Turns out, many people in America are not too crazy about Donald Trump and his extremism.
Across the country, Democrats won by landslide margins in down-ballot contests and in local and national races. Counties that swung Republican last year swung back left, and the suburbs that fueled the Democrats’ biggest wins during the first Trump administration came back strong. It was so wild that even the exit polls showed Democrats are improving their support with non-college-educated voters, which is rare. Mind you, this is an off-year election. Can you imagine what next year's midterms will look like?
In Virginie and New Jersey, Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill won easily with double-digit victories. Two Georgia Democrats flipped seats on the state’s Public Service Commission. This is essential because it was the first non-federal statewide win for Democrats in almost two decades.
They abolished the GOP supermajority they had by flipping a pair of Republican-held state senate seats in Mississippi. They successfully passed California ballot measure 50, which delivered five additional seats for the party’s House margins ahead of the 2026 midterms, negating Texas’s redistricting push. Zohran Mamdani, the first South Asian Muslim mayor of America, won New York City with no AIPAC, billionaire, or corporate funding.
During Trump’s last 2018 midterm cycle, Democrats picked up 40 House seats. In Virginia, Democrats flipped at least 13 seats in the House of Delegates. Multiple counties shifted blue from former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 results. In the top races for governorship in Virginia and New Jersey/New York City’s mayoral race, all Democrats cleared 50-point support.
This election, in essence, marked a loud and clear rebuke of Trump-style politics and the extremism that has defined much of today’s GOP. Voters across the country showed they are tired of division, chaos, and culture wars and instead want steady leadership that addresses real issues.
Sweeping Democratic victories from local commissions to state legislatures and mayoral races point to a shifting political landscape where grassroots energy, inclusivity, and coalition-building are trumping fear and polarization. If these results are any indication, the momentum going into next year’s midterms might reshape the national map once again and redefine what it means to build a modern, winning Democratic coalition in America.
Excellent piece, Ms. Jasmine. Mamdani is Mayor-Elect. Congrats to you and all of NYC.
As it turns out, Americans DO want socialism.