Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) declared that DEI had made its political comeback after Democrats took back both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections and claimed a string of governor’s races built around candidates’ race, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.
In a video posted to X, Khanna ran through the results state by state. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley (D) and Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) each won gubernatorial contests in Florida, Wisconsin and Georgia respectively, which Khanna said made for “likely three black governors.” In Texas, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) unseated Gov. Greg Abbott (R), a result Khanna framed as the state’s “first Latina governor.”
“Tonight, DEI is back as America celebrated diversity and inclusion,” Khanna said. “Likely three black governors, the first Latina governor in Texas, the first Muslim-American senator, the first gay senator. I love this America.”
Khanna’s remarks follow months of Democrats defending DEI programs against Republican criticism. Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE), who is transgender, pushed back on critics in an October interview.
“I don’t know what anyone could object to in each of those words,” McBride said. “What do people have against diversity? What do people have against equity? What do people have against inclusion?”
Rep. Dave Min (D-CA) took a different tack in a September CNN appearance, arguing that Republicans were using DEI as a smokescreen for their own record.
“Here’s what I think: I think Republicans are looking for anything they can use to distract people from the fact that they have failed, over and over again. Americans are pissed off about rising costs, about the lack of good jobs in this country, housing, the Iran war, tariffs, and the massive corruption in the White House with the Trump family that we talked about in a hearing earlier this week,” Min said. “Republicans have not addressed any of this. They are looking for distractions. So, they’re talking a lot about DEI.”
Khanna’s video made clear that, for at least one wing of the Democratic Party, DEI is no longer a liability to be downplayed but a result to be celebrated openly after the midterms handed Democrats control of the House, Senate and several governor’s mansions.
