Tanya Mosley

I'm Tanya Mosley.

This week, voters across the country went to the polls for a handful of special and local elections.

And the outcome is that Democrats won big and small races in what was seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump.

But while people were looking at governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia and the mayoral race in New York, it was that ballot initiative in California that may have the biggest preview of what's to come leading up to the 2026 midterm elections.

Proposition 50 allows California Democrats to redraw congressional maps to potentially win five more seats.

The measure passed by a huge margin, after which Governor Gavin Newsom made it clear what he feels should happen next.

Even when the ballot is small, the stakes can still feel large, and they're often a preview of what's to come.

The health and future of American elections, particularly next year's midterms, are at the center of journalist David Graham's latest reporting for The Atlantic.

In his piece titled, Donald Trump's Plan to Subvert the Midterms is Already Underway, Graham explores how the groundwork is already being laid for the conflict in the 2026 midterms, from new voting restrictions and legal challenges to the ways political leaders are reshaping the systems that govern elections themselves.

His reporting draws on conversations with election officials and legal experts and those on the front lines of administering the vote.

Graham is a staff writer at The Atlantic and author of The Atlantic Daily Newsletter.

He's also the author of The Project, How Project 2025 is Reshaping America.

David Graham, welcome back to Fresh Air.

First off, your reaction to this week's victories for the Democrats.

Well, President Trump has said on Truth Social as the results came in that the losses were because he wasn't on the ballot.

Your reporting suggests the big question isn't can Democrats win, but whether they'll be allowed to win in 2026 as we look towards the midterms.

What should Americans understand about the difference between Tuesday's results and what you're warning could happen in the midterms?

You know, what happened with California Prop 50 was in response to what happened in Texas, where Texas Governor Greg Abbott did the exact same thing, called a special session to redraw maps to grab five GOP seats.

What are we seeing in GOP-led states?

Is this also something that is being pushed for to redraw those maps?