Local and state elections were held throughout the United States, including gubernatorial elections for Virginia and New Jersey on Nov. 3 and the mayoral election in New York City on Nov. 4. These elections resulted in major Democratic victories and represent a shift away from decisive Republican victories in the 2024 voting cycle.
In Virginia, former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger defeated her Republican opponent and current lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, by a 15.2% margin. In New Jersey, Democrat representative Mikie Sherrill emerged victorious over former Republican representative Jack Ciattarelli by a margin of nearly 14%.
Democrats have also swept the lieutenant governor and attorney general offices in that state, with attorney general nominee Jay Jones ousting incumbent Jason Miyares despite controversial texts that spoke of violence against Republicans that were leaked during the campaign.
At the mayoral level, the highly publicized election for mayor of New York City resulted in a victory for self-proclaimed democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor and the youngest mayor in a century. He defeated Independent candidate and former New York governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, carrying over half of the vote.
Notre Dame students expressed mixed feelings about the results. College Democrats released an official statement regarding the results, writing that Americans chose “freedom over fear” and “affordability over authoritarianism” this November.
“The 2025 elections were not only historic for Democrats but for progress itself,” Notre Dame College Democrats wrote in an official statement. “Members of Notre Dame’s College Democrats were involved in each of these races and are leading the fight for equality, human dignity, and justice. Americans are ready for a more affordable future and less divisive politics; Democrats will continue to deliver.”
Other students were less optimistic. Mason Stanley, a junior and former Graham Hall resident from Virginia, said although he had been unable to submit his application in time to vote, he would’ve picked Republican nominee Earle-Sears because of his stance on education and crime.
“I was a big fan of the last governorship under Youngkin and I also tend to vote along conservative Republican lines, so I’m not a huge fan of some of the things that Democrats have been doing in Virginia as of late,” he said. “That being said, I think it is very much par for the course … I think a lot of people were expecting Spanberger to win the race.”
Jake Engelhart, a Siegfried Hall sophomore originally from New York, expressed concerns about Mamdani’s victory in New York City, citing business and financial disagreements.
“Some of the things he [says] I just don’t believe in or don’t think he has good intentions,” Engelhart wrote. “Biggest thing I foresee is billionaires and Fortune 500 top players moving out of the city, as the tax burden will choke them out.”
David Campbell, a political science professor and director of the Notre Dame Democracy Initiative, spoke on what Democrats can learn from the results.
“I actually think the lesson for the Democrats is less the policy positions … and more the emphasis on affordability, because that’s the common thread from Mamdani in New York and then both the governor’s races in New York or in New Jersey and Virginia,” Campbell said. “These are candidates who are all focused on affordability, even though their particular policy proposals are going to differ — especially Mamdani, who is going to differ from the two governors.”
Mamdani’s status as a strong progressive voice within the Democratic Party, combined with his victory over Cuomo in the Democratic primary and now general election, has raised questions about the party’s direction going forward. However, political science professor Jeff Harden, who specializes in public policy diffusion and state politics, wrote that he did not anticipate the November results will significantly influence national politics.
“I am sure these elections will affect local politics in these states, but I do not anticipate them making big changes to national politics beyond the current news cycle,” Harden wrote. “And despite the considerable press coverage of Mamdani, I do not see him shifting the party in the immediate term. At a minimum, he would need to begin governing and show evidence of success first.”
The approval rates of President Donald Trump were raised during the cycle. They sit at 42.3% as of Sunday according to RealClear Polling, an average of 15 polls from various news outlets and research groups. It is the lowest average Trump has received in his second term in office.
According to Campbell, while the numbers may have played a role, he emphasized it would take more than opposition to Trump for Democrats to win electoral victories.
“There’s definitely some reaction to Trump, however, this is the thing to keep in mind. I do not think the lesson of this election is that all a Democrat has to do is run against Trump in order to win,” Campbell said. “I think all of these winning candidates have demonstrated that it wasn’t enough to run against Trump, but they had to be for something as well and the three of them demonstrated that.”
