By Christiana Best-Giacomini
November 10, 2026
Election excitement is running high in both places I call home—the United States and Grenada. The blue wave in the United States has brought Democratic victories, renewed hope, and much work ahead. I’m excited about the future and what the newly elected senators could accomplish over their six-year terms.
The governors’ races have given me additional reasons to celebrate. In 2027, five Black governors will lead states across the country: Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, David Crowley in Wisconsin, Aaron Ford in Nevada, Byron Donalds in Florida, and reelected Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Their victories span both major political parties and mark a significant moment in Black political representation. In Texas, Gina Hinojosa’s victory over Greg Abbott, made possible in part by the support of Black voters, will make her the state’s first Latina governor.
Black women will also reach a historic milestone in the U.S. Senate. Juliana Stratton will join Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks, marking the first time three Black women will serve in the chamber simultaneously. These victories open possibilities for changes that once seemed beyond reach.
Most of all, I take my hat off to Black people in America. We saved the country again. Preliminary national voter polling shows that 90% of Black voters supported Democratic House candidates, including 93% of Black women.
As usual, we understood the assignment and delivered.
In Grenada, especially Carriacou, election excitement is awash in yellow as supporters celebrate the governing National Democratic Congress’s overwhelming victory over the opposition New National Party. The NDC won 14 of the country’s 15 parliamentary seats, securing a second term for Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell. Beyond the celebrations lies an agenda focused on strengthening healthcare, expanding opportunities for young people, and building a more resilient country. For Carriacou and Petite Martinique, rebuilding schools, restoring homes, and expanding practical training carry particular significance after Hurricane Beryl.
As I travel around Carriacou, I have found the excitement contagious. On the beach yesterday morning, a taxi driver told me, “This government has helped Carriacou people, man.” He spoke about the homes some residents have received since Hurricane Beryl. A farmer described the lumber and other materials people received to repair their homes and make them stronger. Another person spoke about a son receiving a stipend to attend school in Jamaica.
These conversations brought the election into focus for me. People pointed to tangible ways the government had helped them and their neighbors. They wanted that progress to continue.
A waiter spoke about increases in minimum wages and the payment of overdue pensions to retired public officers. Although he did not identify as an NDC supporter, he believed the party was moving the country forward. That, he told me, was what mattered.
His comments prompted me to look more closely at the government’s record. I found a major minimum-wage reform that took effect in January 2024, with increases varying by occupation. Domestic workers’ daily minimum rose from EC$35 to EC$60, while the monthly minimum for caregivers of older adults doubled from EC$700 to EC$1,400. The reform also extended wage protections to additional categories of workers.
The government also reported paying EC$75.1 million in overdue pensions and gratuities to eligible retired public officers, implementing pension rights upheld by a March 2022 court ruling. For those retirees and their families, these payments meant access to money they had long been owed.
Other measures reached families through education and household expenses. Free tuition at T.A. Marryshow Community College and the New Life Organisation, along with a free school-meals programme, reduced some of the costs associated with educating children and young adults. The government’s 2025 budget reported that the tuition initiative had saved parents and guardians more than EC$1 million.
Cost-of-living assistance included VAT exemptions on selected food and essential products, a reduced petrol tax, electricity support for low-consumption households, and a cap of EC$40 on a 20-pound cooking-gas cylinder. An NIS unemployment benefit, introduced in May 2023, offered eligible contributors who lost their jobs 50% of their insurable income for up to 13 weeks.
For Carriacou and Petite Martinique, assistance after Hurricane Beryl has particular meaning. The government provided building materials and tax relief to affected homeowners, and its March 2025 budget reported more than EC$100 million spent on response and recovery. In the accounts I heard, that assistance took the form of a roof, lumber for repairs, or help rebuilding a home.
These measures deserve recognition. They also leave work unfinished. Families continue to face high prices, and recovery cannot be measured only by how much money has been spent. It must also be measured by whether people have safe homes, functioning schools, dependable healthcare, and opportunities to support themselves. The people I spoke with were celebrating progress they had experienced while looking ahead to what still needed to be done.
In the United States, my hopes center on making everyday life affordable and restoring a sense of stability. I want gas and grocery prices to return to more manageable levels so that working-class and middle-class families can do more than struggle to get by. I want the war with Iran to end, our relationship with Canada repaired, and an end to tariffs that raise costs for ordinary people.
I also want the attacks on immigrants of color to stop and Temporary Protected Status restored for affected communities, including Haitians and Venezuelans. I want us to rebuild relationships with our allies and renew our commitment to addressing climate change. Most of all, I want an end to grifting among the wealthiest and most powerful, along with a healthcare system that people can afford and depend on. I want our country to feel normal again.
I know that an election alone cannot deliver all of this. The victories create opportunities, but the work requires persistence, accountability, and public participation.
The celebrations in my two homes carry different histories and expectations, but both bring hope for a better future. In Carriacou, the people I spoke with want the government to continue the progress they have experienced. In the United States, I am looking for a change in direction. In both places, the work ahead is to turn electoral victories into improvements people can feel in their everyday lives.
(Dr Christiana Best is an Associate Professor at the University of Saint Joseph, Connecticut)
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