Democrats Dominated Tuesday’s Off-Year Elections

It’s time to talk about elections.

Off-year elections, that is. And before we go on with yesterday’s results, a caveat: It’s hard to extrapolate larger trends from the small sample size of off-year elections.

But it’s still worth taking stock of voters’ first big chance to weigh in on President Donald Trump’s second term.

The elections come at a precarious time for the country. The government has been shut down for over a month, threatening food assistance for millions of Americans and leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay. Cost of living remains top of mind for voters, a majority of whom blame Trump for rising prices.

With those issues in mind, voters went to the polls Tuesday and delivered key wins for Democrats.

“American voters just delivered a Democratic resurgence,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. “A Republican reckoning. A Blue Sweep.”

Trump distanced himself from the losses. “‘TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,’ according to Pollsters,” he posted on social media.

Here are some of the noteworthy votes from yesterday and why they matter.

Virginia

Former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger beat Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to flip gubernatorial control in Virginia and become the state’s first female governor.

She will succeed Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who faced term limits.

The election follows a recent trend in Virginia, where voters tend to elect the opposite party of the president for its governors in the year following a presidential election.

Spanberger’s anti-Trump campaign recently focused on the disproportionate effect of the government shutdown on Virginia.

New York City

In New York City, Zohran Mamdani defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to become mayor-elect.

The democratic socialist’s campaign drew national attention, including from Trump, who threatened to withhold federal funds from New York if Mamdani won.

“Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up,” Mamdani said in his victory speech.

Cuomo, a longtime fixture in the Democratic Party, ran as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary.

New Jersey

Democrats clinched another gubernatorial race in New Jersey with a double-digit margin.

Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill outpolled Trump-endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli.

The race was considered one of Republicans’ best shots for off-year elections, as Ciattarelli was just three percentage points short of ousting Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago in the 2021 governor’s race.

California

In California, voters approved a ballot measure to redraw congressional district boundaries that will give Democrats a boost in their efforts to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Proposition 50 could give Democrats as many as five additional seats. It would be enough to counter a similar move by Texas Republicans to redraw their maps to gain GOP seats at Trump’s urging.

The results are a major win for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been an aggressive adversary of Trump ahead of a potential 2028 presidential run.

Pennsylvania

Voters preserved Democrats’ high court majority in this critical swing state, retaining three state Supreme Court seats: Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht.

The race drew widespread attention, including from Trump, who posted on social media Sunday night, “Vote ‘NO, NO, NO’ on Liberal Justices Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht.”

The wins in the yes-or-no retention vote award all three justices new 10-year terms.