President Donald Trump blamed GOP losses on his absence from the ballot and the drag of a prolonged federal shutdown as Democrats notched a string of high-profile wins on Tuesday, as Zohran Mamdani captured the New York City mayoralty, Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) won Virginia's governorship and Mikie Sherrill flipped New Jersey.
Mamdani Secures Historic New York City Mayoralty
New York state lawmaker Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City, a race the Associated Press and other outlets called on Tuesday night, making him the city's first Muslim and first South Asian-heritage mayor. With roughly two-thirds of votes counted, Mamdani led former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa 50%–41%–8%, according to returns compiled by Pluribus News.
Spanberger And Sherrill Post Strong Statewide Margins
In Virginia, the AP declared Democrat Abigail Spanberger the winner, beating Republican Winsome Earle-Sears with 56% of the votes.
Meanwhile, in New Jersey, the AP declared Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill the winner over Republican Jack Ciattarelli, with a margin of 56%–43%.
Democrats Celebrate Results, Await Final State Canvases
National Democrats quickly amplified the results. Sen. Bernie Sanders lauded Mamdani's grassroots campaign in a post on X, while Hillary Clinton highlighted the history-making wins by Spanberger and Sherrill. Former President Barack Obama praised "forward-looking leaders" and said the night's results were a reminder that Democrats can win when they rally around issues that matter.
Mamdani marked his victory with a short video on X showing a subway pulling into the City Hall station.
Official canvases will follow in the coming days. Still, early returns highlight the scope of Tuesday's flip, which involves a progressive New York City mayor, a Democrat in the Virginia governor's mansion and New Jersey electing its first Democratic woman as governor.
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