November 3, 2026
Like most of you I’m watching the results of today's elections very closely. For weeks most of my conversations have included what people think is going to happen in the Senate, the margin in the House, and what should happen to Manchester City (there is life outside of politics, or there's at least politics of things beyond elections). Like most of you, I have my preferred outcomes and pet theories. Unlike some of you, I won't stay up to watch the returns. In my experience, the amount of times I refresh my browser has little impact on the outcome and voters in other time zones don't much care when I go to bed.
The easiest hot take is “I told you so…” Final results and margins will give everyone something to point to. My request is that you avoid that temptation. You might have been right about everything. 2026 might clearly be a mandate for moderates, progressives, traditional Republicans, or MAGA. Your favorite 2028 presidential candidate might obviously be the early front runner.
But you might be wrong, or at least not right about everything. So here’s my request: find something in the results you were wrong about. Find something that surprised you, that suggests someone else’s analysis might also be accurate. Bring your best SMPA thinking to the outcomes. Do the hard work of intellectual honesty, leave the easy stuff to others.
And if you're following the City saga drop me a 114 word take on what should happen next.