After the people speak at the polling booth, the pundits take over from their armchairs. The center won. The pundits hail the era of George Bush Jr. and the New Dems who want to turn the Democratic Party into a highway house for recovering Republicans. These are not the arinies of the status quo. By definition, the center won.
Successful candidates capture the center.
In this election, Republicans paid the price for being the party of social reaction - against choice, against gun control, against environmental protection, against diversity and inclusion. Republicans began to pay for being the party of white sanctuary. Massive African American turnout helped Democrats win the statehouse in California, Alabama and South Carolina and retain it in Georgia and Maryland. African American, Latino and labor votes were key in taking Senate seats in North Carolina, and New York - and defending them in states like South Carolina and Nevada. Too often, Progressives let pundits snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.