So This Is What Optimism Feels Like
The first general election of Donald Trump’s second term is now behind us, and things are looking … optimistic? Zohran Mamdani will be the new mayor of New York City. Virginia has elected both its first woman governor and the first Muslim woman to ever hold statewide office anywhere. Read on for all the other good news that happened Tuesday night after polls closed.
Mayor Mamdani
Voters have elected a 34-year-old assemblyman and democratic socialist to be the new mayor of New York City. Mamdani defeated disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing the Democratic primary, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani will be the city’s first Muslim mayor when he takes office in January.
Abigail Spanberger is Virginia’s first woman governor
Representative Abigail Spanberger beat out Winsome Earle-Sears, Virginia’s current Republican lieutenant governor, with more than 56 percent of the vote at the time of this writing. Spanberger outperformed Kamala Harris’s showing in the 2024 presidential race, which is a good sign for the upcoming midterm elections. Virginia Democrats also now hold a 51-49 advantage in the House of Delegates in what the New York Times says could be “the biggest Democratic election in Virginia since 1989.”
Ghazala Hashmi is the first ever Muslim woman elected to statewide office
Another historic win for the Commonwealth: Ghazala Hashmi won the Virginia lieutenant governor election, becoming the first Muslim woman to be elected to statewide office in U.S. history. Jay Jones, another Democratic candidate, also won his race for attorney general, giving Democrats a trifecta in the state.
Mikie Sherrill won the New Jersey governor’s race
Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill defeated Trump-backed Republican Jack Ciattarelli in the Garden State gubernatorial election by “a comfortable margin,” according to the Times.
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court keeps its Democratic majority
Democrats have held onto their 5-2 majority on the state’s high court. Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht will keep their seats on the bench, with Dougherty and Wecht each winning another 10-year term, according to NBC. The court’s majority had made key rulings on abortion and voting rights in recent years.
Detroit elected its first woman mayor
New York isn’t the only city that voted for change Tuesday night: Mary Sheffield, the Detroit City Council president, will be the next mayor of the Michigan city. She succeeds Mike Duggan, an Independent who has held the position for the past 12 years.
J.D. Vance’s half-brother will not be the mayor of Cincinnati
Cory Bowman lost his race to Democrat Aftab Pureval. Good riddance!
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