Nov. 5, 2025 · Elections
Mamdani, Spanberger, Sherrill Won Big. Let's Make Sure They Can Deliver.
Bottom Line Up Front: Zohran Mamdani won NYC promising universal childcare. Abigail Spanberger won Virginia promising frozen utility rates. Mikie Sherrill won New Jersey promising sanctuary protections. Now they face corporate lobbyists and Republican opposition. Our job is now to amplify wins, volunteer, signal boost, and show these officials their base wants them to go big, not play it safe. Playing it safe is what got us into this mess. The end of this article provides our action items, for those interested.
Tuesday night proved something critical: in states and cities with free and fair elections, Democrats running on transformative policies win decisively. While red states rig systems to maintain minority rule, Democrats just swept purple states and major cities by promising to make life materially better. Over the next few years, the federal government will likely descend into dysfunction while these newly elected champions step up. Red states will become impoverished police states. Democratic-controlled jurisdictions have the opportunity to modernize and demonstrate what governance looks like when it serves people.
This is soft secession in real time. This is what winning looks like, and it’s just the start.
Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City shows what happens when you promise to make life materially better. The 34-year-old democrat beat former Governor Andrew Cuomo by running on universal free childcare, free bus service citywide, rent freezes on stabilized apartments, city-run grocery stores, and taxes on the wealthiest one percent to pay for it. More than two million New Yorkers voted, the highest mayoral turnout since 1969.
Virginia elected Abigail Spanberger as its first woman governor while Democrats expanded their House of Delegates majority from 51–49 to 64–36, a nearly a supermajority that would be able pass constitutional amendments without Republican votes. Spanberger ran on freezing utility rates and protecting Virginia’s 322,000 federal workers from Trump administration cuts. Ghazala Hashmi became the first Muslim woman elected to statewide office in U.S. history as lieutenant governor. Virginia just became a democratic policy laboratory with the legislative muscle to build something that substantively improves the quality of life for residents.
New Jersey elected Mikie Sherrill as its first Democratic woman governor, also making this the first time in 60 years that New Jersey has elected Governors from the same party in three consecutive elections. The former Navy pilot and federal prosecutor won on freezing utility rate hikes, and protecting Gateway Project transit infrastructure. Democrats now control Trenton completely.
Mary Sheffield became Detroit’s first woman mayor. At 38, she ran on structural property tax reform, raising median income, and ensuring Detroit’s recovery reaches every neighborhood.
Pennsylvania Democrats retained all three Supreme Court justices facing retention elections, maintaining the court’s 5–2 Democratic majority through 2028 despite a multimillion-dollar Republican campaign. These justices have upheld mail voting, thrown out gerrymandered maps, and protected reproductive healthcare.
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval crushed Vice President JD Vance’s half-brother Cory Bowman 78 percent to 22 percent. Bowman ran with Vance’s endorsement on tough-on-crime messaging. Voters rejected it overwhelmingly.
Georgia Democrats flipped two Public Service Commission seats, marking the first Democratic victories since 2000. Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson both won with 59 percent as Georgia Power bills have increased six times since 2023.
These officials want to deliver. They have mandates and legislative support. What they need is organized backing when corporate and Republican opposition comes.
We come in as allies, not critics. Mamdani will face real estate pressure. He needs us amplifying tenant organizing and flooding social media defending rent freezes. Spanberger will take heat for standing up to federal overreach. She needs us making clear Virginians elected her to fight back. Sherrill will face pressure from utility companies fighting rate freezes. She needs us celebrating consumer protections and demanding legislators support her. Sheffield needs us voicing support for her vision and amplifying her wins.
When Mamdani announces his childcare plan, celebrate it everywhere. When Spanberger freezes utility rates, organize rallies. When Sherrill defends sanctuary policies, create viral content. When Sheffield releases property tax reform, pack public comment periods. When Georgia commissioners vote against rate increases, amplify them.
Even better, send those victories to your representatives and ask “why aren’t we doing this here?”
This means following their work obsessively, showing up to meetings when they need bodies, amplifying successes, defending them against bad-faith attacks, volunteering time, donating money, and building coalitions. Track when bills get introduced. Testify in support. Call legislators. Volunteer for ballot measures. Primary corporate politicians who block progress.
Virginia Democrats with their supermajority can pass transformative legislation if they feel backed. New York under Mamdani can demonstrate what quality municipal policy looks like with organized support. New Jersey under Democratic control can model resistance to federal overreach. Pennsylvania courts can establish voting rights precedents. Georgia commissioners can fight utility companies if they have voter coalitions behind them.
State and local politics matter as much as federal races. Governors and mayors can determine whether residents have healthcare, affordable housing, and functioning schools. State supreme courts decide whether voting rights survive and women retain bodily autonomy. Public service commissions determine whether utilities price families out of electricity.
Find these officials online. Follow their work. Amplify successes. Show up when they need support. Volunteer. Donate. Defend them when they take heat for doing what they promised. Let them know you’ve got their backs and celebrate their policy victories.
Tuesday’s results prove the thesis: in jurisdictions with free elections, Democrats running on material improvements win decisively. That divergence will accelerate. Federal government descends into dysfunction. Red states follow. Democratic-controlled cities and states step up with universal childcare, protected voting rights, frozen utility rates, reformed property taxes, and competent governance.
This is soft secession in practice. Democratic jurisdictions delivering while Republican-controlled jurisdictions descend into impoverished fiefdoms. Federal power becomes less relevant when states protect rights and improve resident’s lives despite Washington.
Tuesday put champions in position to widen that gap. Help them succeed so dramatically the choice becomes obvious. Other politicians will see the public sentiment and might even realize that supporting popular policies can help them win elections. When Democratic governance delivers improvements while Republican states deliver cruelty, results speak loudest. New Yorkers get free childcare while Texans works their way towards removing their minimum wage, the difference matters.
Build power where it still functions. Deliver results where elections still matter. Let red states experience what they voted for while Democratic jurisdictions demonstrate what’s possible. These wins accelerate the divergence.
State and local government just got reinforcements. Time to help them build something worth defending.
If you find this article useful, check out my latest book: Conservatism: America’s Personality Disorder.
https://a.co/d/fgp8uGr
Social Media Handles:
Zohran Mamdani (NYC Mayor-elect)
X/Twitter: @ZohranKMamdani
Instagram: Active, 1M+ followers
TikTok: Active
Website: zohranfornyc.com
Abigail Spanberger (VA Governor-elect)
X/Twitter: @RepSpanberger (will likely transition to governor account)
Mikie Sherrill (NJ Governor-elect)
X/Twitter: @RepSherrill (will likely transition to governor account)
Mary Sheffield (Detroit Mayor-elect)
Couldn’t verify specific handles
PA Supreme Court Justices (Donohue, Dougherty, Wecht)
No public social media accounts (standard for judges)
Georgia PSC (Hubbard & Johnson)
Couldn’t verify specific handles
Note: The governors-elect will likely launch official governor accounts after inauguration in January. For now, their Congressional accounts are active.
References
Associated Press. (2025, November 4). Democrat Abigail Spanberger wins Virginia governor’s race. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/11/04/nx-s1-5589144/election-results-virginia-governor-spanberger
Associated Press. (2025, November 4). Democrat Zohran Mamdani wins New York City mayor’s race. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/11/04/nx-s1-5597788/election-results-zohran-mamdani-new-york-city-mayor
Associated Press. (2025, November 4). Mary Sheffield wins Detroit mayoral election. PBS News. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/mary-sheffield-wins-detroit-mayoral-election
Brown, A. (2025, November 5). Democrat Mikie Sherrill wins New Jersey governor’s race. CNN Politics. https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/04/politics/nj-governor-mikie-sherrill-wins
DiFilippo, D. (2025, November 4). Mikie Sherrill celebrates win in NJ governor’s race, as supporters cheer: ‘Blue is back!’ New Jersey Monitor. https://newjerseymonitor.com/2025/11/04/democrat-mikie-sherrill-projected-to-win-new-jersey-governors-race/
Georgia Recorder. (2025, November 4). Democrats flip two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission. https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/11/04/democrat-alicia-johnson-appears-to-defeat-longtime-georgia-utility-regulator/
Mazzei, P., & Schneider, G. S. (2025, November 4). Democrat Abigail Spanberger elected Virginia’s first female governor. CNN Politics. https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/04/politics/virginia-governor-abigail-spanberger-wins
NBC News. (2025, November 4). Democrat Mikie Sherrill wins New Jersey governor’s race. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/virginia-governor-election-results-spanberger-earle-sears-race-win-rcna238685
NBC News. (2025, November 4). Democrat Zohran Mamdani wins the New York City mayoral race. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/zohran-mamdani-wins-the-new-york-city-mayoral-race/6414295/
PBS News. (2025, November 4). Aftab Pureval wins reelection as Cincinnati mayor, defeating JD Vance’s relative. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/aftab-pureval-wins-reelection-as-cincinnati-mayor-defeating-jd-vances-relative
Potter, C. (2025, November 4). Results: Pa. Supreme Court justices retained. WESA. https://www.wesa.fm/politics-government/2025-11-04/pa-supreme-court-retention-election-results
Schmidt, M. (2025, November 4). Blue wave rebuilds the House: Democrats soar to at least 64 seats in Virginia. Virginia Mercury. https://virginiamercury.com/2025/11/04/blue-wave-rebuilds-the-house-democrats-soar-to-at-least-64-seats-in-virginia/
Schmidt, M. (2025, November 4). Democrats sweep Virginia’s statewide races, reclaiming full control of executive branch. Virginia Mercury. https://virginiamercury.com/2025/11/04/blue-wave-rebuilds-the-house-democrats-soar-to-at-least-64-seats-in-virginia/
Terkel, A. (2025, November 4). Ghazala Hashmi wins Virginia lieutenant governor’s race. 19th News. https://19thnews.org/2025/11/abigail-spanberger-virginia-first-woman-governor/
The Hill. (2025, November 4). Democrats win key Georgia special elections seen as midterm bellwethers. https://thehill.com/homenews/5589670-gop-incumbents-lose-seats/
Timm, J. C. (2025, November 4). Pennsylvania voters retain three state Supreme Court justices, preserving Democrats’ 5–2 majority. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/pennsylvania-supreme-court-vote-election-race-retains-justices-rcna238914
VPM News. (2025, November 4). Spanberger wins Virginia governor race with message on DOGE, cost of living. https://www.vpm.org/elections/2025-11-04/election-2025-democrats-win-spanberger-hashmi-jones-gov-ltgov-ag
Washington Post. (2025, November 4). Democrat Abigail Spanberger elected Virginia’s first female governor. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/11/04/virginia-governor-election-spanberger-earle-sears/
Washington Post. (2025, November 5). Mary Sheffield (D) will be the first woman and first Black woman mayor of Detroit. https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/results/2025/11/04/detroit-mayor-results/
Zutrau, G. (2025, June 10). How Zohran Mamdani drove over 20K clicks from Instagram DMs. Milk Karten.
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