Voters across America — and Illinois — sent a loud and clear message to President Donald Trump on Election Night as Democrats flipped seats across the country in a referendum on the president’s aggressive immigration policies, the war in Iran and the economy.
A strong blue wave means Democrats will provide a check on Trump’s final two years in office and will enact an aggressive legislative agenda to roll back some of the Trump administration’s most unpopular policies. Democrats were able to capitalize on messages about affordability and gas prices, while Republicans sought to paint their Democratic opponents as socialists who would focus on a far-left agenda instead of the economy or a plethora of other issues.
In Illinois, Democratic members of Congress are hopeful they can begin to pass legislation to unwind Trump policies. To U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, the plan is to “do every damn thing we can to protect them [constituents] as quickly as possible.”
“I think Democrats need to be able to demonstrate that we're going to do everything in our power to be able to pass the kind of legislation that's going to make their lives better,” Ramirez said on Election Day.
“Strategically, what I'd like to see is us win the House and Senate, pass everything we possibly can that really brings relief from both chambers," she added. "Leave it to Donald Trump to decide if he wants to be able to take his party in the next election, and then let's make sure that a Democrat wins the White House, so that in fact, when we are there in 2029, we are immediately getting these things signed into law because we've already passed it before.”
Ramirez, one of the state delegation's most progressive members, said she has her own wish list, including immigration reform, a plan to abolish the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, raising the minimum wage and advancing care through Medicare for All. She also wants to see Democrats take on economic issues like housing and affordability.
Democratic majorities mean votes will be forced that will require Republicans to take difficult stances and force Trump to either sign or veto legislation. There's also a sense that Republicans will begin realistic conversations about what a post-Trump world will look like — and that Democrats should take advantage of that discussion.
Democrats are also expected to use the House Oversight Committee to conduct investigations and hearings into the Trump administration, with some in Illinois wanting a focus on White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who will become the state's senior senator when Sen. Dick Durbin retires in January, has been a vocal critic of Hegseth, with fiery back-and-forth exchanges going viral during his confirmation hearings and other congressional hearings.
Duckworth says she voted to impeach Trump three times and would do it again, but she’s more concerned about unwinding damage from cuts stemming from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including saving the state’s nine safety net hospitals and 93 nursing homes from closing. It's on the heavy-handed list she wants to focus on should Democrats win big.
“And I want to make sure that we restore SNAP benefits, and I want to stop the war in Iran so that we stop sacrificing our brave men and women in uniform to Trump's personal attempts to distract the American people,” Duckworth said. “And yeah, if it's appropriate, then we’ll do the investigations for impeachment. But it's more than just Trump. It’s his Cabinet. It is the people around him, and just their failure to serve the American people as they were charged to do when they were confirmed.”
As for whether Trump might enact further retribution on blue states after Tuesday's losses, Duckworth said Illinois has seen plenty, but Democrats aren't backing down.
"The more he tries to bully us, the more we're going to stand up to him," Duckworth said. "Because that's what you do to bullies. You stand up to them and they shrink away."
