, Jon Ossoff strengthens his status as a rising star in the Democratic Party, two years before the next presidential election. The 39-year-old man was re-elected very comfortably – less than an hour after the polls closed – against Republican candidate Mike Collins, in a state where Donald Trump won in 2024. Born into a Jewish family in Atlanta, Jon Ossoff became in 2021 the youngest senator of the term, at 33 years old.
This year, the progressive elected official made a media breakthrough in the middle of the summer with his sense of formula, by attacking Donald Trump and his links with his assistant Natalie Harp. Beyond this release, his supporters praise his “authenticity”, his “empathy”, and his ability to bring people together beyond partisan divisions. Former President Barack Obama, a Democratic tutelary figure, even made the trip in person to Georgian lands in the home stretch of the campaign.
Hakeem Jeffries, likely future leader of the Democratic deputies
The races for the House of Representatives attracted less attention than those for the Senate, as the outcome of the vote seemed certain to the Democrats. But the re-election of Hakeem Jeffries in New York with nearly 79% of the vote could well have important consequences. The 56-year-old politician, elected since 2012, is tipped to take the perch of the institution.
A powerful position for the moderate, who would then become the first African-American to preside over the House of Representatives. “We will hold accountable those who have inflicted unprecedented corruption on this country,” Hakeem Jeffries, already leader of the Democratic minority in the House since 2023, said on Wednesday. “The rich, the wealthy and those with connections tried to buy this election, but the American people responded forcefully and made it clear that America was not for sale,” he said.
