Democrats sweep first major test of Trump’s second term
Democrats prevailed in three races in the first major elections since Donald Trump regained the presidency, giving the beleaguered party some momentum as it looks to midterm congressional elections in 2026.
In New York City, 34-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral race, capping a rapid and unexpected rise from an anonymous state lawmaker to one of the nation’s most visible Democratic figures.
In Virginia and New Jersey, Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill won the gubernatorial elections with leading names, respectively.
The contests offered a barometer of how Americans are responding to Trump’s tumultuous nine-month tenure.
The races also served as a test of different Democratic campaign tactics ahead of 2026, with the party locked in power in Washington and still trying to find a way out of the political wilderness.
However, the midterm elections are a year away, an eternity in the Trump era. And all of Tuesday’s contests, US time, took place in Democratic-leaning districts that did not support Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
All three Democratic candidates emphasized economic issues, especially affordability. But Spanberger and Sherrill come from the moderate wing of the party; Mamdani, on the other hand, used a viral video-supported rebel campaign to present herself as an unashamed progressive and a new generation voice.
Mamdani, who will be the first Muslim mayor of the largest city in the United States, surpassed former Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo, 67, who ran as an independent after losing the nomination to Mamdani in early 2025.
In a social media post Tuesday night, Trump blamed the losses on his name not being on the ballot and the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Spanberger, who defeated Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, will take over from Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin in Virginia.
Sherrill, of New Jersey, defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli and will replace Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.
Both Sherrill and Spanberger had sought to tie their rivals to Trump in an attempt to quell the frustration among Democratic and independent voters over Trump’s chaotic tenure.
“We sent a message to the world that Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship in 2025,” Spanberger said in his victory speech. “We chose our nation instead of chaos”
For Republicans, Tuesday’s elections served as a test of whether the voters who powered Trump’s victory in 2024 will show up even when he’s not on the ballot.
But Ciattarelli and Earle-Sears, both running in Democratic-leaning states, faced a dilemma: Criticizing Trump risked losing supporters, but embracing him too closely could alienate moderate and independent voters who disapprove of his policies.
Trump remains popular: 57 percent of Americans disapprove of his job performance, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
But as a result, Democrats cannot gain support; respondents are evenly split on whether they prefer Democrats or Republicans in 2026.
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