Democrats win Mayor & Gubernatorial races in 2025 elections riding an anti Trump-Admin-Policies - New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania and California - Coast to Coat

 

Democrats sweep in most of the key elections held in the US in anti Trump referendum

Democrats are swinging back riding on the camels back of Latino voters who voted Trump in 2024 now angry against the president for not redeeming his electoral pledges, every key election returned demos

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Nov 06, 2025

Democrats Sweep 2025 Elections in Rebuke of Trump’s Economic Policies

Party captures governorships in Virginia and New Jersey, New York City mayoralty, and key judicial races as voters express discontent with rising costs under tariff regime

By Ashok Nilakantan Ayers. Nov 06, 2025

Democrats swept to decisive victories across the nation Tuesday night, winning every major contested race in what political analysts are calling the first significant electoral referendum on President Trump’s second-term economic policies.

In the most closely watched contests, Democrats won both governor’s races on the ballot, with Abigail Spanberger winning in Virginia and Mikie Sherrill comfortably winning in New Jersey. The party also captured New York City’s mayoralty and retained critical Supreme Court seats in Pennsylvania, while California voters approved a Democratic-backed redistricting measure by overwhelming margins.

Democrats also saw their candidate for Lt.Governor in Virginia Ghazala Hashmi, of Indian origin, being elected.

The results mark a striking reversal for Republicans less than a year after their 2024 sweep of the presidency and Congress, with economic anxiety emerging as the dominant factor driving voters to the polls.

Economic Discontent Fuels Democratic Gains

Exit polling found voters who prioritized the economy backed Democrats by significant margins, with ABC exit polling showing the economy was the top issue for Virginia voters, who broke for Democrat Spanberger by 20 points.

According to Amy Walters of the Cooks Political Report, every major elections showed how unfavourable rating for Trump matched GOPs candidates — Virginia Trump negative rating 14% and Erle Spears 14 points loss.

The electoral backlash comes as Trump’s sweeping tariff policies have contributed to rising consumer costs. The average tax on U.S. imports today is nearly 18 percent, up from 2.4 percent before Trump returned to the White House, with the Treasury Department collecting almost four times as much tariff revenue now as a year ago.

The tariffs amount to an average tax increase of nearly $1,300 per U.S. household in 2025, with economists warning of broader economic consequences. Individual, frequently purchased items have surged in price in 2025, with coffee costing 20 percent more than a year ago and ground beef 15 percent more.

“You can’t convince people your policies are working if they’re paying 20% more for a cup of coffee,” one analysis noted of the Republican predicament.

New York: Democratic Socialist Topples Political Dynasty

In New York City, Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old state Assembly member and democratic socialist, was elected mayor, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani will make history as the first Muslim and South Asian person, as well as the youngest in over a century, to serve as New York City mayor. It will be another story if he can redeem his elections — free bus rides, rent freeze nd raising corporate and house taxes.

More than two million votes were cast in the race, the first time since 1969 that turnout exceeded that threshold, according to the New York City Board of Elections.

In his victory speech, Mamdani framed his win as rejecting establishment politics. “My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty,” he said of defeating Cuomo, adding that his victory represents a mandate for “a new kind of politics” built around raising up everyday New Yorkers instead of supporting the “billionaire class”.

Coumo , a protege of former President Bill Clinton and son of the noted Peter Coumo who changed the skyline of New York, was backed by President Donald Trump after he lost the primary to Mamdani and contested as an independent.

The race had become a proxy battle for the Democratic Party’s future, with Cuomo representing the moderate establishment and receiving backing from several prominent Democrats. Mamdani’s stunning primary victory over Cuomo in June set the stage for Tuesday’s general election triumph.

Virginia and New Jersey: Gubernatorial Flips

Spanberger, a former U.S. representative, was elected in Virginia to replace outgoing Republican Glenn Youngkin, becoming the state’s first female governor. Her victory continues a historical pattern in the state, where the party not controlling the White House has won 11 of the past 12 gubernatorial elections.

In Virginia, Democrats also achieved a sweep of statewide races, with Jay Jones winning the attorney general position and Ghazala Hashmi elected as lieutenant governor. Jones’s victory came despite controversy when text messages emerged showing him musing about violence against a GOP legislative leader, though the scandal was not enough to cost him the race.

In New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill’s comfortable victory was notable given historical trends. No party has won three consecutive elections for governor in New Jersey since the 1960s, making the Democratic hold on the office particularly significant.

Judicial Victories Secure Democratic Power

Democrats successfully defended their majority on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, where three justices were retained in their roles, maintaining the Democratic majority on the court. The retention elections drew unprecedented attention and spending, with Republicans mounting a vigorous campaign to oust the Democratic justices.

Despite a high-profile campaign to oust them, the three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices on the ballot were retained. The races typically draw little interest but became flashpoints amid concerns about the court’s role in potential election-related cases and other politically sensitive matters.

In Philadelphia, District Attorney Larry Krasner won his race for a third term, defeating Republican challenger Pat Dugan, while City Controller Christy Brady also secured victory.

California’s Redistricting Win

Democrats secured what could prove to be their most important win in California, where voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, a ballot measure that will allow them to redraw the state’s congressional districts to give themselves more seats in Congress.

The measure, backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative Democrats, enables midcycle redistricting before the 2026 midterm elections. Democrats framed the initiative as necessary to counter Republican-led redistricting efforts in Texas and other states.

Trump’s Response and Political Fallout

In his first public reaction to Tuesday night’s election results, President Trump cited “pollsters” who blamed Republican losses on the fact that the president wasn’t on the ballot and the government shutdown, which has lasted for more than a month.

Trump also offered pointed criticism of Mamdani’s victory speech. “I think he should be very nice to me,” the president told Fox News. “You know, I’m the one that sort of has to approve a lot of things coming to him, so he’s off to a bad start”.

Democrats scored victories in the four major races of the night: the New York City mayoral race, the governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia, and Prop 50, California’s redistricting ballot measure.

Additional Mayoral Contests

Beyond New York, Democrats saw mixed results in other major cities. In Atlanta, Mayor Andre Dickens was reelected for a second term. In Pittsburgh, Democrat Corey O’Connor, the Allegheny County controller, defeated Republican Tony Moreno, after O’Connor had defeated incumbent Mayor Ed Gainey in the primary.

In Minneapolis, Mayor Jacob Frey, who led the city during the killing of George Floyd and its aftermath, defeated several challengers led by democratic socialist state Sen. Omar Fateh, with backing from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Looking Ahead

The 2025 results have immediate implications for the 2026 midterm elections and raise questions about the durability of Trump’s 2024 coalition. Exit polling showed voters went to the polls with worries about the economy on their minds, coupled with broader discontent with the state of the country.

For Democrats, the victories offer both encouragement and internal tensions. The night saw two kinds of Democrats win, hailing from opposite sides of the party: moderate candidates like Sherrill and Spanberger won governorships, while on the far left, democratic socialist Mamdani prevailed—a split that will fuel ongoing debates about the party’s direction.

The Republican Party faces a reckoning over economic messaging at a moment when their traditional advantage on the issue appears to have evaporated. As households contend with higher costs for everyday goods, the party’s challenge will be convincing voters that their policies can deliver relief—or risk further electoral setbacks in the crucial 2026 midterms.