Voters across the Atlantic are rejecting anger and oligarchy for a 'politics of love,' signaling a democratic spring—though Europe's path is harder
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/alexander-hurst. "Both sides of the Atlantic sense more hope now: voters are drawn to the ‘politics of love’ | Alexander Hurst | The Guardian." November 4, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that this year's election results in Hungary, Brazil, Serbia and the US show voters turning away from angry, billionaire-driven politics toward something more hopeful and decent. He thinks the winners succeeded by acknowledging people's anger while offering a better way, and that the real task now is to rebuild people's sense of control, as Roosevelt did. He's hopeful about this in the US but worries that Europe, particularly France, faces a harder path.
Conclusion
A wave of 2026 electoral outcomes (Hungary, Brazil, Serbia, the US midterms) suggests that voters, once offered a clear choice, are turning away from far-right, oligarchic politics toward a hopeful 'politics of love' and democratic renewal, but whether this extends to Europe (e.g. France in 2027) is uncertain and harder.
Premises
- In 2026, voters in Hungary, Brazil, Serbia and the US chose candidates and platforms associated with decency and inclusion over far-right or oligarchic alternatives.
- Specific US results (Michigan, Ohio, New Mexico, Georgia, Texas) show voters rejecting indecent tactics and electing candidates who campaigned on hope and solidarity.
- The youngest generation of voters, who have only known Trumpism, massively rejected it, and this rejection carried down the ballot to state legislatures and school boards.
- Democratic success came not from mirroring voters' anger but from candidates who acknowledged the anger while offering an alternative ('it doesn't have to be this way').
- The underlying driver is a decade-long sense that governments have lost control over inequality, corporate power, technology and climate; the far right answers with immigration and identity control, while democrats must offer real control over these forces, as FDR's New Deal did.
- In Europe, the opposition's offer in France remains a politics of anger tinged with nationalism, and the pro-European camp is split over national versus pooled sovereignty, so a comparable renewal is incomplete and harder.
Assumptions
- Election results in different countries reflect a common underlying trend rather than unrelated local factors.
- Voters' choices are driven mainly by the tone and values of campaigns ('love' vs. hate) rather than economics, incumbency, or candidate-specific factors.
- The winning candidates represent democratic renewal and the 'politics of love'.
- Electoral rejection of the far right reflects a durable shift, not a temporary swing.
- The 1930s New Deal is an apt model for responding to present-day crises.
- Pooling sovereignty at the European level is the right way to regain control over global forces.
- French voters' attraction to a Trump-like figure is comparable to the US experience and may resolve similarly.