The Morning Everything Looked Bluer

A field of blue Texas Bluebonnets with white tips, framed within the outline of the state of Texas against a solid periwinkle-blue background. — *Bluebonnet State*

How fitting that Texas now mirrors our state flower, the Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis)! I am still in disbelief at yesterday’s turnout. On November 3, the people spoke, loud and clear — not only here in Texas, but across the whole country.

A dense cluster of Aromatic Asters with lavender-purple petals and yellow centers, growing among thin green stems in soft morning light. — *A Fuller Bloom*

This morning, everything looked bluer. When I lifted the blinds by our front door, the Aromatic Asters (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) across the way seemed fuller and more exuberant than ever. Here in Williamson County, long a Republican stronghold, the U.S. Senate race was decidedly blue: James Talarico carried 58.99% of the county’s vote. In the governor’s race, Gina Hinojosa carried the county over Greg Abbott with 56.05%.

Willow branches drape over the left edge of a calm pond that reflects a clear blue sky, with a grassy bank along the far shore — *Holding the Sky*

Even the pond seemed to hold more sky than usual. Four federal races were on our county’s ballot, and Democrats won all of them except U.S. Representative, District 31. Of the 28 state positions on the ballot, Democrats won 24. Three Republican district judges ran unopposed, and only one Republican defeated a Democrat — for State Representative, District 20. Those are remarkable results for a county that was reliably red not so long ago. We live in a blue county now. (These figures are the unofficial results posted by Williamson County Elections as of the morning of November 4 and may change slightly once the final canvass is complete.)

A Great Egret with white plumage and a yellow bill stands in shallow blue water holding a small fish in its beak, with ripples spreading around its black legs. — *One Bite at a Time*

Like this Great Egret (Ardea alba) with its catch, Democratic candidates took bite after bite out of the Republican hold on our county and our state. Last night also brought a remarkable number of firsts. As The New York Times put it in its newsletter The Morning:

Winners include the first Muslim senator (Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan), the first Black female governor (Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia), the first openly gay male senator (Chris Pappas of New Hampshire), the first Hispanic governors elected in Texas (Gina Hinojosa) and California (Xavier Becerra), the first female governor of Ohio (Amy Acton), the first Black governors of Florida (Byron Donalds) and Wisconsin (David Crowley) and the first female Native American governor (Deb Haaland of New Mexico). If Democrats pick Hakeem Jeffries to lead them in the House, as they are expected to do, he’ll be the first Black speaker.

I absolutely love how diverse and realistic that quote above is! Democrats took back both the House and the Senate, and they now hold a majority of the nation’s governorships for the first time since 2010. Nate Cohn summed it up in The New York Times’ newsletter The Tilt: “There’s No Modern Precedent for This Democratic Tsunami.”

Finally, I would be remiss not to include a Brazilian connection. Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet won election to the Florida House of Representatives for District 42, becoming the first Brazilian American to serve there. He is Brazilian-born, gay, and a Democrat. He was raised by a single mother who worked as a domestic worker — and she came from my home state of Ceará.

That is the story behind the shots. For more like this, enjoy these related stories: Aromatic Aster, Bluebonnets, FlowerHour, Great Egret, Landscapes, Teravista, Texas, Wildflowers, and Wildlife. Until the next shoot, keep chasing the light and the wonders it reveals.

Posted for Terri’s Flower Hour #55.

Sources

Williamson County Elections — November 3, 2026 General Election, unofficial results — https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/TX/Williamson/127488/web.345435/#/summary
The New York Times, The Morning (newsletter) — November 4, 2026
Nate Cohn, The New York Times, The Tilt (newsletter) — “There’s No Modern Precedent for This Democratic Tsunami” — November 4, 2026
The New York Times — Governor Election Results 2026 — https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/11/03/us/elections/results-governor.html
Stateline — Democrats win majority of governorships for the first time in 16 years — https://stateline.org/2026/11/04/democrats-set-to-win-majority-of-governorships-for-the-first-time-in-16-years/
Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felipe_Sousa-Lazaballet
Ballotpedia — Felipe Sousa Lazaballet — https://ballotpedia.org/Felipe_Sousa_Lazaballet
Watermark — Felipe Sousa Lazaballet makes history as the first DREAMer elected to Florida State House — https://watermarkoutnews.com/2026/11/04/felipe-sousa-lazaballet-makes-history-as-the-first-dreamer-elected-to-florida-state-house/
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Native Plant Database — Symphyotrichum oblongifolium — https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SYOB