On the face of it, the Nov. 4 elections did not go well for Republicans. As the dust settled the next morning, various journalists and pundits delivered their verdict on the results and, in true partisan fashion, scribes on both sides of the political chasm tried to make the best of their respective teams’ performance. But really, all eyes are on the GOP, since it is widely acknowledged that Tuesday was not a good night for the party in power. Are there any silver linings at all for Republicans? Or was this “romp,” as Politico described it, as bad as it seems? The answer to both of those questions – from slightly different perspectives – is yes.
The New York City mayoral race didn’t hold any surprises. Zohran Mamdani, the socialist candidate with concerning ties to the radical Islamist movement, secured Gracie Mansion for the Democrats. That Mamdani won probably came as a surprise to precisely no one.
Old Dominion, New Color?
In purple-blue Virginia, a pair of notable elections also went Democrats’ way. Abigail Spanberger handily defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in the gubernatorial contest, while Jay Jones notched a perhaps more surprising victory over incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares. Jones survived the uncovering of some personal text messages in which he fantasized about shooting a state Republican representative in the head and hoping that the man’s children would die in their parents’ arms.
Republicans also lost more than a dozen legislative seats in Virginia and failed to win the contest for lieutenant governor. The Old Dominion perhaps now sits decidedly in the blue column.
The New Jersey gubernatorial race at one point showed signs of being a close one, but the GOP candidate, Jack Ciattarelli, finished behind Democrat Mikie Sherrill – and the margin of victory for the latter was in the double digits.
School Board Elections Setback for Republicans
There was more bad news for conservatives out of Pennsylvania – and one could argue it’s worse than the losses in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia.
School board elections in the Central Bucks and Pennridge districts of Bucks County, PA, saw a Republican wipe-out. In 2021, conservatives gained control of these two school districts, known for their heavy progressive and “woke” leanings. In 2023, Democrats regained control – but on Nov. 4, every Republican on both school boards was ejected. That’s a huge blow to conservative hopes of getting DEI, pro-LGBTQ, and pro-transgender ideology out of their children’s education.
Moreover, wins for Democrats in bellwether Bucks County are, perhaps more than any other of the Nov. 4 elections, bad omens for the GOP’s 2026 prospects.
So, what about those Republican silver linings? The obvious one is that none of the more prominent races were all that likely to see the Democrat candidates fall short. This is all hostile territory for the GOP, especially New York City and New Jersey (even considering the Garden State’s recent history of being open to Republican governors). Probably none of these races should have been considered anything other than slam dunks for Democrats.
Careful What You Wish For
But more significant is what the Democratic Party has inherited. While Mamdani himself has no known direct ties to the terrorists who shocked the Big Apple to its core on Sept. 11, 2001, he has not distanced himself from the extremist rallying cry “globalize the Intifada.” There are those who say New Yorkers have indeed forgotten the popular post-9/11 mantra “never forget.”
New York’s sizable Jewish population, as left-leaning as it is, will no doubt also be wondering what life will look like with an Islamist mayor.
Then there is the proof in the proverbial pudding. Mamdani promised so many things that will require massive funding while at the same time proposing an agenda that may well cause an exodus of businesses and wealthy city-dwellers. That means a shrinking tax base. And the new mayor certainly can’t expect any assistance from the Trump administration.
During his victory address on the evening of Nov. 4, the mayor-elect said, “I am Muslim. I am socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this.” Those words will most certainly come back to haunt him – and his party – should his ambitious agenda fail to produce the promised results.
Mamdani also said, “We will prove that there is no problem too large for government to solve and no concern too small for it to care about.” The irony of referring to President Donald Trump as a “despot,” while, in the same speech, promoting the concept of an omnipotent government that will involve itself in every aspect of people’s lives, was clearly lost on the next NYC mayor.
Then there’s Jay Jones, the incoming attorney general with a predisposition toward shooting his political rivals and hoping for the deaths of their children. Virginians will surely be reminded of those horrible text messages when the 2026 midterm elections roll around. Though Jones will not be on the ballot, Democrats who did not condemn those remarks or withdraw their support from him will be.
Republicans may be licking their wounds while Democrats perform victory dances – probably in animal costumes – but both parties would be foolish to assume the Nov. 4 elections are the first act of the great Democratic Party revival. The soon-to-be newly minted governors and the NYC mayor-elect are now compelled to deliver. The party’s success next year in the states where they racked up wins this year may well come down to whether the new sheriffs in town made things better – or worse.
