For the First Time in a Long Time, I Feel Hope Rising

Let me be clear from the start: I couldn't care less about being red or blue. Neither party has truly stepped up to serve this country in the ways we desperately need.

I'm exhausted by labels, by classifications, by the endless tribal sorting that has replaced genuine discourse. I'm tired of both sides. Tired of the polarization, the performative outrage, the comfortable inertia of sitting on our laurels while the world burns.

What I do care about, and what keeps me awake at night and gets me up in the morning, is real, transformative change. Human rights. The inherent value of every human life, both as individuals and as a collective force.

I care about sovereignty: the radical idea that people should reclaim their own power, have dominion over their choices, their rights, their own lives, and how they choose to live them.

And I care, deeply, about leaders who understand this ... who are rising to meet this moment with courage rather than calculation.

The Weight We've Been Carrying

That's why, as I reflect on the results of the November 2025 election, I feel something I haven't felt in far too long: a genuine surge of hope.

To be fully transparent, holding onto even a thread of hope has been difficult. Like so many of us, I've been white-knuckling it ... holding on with bated breath and a sheer fingernail, wondering if things would ever shift, if the dam would ever break, if we'd ever see movement toward something better.

But now? Now I feel renewed. I feel like we're finally moving forward from a place of genuine possibility and leverage ... not just resistance, but creation.

A Seismic Shift

The energy that emerged this election cycle wasn't just different. It was seismic.

Record numbers turned out to vote in what was, technically, a non-presidential election. But these voters didn't just show up ... they showed out. The "firsts" were staggering.

The diversity was compelling. The message was unmistakable: people are taking their power back. Not asking for it. Not waiting for permission. Taking it back.

A new paradigm of leadership is emerging. Fresh perspectives. New voices. Energies that don't carry the weight of the old guard's compromises and complacencies. This is what galvanization looks like. This is what a new revolution sounds like in its opening notes.

The Victories That Signal Change

I'm sure I've missed some, but here are the highlights that have me genuinely hopeful:

New York City's People-Powered Revolution: Zohran Mamdani was elected Mayor of New York ... 100% grassroots-funded, 100% people-powered. Just organizing, conviction, and a vision that resonated. According to Forces, at least 26 billionaires spent millions of their own money to stop him. Even many democrats were against him. Yet, still he was victorious.

Even more remarkable? His transition leadership team is composed entirely of women:

• Grace Bonilla, a nonprofit leader focused on social equity

• Melanie Hartzog, an expert in social services and city budget management

• Lina Khan, former FTC Chair and fierce antimonopoly advocate

• Maria Torres-Springer, an urban policy and housing expert

• Elana Leopold, a seasoned political strategist

This is what intentional, equitable leadership looks like from day one.

Virginia's Historic Sweep: Abigail Spanberger became Virginia's first woman governor, campaigning on the rising cost of living and standing firm against far-right extremism. Her victory is more than symbolic ... it's a major boost for reproductive rights in the South, in a region where those rights hang by a thread.

Ghazala Hashmi won lieutenant governor, becoming the first Muslim woman elected to statewide office in U.S. history. Let that sink in. The first. In 2024.

And all eight Emerge program alumni running in Virginia's red-to-blue districts won their races. Every. Single. One.

New Jersey Protects Reproductive Freedom: Mikie Sherrill defeated Trump-backed Jack Ciattarelli to become governor, preserving abortion access against an opponent who explicitly sought to restrict it for minors and defund Planned Parenthood. In an era where reproductive rights are under siege nationwide, this victory matters immensely.

California's Strategic Power Move: Prop 50 passed, giving the state the power to redraw districts if Texas Republicans pursue gerrymandering. This isn't just about California—it's about influence over next year's midterms and the balance of power for years to come.

Pennsylvania Secures Its Judicial Future: Voters re-elected three Democratic justices to 10-year terms on the state Supreme Court, ensuring that critical decisions on voting rights, reproductive freedom, and democratic processes won't be left to partisan interference.

Cities Leading the Charge:

The energy wasn't just at the state level. Major cities across the United States elected leaders who represent the future:

• Boston: Michelle Wu won a second term as mayor, continuing her trailblazing leadership as the city's first woman and first Asian-American mayor—and one of the nation's strongest voices against ICE overreach.

• Seattle: Erika Evans, a former DOJ attorney who resigned over Trump-era ethics violations, defeated a MAGA Republican to become the first Black woman City Attorney.

• Bellevue, WA: Naren Briar won City Council, becoming the first Kurdish American woman elected to office ... unseating a 32-year incumbent in the process.

• Downington, PA: Erica Deuso becomes the first openly transgender mayor elected in Pennsylvania.

• St. Paul, MN: Rep. Kaohly Vang becomes the first Hmong mayor and the first woman mayor in the city's history.

• New Orleans, LA: Helena Moreno becomes the first-ever Hispanic woman elected Mayor of New Orleans.

• Stockbridge, GA: Jayden Williams, at just 21 years old, was elected mayor—becoming the youngest person ever to hold that office in the city's history and the youngest African American mayor in Georgia.

• Albany, NY: Dorcey Applyrs was elected as the city's first Black mayor.

• Syracuse, NY: Sharon Owens becomes the first Black mayor of Syracuse.

• Lancaster, PA: Jaime Arroyo becomes the first Latino mayor of Lancaster.

• Georgia: Alicia Johnson becomes the first Black woman to serve in statewide executive office on the Public Service Commission.

The Old Order Is Ending

Do you see the pattern? Do you feel it?

This isn't just about individual victories, as meaningful as each one is. This is about a fundamental shift in who gets to lead, who gets to shape policy, who gets a seat at the table where decisions are made. This is a cataylst to the change we need.

The regime of the tired, old narrative, the one that told us to wait our turn, to be patient, to accept incremental crumbs, is coming to an end. Not because it chose to step aside, but because we collectively decided to move forward without it.

What Comes Next

This is our moment. Not to rest, not to just celebrate and then return to complacency, but to build on this momentum with everything we have.

The new paradigm of leadership isn't coming. It's here.

The galvanization isn't a future possibility. It's happening.

And every single one of us has a role to play in what comes next ... whether that's organizing in our own communities, supporting progressive and young leaders who reflect our values, or running for office ourselves.

The revolution doesn't announce itself with trumpets and fanfare. It starts with small shifts, with a critical mass of individuals saying "enough," with communities coming together and deciding they deserve better. With each and every person reclaiming their sovereignty.

And then, one day, you look around and realize: everything is beginning to change.

That day is today.

The old guard is falling. The new world is being built.

And for the first time in a long time, I feel hope rising ... not as a wishful feeling, but as a tangible force, powered by real people making real change.

This is what the beginning of a real revolution looks like.