By Basant El-Faramawy
US expatriates and election enthusiasts gathered in Sydney pubs on Wednesday to watch the 2026 US midterm elections, with the mood shifting from nervous anticipation to celebration as Democrats secured historic victories.
Surry Hills watch party
More than 100 people packed the function room at the Keg and Brew in Surry Hills, following a "Democrats Abroad" sign upstairs. American voters, their Australian partners, and British spectators watched live results on television screens, moving from cautious optimism to jubilation as Senate seats flipped.
Katrena Henderson, a North Carolina voter attending with her Australian husband and adult son, said she had "not been this excited about an election in a long time." She made her first political donation this cycle and described the win as proof that Americans want a different direction.
CBD gathering
A smaller, more politically mixed group met at the Cheers pub in Sydney's CBD. The event, posted for Republican expats, attracted libertarians and independents. Australian Rahn Wood, 60, said Trump's influence reaches global policy agendas, noting waning support for UN initiatives and green policies due to US opposition.
Some Republican-leaning attendees expressed dread at the growing "blue wave," and several left early.
Expert perspective
Associate Professor David Smith of the University of Sydney's United States Studies Centre called the midterms a "referendum on Trump," citing historically low approval ratings and voter frustration over the Iran war and Trump's focus on self-aggrandisement. He said the election could have ramifications for the Iran conflict but doubted it would directly alter Australia-US relations, as Congress plays a limited foreign policy role.
Smith added that a clear repudiation of Trumpism in the US might cause right-wing politicians worldwide to reconsider their alignment with Trump.
First-time voter Aliana Hensel, 18, from California, said she voted because "something really, really needs to be done" about US leadership, unlike her parents who do not vote from abroad. Texas expat Cindy Herman-Jones mailed her ballot for the first time in 15 years, citing threats to democracy, ICE brutality, and the Iran war as motivating factors.
