Tuesday was a good day for Democrats. The party’s candidates, Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, won their respective governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia. Democrats retained a majority on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court. Californians approved a pro-Democrat redistricting measure to counter Republican redistricting elsewhere. And, in perhaps the most watched race of the year, Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani defeated the Donald Trump-endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to become New York City’s next mayor.
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President Trump reacted to the results Tuesday night in a post on Truth Social, quoting anonymous pollsters: “‘TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,’ according to Pollsters.”
Trump’s initial reaction didn’t mention any specific race but appeared to signify a potential introspection by the Republican leader about the ongoing government shutdown, which at midnight becomes the longest-ever in U.S. history, and which the GOP has tried to blame on Democrats. It also signals potentially more direct involvement from Trump himself in trying to turn out voters next year when he also won’t be on the ballot but the Republican majorities in the House and Senate will be.
Later, Trump reiterated calls for congressional Republicans to “terminate the filibuster” and “pass voter reform.”
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who has been described as an architect of Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda, appeared to rationalize Mamdani’s victory in New York City by posting on X a screenshot of a statistic that says, “Almost 50 percent of New Yorkers live in family households with at least one immigrant.”
Other Republicans reacted to Mamdani’s win with fear-mongering language similar to that which failed in the campaign opposing the 34-year-old Democrat.
Rep. Randy Fine (R, Fla.) posted on X: “Legal immigrants who hate America elected a Communist Muslim Jihadist. New York City has fallen. America is next if we don’t stop it.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott posted, “Join me for a moment of silence for NYC. Thoughts & prayers.”
Rep. Mike Lawler (R, N.Y.) reposted comments he made about Mamdani on Fox News earlier Tuesday. “You have an avowed socialist engaged in Marxist theory talking about freezing the rent, banning private property ownership, seizing the means of production, defunding the police, shutting down prisons, legalizing prostitution, oh, and raising taxes by $9 billion in the financial capital of the world,” he said, before alluding to 2026 midterm elections: “Yeah, this is not going to go well in the suburbs of New York next year.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R, N.Y.), who is reportedly set to launch a bid for New York governor, blamed incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who endorsed Mamdani, for Mamdani’s victory, saying that under Hochul, New York City “has now fallen to a pro-Hamas, Defund the Police, Tax Hiking, Antisemite Jihadist Communist.”
“And instead of standing up for hardworking New York families, Kathy Hochul proved once again that she is truly the Worst Governor in America with her desperate endorsement of Commie Mamdani,” Stefanik posted on X.
Other Mamdani opponents, like billionaire Bill Ackman, who poured at least $1.75 million into anti-Mamdani and pro-Cuomo PACs, congratulated Mamdani on his win. “Now you have a big responsibility,” he posted. “If I can help NYC, just let me know what I can do.”