Elliott Hove & Jaylei Davis | Nov. 10, 2026
Students talk on Cowpie Lawn at at Warren Wilson College on, Nov. 10, 2026 in Swannanoa, N.C. (Vivian Bryan/Echo News)
In the 2026 midterm elections, North Carolina, alongside several other states, ended with a resounding Democratic victory. To explore what Warren Wilson College (WWC) students thought about the election results and hope to see moving forward, The Echo took to campus in the midst of election night.
Lauren Holding, a senior on the Guesthouse Crew and president of the Student Government Association, highlighted her optimistic feelings for the future given a national trend of significant political shifts away from the Republican Party.
“I think it was a great win across the country,” Holding said. “You know, getting states that you never would have thought of as [voting for the] Democratic Party, Texas especially.”
The Texas midterm elections saw James Talarico elected for Senate, a major win for the Democratic Party, especially considering the $150 million spent by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and X, on campaigning for Talarico’s Republican opponent, Ken Paxton. This is the first time Texas has elected a Democratic senator since 1988, echoing a larger pattern of traditionally “red” states like Texas, Ohio and Kansas voting “blue.”
Holding was also excited over newly elected Democratic Representative Jamie Ager (WWC class of ‘00) for the 11th Congressional District.
“It's a great opportunity for us as a campus to actually have representation,” Holding said. “You know, we're a bit of a blue dot in a red state, [a] red county, [a] red district… Having him as an alumni representing us and our area is incredible.”
Seimy Mendoza (WWC Class of ‘25) was equally optimistic about Ager’s new position in Washington. She stressed the importance of being in contact with government representatives, especially considering how close Ager is to the WWC community.
“I will say to us alumni [and] current students, give [Ager] a call,” Mendoza said. “Tell him what we care about, because he's part of the community, right? A community that has shaped you and I and the things that we care about should also be things that he should be hearing from us and that will help us hold him accountable… [So] politics becomes accessible for the community.”
Beyond Ager, Kody Murphy, a freshman at WWC, was pleased about the election outcomes for African Americans.
“I have seen that more African Americans are in office and that gives me hope for the future,” Murphy said.
This anticipation for increased representation of minority groups in power was echoed by Mendoza. Despite her concerns about constituents’ willingness and ability to hold newly elected officials accountable by their voter base, she acknowledged that the results of this midterm election were historical.
“We're seeing people who are on the margins, that this current administration wants to completely banish and eliminate, hold positions of power,” Mendoza said. “We see women, whose voting rights have been put on the line, holding positions of power. It's amazing. History was done in these elections, clearly. The point is, are we willing to keep it going?”
Others felt the push for voting in this election was a major contributor to the Democratic upset. Kara Swanson, a freshman of WWC, thought turnout was why the election had what she viewed as a positive outcome.
“I think what happened is that for the first time people were actually pushing for people to vote more,” Swanson said. “A lot of Democrats that [usually] don’t vote actually did and there’s just a lot more of us than we previously thought.”
WWC hosted several events before and on Election Day to encourage students to get to the polls, including a Halloween-themed shuttle to the nearest voting centers and parties on campus to celebrate student voting.
Looking forward, Mendoza highlighted key issues she hopes newly elected officials will address.
“I'm hoping that a lot of the policies [address economic well-being], because poverty is a reality in the U.S.,” Mendoza said. “We can’t deny that people are actively struggling.”
Mendoza also highlighted the key issue of the cruelty of migration enforcement under the current administration, expressing a galvanizing hope that newly elected Democrats would take a stronger stance against that cruelty.
“As a migrant myself, I hope that they can openly hold ICE accountable for the brutality that we're witnessing right now… very few [Democrats] are openly speaking about what's happening to the migrant community [at the hands of] ICE and in those concentration camps,” Mendoza said. “And that's a truth that I need to remind myself, we are still not a priority in the political agenda. It's concerning because what is happening right now, clearly to anywhere else in the world, is a huge human rights violation.”
Overall, members of the campus community felt optimistic about the Democratic surge in the midterm elections, especially with WWC alumnus Ager in office. However, some anxieties and uncertainties linger, both with what issues Democrats will take on after being elected, and as the nation moves towards its next presidential election in 2028. As the dust of the midterm election season starts to settle, Mendoza shared a sentiment about political action the WWC community can take moving forward.
“We need to remind ourselves that change takes time and that this one victory is just the beginning of a shift that will require more energy, more perseverance from everyone that is organizing,” Mendoza said. “It will also require those who have not been involved to actually step in and do the work as well…because it's going to take thousands of people to change what has been happening in the U.S.”