Democrats sweep key off-year elections
Caroline MolloyDemocrats scored a string of victories Nov. 4, winning several closely watched gubernatorial and municipal races in contests seen as bellwethers ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Virginia
In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to succeed term-limited Gov. Glenn Youngkin. With an estimated 98% of votes counted, Spanberger was ahead 57.6% to Earle-Sears’ 42.2%, according to the Associated Press.
Earle-Sears conceded Tuesday night, thanking supporters and calling Spanberger to govern “as a moderate” to unite Virginians.
“My opponent Abigail ran as a moderate. If she governs as one, then she will unite us and she’ll heal our divide and win our support. I hope and pray she does,” Earle-Sears said. “But all should note, I don’t consider this a loss because remember — I’ve always said this — I’m a Christian first. I’m a Republican second. And that’s the way it always will be because no political party has ever given their life for me.”
Meanwhile, Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares lost his re-election bid to Democrat Jay Jones, who overcame weeks of controversy over resurfaced violent text messages in which Jones mused about the deaths of Republicans. With about 96% of votes counted, Jones led with 53.1% of the vote to Miyares’ 46.5%, AP News estimated.
In his concession speech, Miyares wished Jones “the best in this new job” and noted that “given the circumstances of the last six weeks, many of my supporters will find that difficult,” appearing to reference the text scandal.
“The reason I wish Jay the best is because we, the people of Virginia, need it,” he added. “We need an attorney general who will focus every day on keeping us safe.”
New Jersey
In New Jersey, Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli with 56.2% of the vote to his 43.2%, based on approximately 95% of returns, according to AP News. Sherrill will replace term-limited Democratic Governor Phil Murphy.
Ciattarelli said in his concession speech that he called Sherrill to congratulate her on her victory and extend “my very best wishes.”
“I haven’t stopped believing because of the outcome of tonight’s election,” he said, later adding, “It is my hope that Mikie Sherrill has heard us, in terms of what we need to do to make New Jersey that place where everybody can once again feel they can achieve their American dream.”
New York
Self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral race in New York City over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. With 91% of the votes reported, Mamdani had just over 50% support, followed by Cuomo at 41.6% and Sliwa at 7.1%.
The night before the election, President Donald Trump urged voters to support Cuomo, warning that a vote for Sliwa would hand the race to Mamdani, whom he called a communist.
“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Mamdani campaigned on a progressive agenda that included freezing rent, making public transit and childcare “free,” creating city-owned grocery stores, and raising taxes on the top 1% of earners.
