# ‘Burn the witch,’ and slap a mileage tax on the blue wave

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/burn-the-witch-and-slap-a-mileage-tax-on-the-blue-wave/
- Published: 2026-11-05T01:36:09+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T02:49:14+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/04/opinion/burn-the-witch-and-slap-a-mileage-tax-on-the-blue-wave/
- Topics: Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Republicans lost Congress and key governor’s races.
- The writer links the defeat to economic and political concerns.
- Becerra said a mileage tax should be considered in California.

## Summary

Republicans suffered a sweeping defeat in the US midterms, losing control of both chambers of Congress and several competitive governor’s races. The opinion writer argues that dissatisfaction with living costs, a perceived new war and concerns about corruption helped drive the losses.

The column also discusses the public treatment of former Theranos chief executive Elizabeth Holmes, arguing that her fraud case has been used to shield other technology founders from scrutiny. It criticises California governor-elect Xavier Becerra for saying a mileage tax on electric-vehicle drivers should be considered, citing the state’s high petrol tax and poorly ranked roads; the writer also raises concerns about mileage tracking.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.