(AP) - Voters in races across the country backed Democrats, including in New York’s mayoral race and contests for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, rejecting President Donald Trump’s late and lightweight push for his preferred candidates. Democrats secured another expected win in California, where voters approved a new congressional map that is designed to help their party win five more U.S. House seats in next year’s midterm elections.
Though the candidates and local issues all played a role in the results, voter attitudes about the president and his agenda were central to their choices and offered the first clear review from voters of Trump’s agenda just nine months after he returned to power.
Top Democrats celebrated the results as a major victory over Trump. The president meanwhile was quick to respond to the results on Tuesday night with a defensive social media post after results came. Citing pollsters, Trump said that “TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT,” and the federal government shutdown “WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT.”
In Virginia, where there’s a concentration of federal workers impacted by the government shutdown and Trump’s sweeping layoffs of the federal workforce, voters flipped control of the governor’s mansion and elected Democrat Abigail Spanberger as the state’s first female to lead the state. In New Jersey, where Trump endorsed the Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli and held several tele-rallies on his behalf, voters instead chose to keep Democrats in power and elected Congresswoman Mikie Sherill.
New York City is Trump’s hometown but he remains widely unpopular in the Democratic stronghold. His frequent comments and social media posts warning that the nation’s largest city would slip into ruin if Democrat Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, was elected mayor may have narrowed the race some, but Trump’s late endorsement of independent former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who stepped down following a scandal four years ago, may have backfired.
Barack Obama says ‘the future looks a little bit brighter’ after Democratic wins
“It’s a reminder that when we come together around strong, forward-looking leaders who care about the issues that matter, we can win,” the former Democratic president wrote on social media.
After Democrats scored resounding wins in Tuesday’s election, Obama added, “We’ve still got plenty of work to do, but the future looks a little bit brighter.”
California voters approve new US House map designed to boost Democrats in 2026
The new map, drawn and passed by the Democratic-controlled state Legislature and pushed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, could help flip five seats from Republican to Democratic in next year’s midterm elections. The map would be in place for the next three election cycles.
The measure was introduced in response to Texas’ midcycle redistricting, which also aims to flip five seats to elect more Republicans. The ballot measure, known as Proposition 50, directs California’s independent redistricting commission to resume enacting congressional maps in 2031.