What if the Democrats’ victory brought you back to American roads?
On Tuesday, November 3, Americans voted in the midterm elections. The result: Democrats regained control of both chambers of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate, in an election where the cost of living was the issue voters cited first. The new Congress will take office on January 3, 2027, and the results still have to be certified by the states. But the question, for us Quebec riders, lies elsewhere: does this change in the political climate make you want to put the United States back on your travel list?
Two years of staying away
Since the beginning of 2025, Canadian travel to the United States has been falling month after month. In May 2026, the number of Canadian residents returning from the United States was 25% lower than two years earlier — and in Quebec, the drop reached 33%. In January 2026, it was already the thirteenth consecutive month of decline. Statistics Canada explicitly links this shift to the political tensions between the two countries, and border destinations like Maine are paying the price. For riders, it translated into something concrete: legendary routes put on hold — Vermont and the Adirondacks just a stone’s throw from home, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Tail of the Dragon, Route 66, the Utah deserts. Roads we used to ride almost by reflex, and suddenly stopped riding.
What it changes — and what it doesn’t
A vote doesn’t change everything overnight. Donald Trump remains president, tariffs don’t vanish by magic, and the welcome at the border will depend on concrete actions in the coming months, not on one election night. Some of you will say that politics never dictated your vacations: you kept riding south as before, or you’ll choose your destinations for the roads, not for Congress. Others, on the contrary, will see this result as a signal: a softening climate, a country becoming welcoming again. And then there’s the wallet question: the exchange rate, gas prices and lodging costs often weigh heavier than a ballot in the decision to leave. Both readings are defensible — and that’s exactly why the question is yours to answer.
The states of the first return
If the urge returns, where to start? The neighbours first, perhaps: Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, the Adirondacks in New York State — weekend getaways, perfect for testing the waters. Or, if you’re going back, go big: the Blue Ridge Parkway between Virginia and North Carolina, the Tail of the Dragon on the Tennessee border, Route 66, the Utah and Arizona parks, the Pacific Coast Highway in California. A nod to the news: Texas, a Republican stronghold, just elected a Democratic senator, a first in more than 30 years — enough to give a different colour to a trip to the land of wide open spaces.
So, are we going back?
The roads haven’t changed: they’re still there, across the border, with their curves, their diners and their sunsets. The only thing that has changed, for now, is the political climate. So we’ll ask you frankly: does the Democrats’ victory invite you to return to visit the United States? And if so, which state will you go see first? Tell us in the comments — your answers may shape Voyage Moto Québec’s next itinerary.
Sources
- Results of the November 3, 2026 midterm elections (Associated Press, NBC, CBS, CNN, Reuters)
- Desjardins, Economic Studies, “Le tourisme intérieur comme réponse au protectionnisme” (July 31, 2026)
- Statistics Canada, Canadian travel to the United States data (January 2026, 13th consecutive month of decline)
