The Window for Reconstruction Just Opened Wider. Help Us Make It Happen.

When the New York Times turned off its live forecast at 3 a.m. today, they were predicting that Democrats would get at least 55 Senate seats with one race too close to call, and 257 House seats with 6 too close to call. Those are enormous majorities in our era of competitive and narrowly held congressional control.

We began conceiving of The Reconstruction Papers fairly early on in 2025, when the destruction of our system of government by the Trump administration and its DOGE was accelerating, and the very near future was as uncertain as it could possibly be.

We did it because we knew that, while we could not predict if or when an opportunity would arise, the pro-democracy coalition needed to be prepared before it did. We did it because we knew that one day we would need to move beyond resistance to active governance, and reform alone would not be enough.

Getting the first true bite at this apple was always going to rest on two things: who won the presidency in 2028 and who held the Senate. Getting the House is a low, low bar in today's environment. The Senate's political geography is a very steep climb for Democrats, and staggered terms would mean that failure to make enough gains in 2026 would have implications for what is possible in 2029.

Well, now they will have 55 or 56 seats in the next Congress. In 2028, 15 of their seats will be up for election. They now have the luxury of losing a third of those races and still potentially maintaining a VP tiebreaker majority, or a 51-seat one. Moreover, Republicans will have to defend 19 seats. Obviously not all of those will be competitive races either, but if last night taught us anything, it's that Donald Trump's out-of-control administration is quite capable of redefining what constitutes a competitive race.

What I am trying to say is: a trifecta able and willing to pursue a genuine Reconstruction is more likely now than at any time we were contemplating or talking publicly about this idea. We are going to keep preparing for this day in the hope that it does come, and we need your help to do that work.

We need the support of our subscribers to fund the work that needs to be done, and we need more perspectives participating in our community to help us chart the right path.

When you look back on these years, you will want to remember doing everything you could. Working with your neighbors to protect your community. Voting to throw the fascists out of office. Standing up for what you believe in.

And supporting truly independent media in an era of media consolidation.

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Liberal CurrentsAdam Gurri