The U.S. Voted Blue, for Women, and for Diversity on Tuesday: Let’s Break It Down
Democrats swept the elections this week, and by a lot.
Are we allowed to have hope again?
Yes, and then it's time to get back to work.
The reason we saw the success we did this week was because the local election voter
turnout was far above average, with most years seeing only between 10-15%, and this
year seeing close to 40% in some states.
Large Scale Victories:
→ For the first time ever, there are 14 women governors, the most in history.
→ There was a record number of firsts last night in wins across the US, including women, trans, and BIPOC elects.
→ The country’s leaders are younger, brighter, and more diverse than ever before— reflecting back what the US is supposed to look like, its citizens.
Large Scale Victories by the Map:
Virginia:
→ Abigail Spanberger was elected Governor, becoming the state’s first woman to hold the position.
→ Ghazala Hashmi was elected Lieutenant Governor, and is the first Muslim woman ever elected to a statewide office in the US.
→ Democrats also flipped at least 11 seats in the House of Delegates, gaining a supermajority.
→ These wins all protect Virginia as the last abortion stronghold in the south, the only state in the region without extreme restrictions.
Photo: Stephanie Scarbrough
Massachusetts:
→ Michelle Wu, the first woman and Asian American Mayor of Boston, was reelected for a second term.
→ Wu imposed a 4% tax on millionaires two years ago that was the inspiration for Zohran Mamdani’s NYC tax proposal. It has since brought in over $5.7 billion for Boston projects and has been credited with improving the city.
Michigan:
→ Detroit elected its first Black woman mayor, Mary Sheffield. She is also the youngest person to ever hold the office at 37.
AP Photo/Paul Sancya
New Jersey:
→ Mikie Sherril was elected to be Governor, defeating her MAGA-backed Republican opponent, Jack Ciattarelli.
→ Sherril is a staunch supporter of abortion rights, crucial for protecting New Jersey’s autonomy as one of the last states in the US with no abortion restrictions.
New York:
→ Zohran Mamdani was elected Mayor of New York City after the largest ever voter turnout in the city, and subsequently appointed an all women transition team.
(He beat out former New York Governor and sex offender, Andrew Cuomo)
Getty Images
Pennsylvania:
→ Democrats retained the majority of the State Supreme Court winning 3 seats (each with a
10-year term). In a swing state with a conservative Congress, having a Democratic judicial branch is important for retaining civil rights.
→ Erica Deuso was elected the first transgender mayor of Downingtown, Pennsylvania.
→ Jaime Arroyo was elected the first Latino mayor
of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
MORE:
→ Democratic mayors were also elected in cities across the US, including Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Charlotte.
Some (Unexpected, but Very Exciting) Wins:
Georgia:
→ Democrats flipped two statewide offices, their first statewide wins since 2006 and first wins in these seats in 25 years.
Mississippi:
→ Democrats gained two seats in the Mississippi State Senate, ending the GOP’s longheld supermajority.
→ This allows Democrats to have more of a say in the congressional process in the state.
Minnesota:
Ohio:
→ JD Vance’s brother, Cory Bowman, faced a humiliating election loss for the mayor of Cincinnati, the city electing incumbent Aftab Pureval instead.
→ Bowman only received 22% of the public's
vote after all were counted.
→ The surprising part of this election wasn’t the results, but his choice to run in the first place.
Policy Wins!
California:
→ Voters passed Prop 50, allowing California to create a new congressional redistricting map to defend Democratic representation. Newsom proposed this map in response to GOP gerrymandering in states like Texas and North Carolina.
→ Trump threatened to send National Guard members to monitor voting locations, and Governor Gavin Newsom said if he did “he would send 10 for every 1 person Trump sent”.
→ Voter suppression is so 1900s.
Colorado:
→ A small tax increase on high-income citizens in order to fund free meals for public school students was approved.
→ Even if free lunches are taken away federally, they’re now protected in Colorado.
Maine:
→ Voters rejected a (Republican proposed) voter suppression ballot measure that would have severely limited mail in ballots and also would have required new restrictive photo ID rules.
