Democrats enjoyed sweeping victories in the two gubernatorial elections outside of 2025, which many analysts say were heavily influenced by the tumultuous first year of Trump’s second administration.
Virginia voters followed the poll’s predictions, electing incumbent Abigail Spanberger (D) who handily defeated Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R), 57% to 42%, in a race to succeed Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).
In New Jersey, Rep. Mikie Sherill (D) defeated former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R) 56 percent to 43 percent, in a race that polls say was getting closer. She will succeed Gov. Phil Murphy (D). Ciattarelli had pledged to promote an “all of the above” energy development policy, but shares Trump’s anti-renewables fixation. Both also campaigned to reduce energy costs.
New York City Democratic voters turned out in force for Zohran Mamdani, pushing the former state assemblyman past 50 percent of the vote, with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, winning 41.6 percent and Republican Curtis Sliwa 7.1 percent as of 10:30 p.m. with 89.9 percent of the vote. reported votes New Yorkers also supported two measures that are set to accelerate the development of affordable housing.
Spanberger’s criticism of President Donald Trump’s policies and his promises to address rising costs proved most effective in the state’s most populous areas, particularly in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, where federal government workforce reductions and the extended shutdown have been felt most strongly. During the campaign, he called for expanding clean energy programs in the state and investing in efforts to increase marine traffic at the Port of Virginia.
Earle-Sears did not receive a direct endorsement from Trump, but Spanaberger struck a bipartisan tone in her victory speech by pledging to listen and work for those who voted for the Republican. “I know in my heart,” he said, “that we can come together for Virginia’s future and set an example for the rest of the nation,” he said.
Democrats’ success at the top of the Virginia ballot is expected to translate into several down-ballot races, with all 100 seats in the state’s House of Delegates up for election. Several pre-election forecasts predict Democratic gains of up to 10 seats in the chamber, where the party currently holds a 51-48 majority with one vacancy.
