Voters in the US and Europe are increasingly choosing a 'politics of love' over far-right visions, a trend that may signal an extended democratic spring that began in Budapest and could continue to the French elections.
In a year that has seen elections in Hungary, Brazil, Serbia, and now the US, voters have opted for a society where people aren't at each other's throats, or a police state at theirs. This shift away from a vision fueled by billionaire wealth and runaway inequality is becoming clearer when the choice is presented.
From Budapest to the Élysée
The democratic spring that began in Budapest in April with the overthrow of Viktor Orbán may continue through to the arrival of the next occupant of the Élysée Palace in May. This optimism was palpable on Wednesday morning, sparked by a country that has often fed cynicism.
In Michigan, voters chose a man who responded to a hate-filled question about sharia law with humour about shawarma law. In Ohio, voters refused to tolerate one candidate weaponising the childhood abuse suffered by his opponent, leading to Amy Acton becoming Ohio's first female governor and its first Democrat in two decades.
Record-breaking firsts across the US
New Mexico has elected its first ever female Native American governor; Georgia will have its first Black woman governor; and Texas will have its first Latina governor. These stories have transformed scrolling from doom to hope, reflecting a more structural change.
There is a 'Rooseveltian' quality to what has happened in the US, as a French historian noted. For a decade, governments have seemed not 'in control' of inequality, corporate power, technological change, or climate breakdown. The far-right response has been to assert control over immigration and identity.
Challenges for European democracy
Those who believe in democracy, environmental and social justice face a more difficult task: to take back control of the forces posing an existential threat. In Europe, this is complicated by a split between those who think it's possible on a national scale and those who think it obliges pooling sovereignty.
In the 1930s, Franklin D Roosevelt recognised that liberal democracy had to evolve to survive, leading to the New Deal. In the US, Democrats now control Congress and have a chance to rebuild democratic foundations, partly because the youngest generation of voters massively rejected Trumpism.
In Europe, the rule of law hasn't bent as much, but a forceful snapback of hope is incomplete. France's high schoolers have crystallised the dilemma Roosevelt encountered, with candidates mirroring their anger, but there's a risk this becomes a politics of anger tinged with nationalism, uninterested in defending European democracy.
France, where an overwhelming majority abhors Trump but many seem to want their own version of him, may stumble into what the US has been through before rejecting the far-right National Rally. Both sides of the Atlantic woke up with more hope on Wednesday, but Europe's path now seems the more difficult to navigate.
