While affordability was listed as the top concern of voters in this year’s midterm elections, voters also mobilized in opposition to perceived abuses of power. Our elected officials should be mindful of these specific concerns from voters and act accordingly as they seek to govern.

Minnesota was where the rubber met the road in the abuses of immigration enforcement power by the Trump Administration. Activists Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed by ICE agents in broad daylight, sparking some of the most widespread protests in recent memory — often led by interfaith leaders. Early statistics indicate that this increased civic engagement carried over into actual votes — Minnesota led the entire nation in voter turnout in the 2026 midterms.

In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton (who was the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate) have led a multi-year campaign targeting immigration-focused nonprofits including multiple “fishing expeditions” against Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley and attempts to shut down Annunciation House networks along the border.

Abbott and Paxton also targeted local Muslim nonprofits, including designating Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a terrorist organization and attempting to strip them of their nonprofit status. Paxton sued CAIR to try to prevent them from operating, fundraising, and owning property in Texas.

While exit polls show that President Trump made huge strides with Latino voters in the 2024 election and won many counties on the border with Mexico, Latino voters turned out in droves and clearly rejected Republican candidates in 2026 — removing Governor Abbott from power and defeating Paxton by double digits. Some border counties such as Starr, Zapata, and Maverick County saw a 30 percent drop in Abbott’s vote share in 2026 compared to Trump’s in 2024.

82 percent of likely voters considered the “weaponization” of government to be a serious threat to our Republic.

A Rasmussen poll earlier this year showed that 82 percent of likely voters considered the “weaponization” of government to be a serious threat to our Republic. A Navigator poll of battleground state voters found that 70 percent of voters oppose using the IRS to revoke nonprofit status based on unsupported claims.

This is not just a problem for Republican politicians. The Biden Administration faced accusations of targeting pro-life and traditional Catholics, and the multiple prosecutions of President Trump helped to solidify and unify and turn out Trump’s base in the 2024 election. As Democrats in Congress seek to engage in oversight and accountability toward the Trump Administration, they should be careful not to overreach – and future administrations should heed the same warning.

Abusing power and targeting political opponents are political losers. 

Abusing power and targeting political opponents are political losers. Politicians from both parties and at all levels should govern accordingly.