Rep. Ro Khanna celebrated the return of diversity, equity, and inclusion after Democrats regained control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections. The California Democrat used a video on X to frame the results as a revival of DEI in American politics, as reported by Breitbart.

Khanna focused heavily on gubernatorial contests, pointing to candidates who won races in Florida, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Texas. He said the election results would likely produce three black governors and the first Latina governor of Texas.

The three gubernatorial winners highlighted by Khanna were Rep. Byron Donalds, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, and Keisha Lance Bottoms. They won their respective races in Florida, Wisconsin, and Georgia.

Donalds was identified as a Republican, while Crowley and Bottoms were identified as Democrats. Khanna grouped their victories together as part of the diversity and inclusion he celebrated following the midterm results.

In Texas, Khanna pointed to Texas State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, a Democrat who defeated Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. He described her victory as the election of the state’s first Latina governor.

Khanna’s list extended beyond the governors’ races. He also celebrated the election of the first Muslim American senator and the first gay senator, placing those results alongside the gubernatorial victories in his message.

“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.”

DEI is back! https://t.co/ISsdTCwtzq

— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) November 4, 2026

Khanna’s celebration followed earlier defenses of DEI from other congressional Democrats before the midterm elections. Transgender Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware questioned what critics could possibly oppose about diversity, equity, and inclusion.

McBride made the remarks during an interview in October. Rather than backing away from the politically charged terminology, McBride defended each component of the DEI label.

“I don’t know what anyone could object to in each of those words,” McBride said during an interview in October.

“What do people have against diversity?”

“What do people have against equity?”

“What do people have against inclusion?”

Rep. Dave Min of California offered a different defense of DEI during a CNN interview in September. He claimed Republicans were emphasizing the issue to distract voters from rising costs, jobs, housing, the Iran war, tariffs, and what he described as corruption in the White House involving the Trump family.

“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.”

Min said Americans were angry about rising costs, the lack of good jobs, housing, the Iran war, and tariffs. He also referenced what he called “the massive corruption in the White House with the Trump family” that had been discussed during a hearing earlier that week.

“Republicans have not addressed any of this.”

“They are looking for distractions.”

“So, they’re talking a lot about DEI.”

The three Democrats approached DEI from different angles, but none treated the term as something their party should abandon. McBride defended the words themselves, Min dismissed Republican criticism as a distraction, and Khanna used the midterm results to announce that DEI was back.

For Khanna, the election night message was unmistakable. Democrats had regained the House and Senate, several candidates he highlighted had won gubernatorial races, and he was eager to celebrate those outcomes as proof that diversity and inclusion had returned to center stage.

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