Hungary for Change
On Sunday evening, 45-year-old European Parliamentarian Péter Magyar overwhelmingly defeated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, ending his 16 years in office. In his victory speech, Magyar captured the significance of the election with a line inspired by former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Magyar said, “Today, we won because Hungarians didn’t ask what their homeland could do for them – they asked what they could do for their homeland.” Just as Magyar drew on American history amid his victory, we can draw on lessons from the Hungarian elections to reshape our country in November.
There are many clear parallels between Hungary under Orbán and the United States under Trump, perhaps intentionally so, given their close alignment. Orbán changed election rules and engaged in “extreme gerrymandering” to expand his party’s hold on power. He systematically attacked and restricted a free press in Hungary, and created a rulebook for “illiberal nationalism” that Trump and Vance openly admire. Orbán eliminated many checks and balances and stacked the judicial system and government with loyalists. These are all tactics that limit democracy and freedoms, which Trump has tried to replicate in the United States.
If there was any doubt, consider Trump’s “complete and total endorsement” of Orbán delivered a few weeks ago to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Hungary. This recent meeting was the fifth gathering of CPAC in Budapest, which the Hungarian government was allegedly funding under Orbán. With Orbán’s overwhelming defeat, the incoming Prime Minister has made it clear that Hungarian government funding of CPAC will now end, though it appears the Trump State Department may be funding right-wing groups in Hungary, “adopting strategies reminiscent of those previously employed by the Kremlin.” Make no mistake – Trump declared his “love” for Orbán with the hope of emulating his corrupt autocracy.
Big Turnout, Big Win
The Hungarian people weren’t having it, and they showed up in record numbers in Sunday’s election, the highest turnout rate in post-Communist Hungary. The nearly 80% voter turnout rate in this election contributed to Magyar’s overwhelming victory, with his party winning a two-thirds majority in parliament, enough to amend the Hungarian constitution and undo much of Orbán’s democratic backsliding. The results of this election were a clear mandate for political change.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of this election was that Orbán immediately accepted the results. In light of the turnout and his party’s overwhelming defeat, Orbán appeared to recognize that questioning the results of this election wasn’t an option. Even autocrats who have manipulated the system can be defeated, but their margin of defeat must be so overwhelming that it cannot be called into question.
This presents a good lesson for Democrats heading into the midterms – not only must we win, but we must win big, ideally replicating the blue wave of 2018, when Democrats netted 41 House seats. Democrats only need to flip a small handful of seats to win back control of the House, but narrow victories may be called into question, as we’ve seen since 2018. Turnout is also key, and nothing can be taken for granted. This is why we urge you to join JDCA in our organizing efforts across the country to prepare for the midterm elections, including getting out the vote in Virginia in advance of Tuesday’s redistricting referendum, which will fight back against Republican gerrymandering and make four House seats more competitive.
There are other lessons to be learned from Orbán’s defeat and Magyar’s overwhelming win, including Magyar’s outreach to voters beyond his base, including members of Orbán’s party. Magyar himself was a member of Orbán’s party until two years ago, and Magyar refused to adopt a “stridently progressive” agenda. He appealed to the center and refused to shift focus to foreign policy issues, including Ukraine. Rather, Magyar focused on the economy and exposing the ruling party’s corruption, inflation, and neglect of public services.
Magyar focused on issues that directly impact people’s lives. His campaign tapped into the dissatisfaction of many Hungarians with the weak economy, healthcare system, and unemployment. Here, too, there’s an important lesson for Democrats in the midterms, who should remain laser-focused on affordability, rising prices, broken promises, chaos, and corruption under Trump. Rather than talking about democracy, Magyar and his movement encouraged the people of Hungary to use democratic tools to create change. That’s exactly what Democrats must do in the midterm elections.
Perhaps the biggest lesson of the Hungarian election is that corrupt autocrats – including Trump-aligned extremists and antisemites like Viktor Orbán – can be defeated, but the electorate must participate in the process to make it a reality. This is where JDCA and all of you come in. We’ve already endorsed 121 candidates who share our values in the midterms, and we need your help to ensure they win.
Please consider supporting JDCA today, so we can do even more to defend democracy, get out the vote, and win big in the midterm elections.
Shabbat Shalom,
Halie Soifer
CEO, Jewish Democratic Council of America