WASHINGTON: Democrats swept a trio of high-stakes races on Tuesday, marking the first major electoral wins since Donald Trump returned to the White House. The victories in New York City, Virginia, and New Jersey, elevated a new generation of Democratic leaders and injected fresh momentum into the party ahead of the 2026 congressional midterms.
In a historic result, Zohran Mamdani, 34, a democratic socialist and son of Ugandan immigrants, became New York City’s first Muslim mayor. His win capped a remarkable ascent from state lawmaker to one of the most visible progressive voices in America.
Meanwhile, Abigail Spanberger, 46, secured the Virginia governorship by defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, while Mikie Sherrill, 53, triumphed in New Jersey over Republican Jack Ciattarelli, maintaining Democratic control of the state’s top office.
“If any city can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it’s the one that created him,” Mamdani told cheering supporters. “And if there’s any way to terrify a despot, it’s by dismantling the conditions that helped him rise.”
Tuesday’s contests served as an early referendum on Trump’s turbulent nine months back in power. The results also tested diverging Democratic strategies with moderates emphasizing economic pragmatism and progressives pushing for structural reform.
Despite the wins, challenges loom: opinion polls still show widespread voter fatigue with the Democratic brand, and the party remains locked out of federal power.
A key boost for Democrats came from California, where voters approved a plan to redraw congressional maps favoring the party, a move that could reshape the national battle for control of the U.S. House.
Turnout in New York’s mayoral race was the highest since 1969, signaling renewed enthusiasm among younger and working-class voters.
Mamdani campaigned on free public buses, frozen rents, and higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy, proposals that alarmed Wall Street and delighted grassroots progressives. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, 67, who ran as an independent after losing the Democratic nomination, labeled Mamdani a “radical leftist.”
Trump quickly denounced the results, wrongly calling Mamdani a “communist” and threatening to cut federal funding to New York City. On social media, he blamed the Republican losses on his absence from the ballot and the ongoing government shutdown.
Trump Still Looms Large
In Virginia and New Jersey, both Spanberger and Sherrill capitalized on public frustration over Trump’s policies from the federal worker firings and shutdown chaos to tariff hikes and aggressive immigration measures.
“We sent a message that Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship, our Commonwealth over chaos,” Spanberger declared.
For Republicans, Tuesday’s results raised concerns about whether Trump’s 2024 voter base will mobilize when he’s not on the ballot. Candidates faced a delicate balancing act distancing themselves from Trump without alienating his loyal supporters.
At a polling station in Richmond, Juan Benitez, 25, said he backed all Democrats, citing Trump’s immigration crackdown and “unnecessary shutdown.” “It’s time to let the country breathe again,” he said.
As Democrats celebrate their biggest victories of the Trump 2.0 era, the question remains: can these early wins evolve into a sustainable national comeback?
-Joseph Ax and Tim Reid
