Checks, Balances, or Backsliding? The 2026 US Midterm Elections

Checks, Balances, or Backsliding? The 2026 US Midterm Elections

Just weeks after Americans return to the polls, this lecture asks what the 2026 midterm results mean for a Congress that has struggled to function as a co-equal branch of government. It examines whether the new balance of power changes how the legislature checks — or defers to — the executive, and what the campaign and count reveal about the health of American elections. Above all, it asks a question central to this series: were these elections free and fair, and do they show signs of democratic backsliding?

Stevenson Lecture series: Could it happen here? Democratic Backsliding Around the Globe

In the Autumn 2026 lecture series, we will explore what democratic backsliding is, what it looks like in other established democracies and what it would look like in the United Kingdom. Join us in-person or on-line as we welcome leading scholars to the University of Glasgow to help us understand how democratic institutions are eroding and what it means for people in the UK. In the Spring of 2027, we will turn to examining ways we can be involved in our democratic institutions and processes to help secure democracy in the UK.