By Ted Gotsch
Policy Content and Publications Manager
The 2026 election season is finally behind us, and many Americans are likely relieved. Voters across the country were inundated with advertisements on television, radio, and online—so much so that the messaging often blurred into background noise. It’s a lot to absorb, but it’s part of the democratic process.
With the results now largely settled, voters made a significant choice to shift control of Congress to Democrats. Rather than revisiting the political horse race, it’s more useful to look ahead at how this transition will shape the Academy’s public policy engagement in the months to come, given all the behind-the-scenes jockeying that will take place.
For example, in the immediate aftermath of the election results, current House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana announced he would not seek to serve as House minority leader in the next Congress. But even more consequential for the Academy’s work is the changes that are going to take place at the committee level.
Democrats will assume leadership of all House and Senate committees, giving them congressional control over agendas, hearings, and legislative priorities. Their focus is expected to differ from that of the outgoing majority, and given the size of their victory, they will hold substantial margins on committees, positioning them to advance legislation more easily.
Another important but less visible shift involves committee staff. When party control changes, the majority party gains staff capacity while the minority party loses it. Staff turnover is common at the end of any congressional session, but this year’s transition will likely bring a larger-than-usual reshuffling.
This matters for the Academy because committee staff are key partners in our outreach. In the months leading up to Hill Visits, Academy staff work closely with committee offices to identify the right contacts for discussions on priority issues. Maintaining these relationships, and building new ones, helps ensure the Academy remains a trusted, nonpartisan resource.
While no one can predict the future, it is clear that issues such as Social Security, Medicaid funding, and artificial intelligence were top of mind of voters and likely to be considered by lawmakers come the new Congress.
Changes, however, were not limited to federal elections. Five governorships changed political party hands as of this writing, and two more remained undecided. This was potentially going to lead to four chief insurance regulators moving from Republican to Democratic hands. One elected insurance commissioner position in Georgia also flipped into the Democratic column. And three states also elected new insurance commissioners whose party affiliation remains the same as those they are replacing. Taken together, there will be quite a few new faces as the Academy engages with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2027.
As we move into the new year, the Academy stands ready to offer our unbiased, independent insights to help policymakers—just like it has for more than 60 years—at all levels of government. To learn more about the organization’s priorities, visit our Policy Forum.