Democrats Flip Reddest Districts Nationwide—in Major Warning to Trump

The 2025 special elections went exceptionally well for Democrats, with local and state candidates flipping red areas across the country.

While most of the national attention has been on Zohran Mamdani’s historic victory in New York, and to a lesser extent Democratic gubernatorial wins in New Jersey and Virginia, victories in even more local districts reveal a lot about where the parties stand in the lead-up to the midterms.

Erie County, Pennsylvania, which narrowly supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election, voted overwhelmingly for Democrat Christina Vogel in its county executive race by 24 percentage points. In Virginia’s 66th state House district, Nicole Cole defeated 36-year Republican incumbent Bobby Orrock, who usually coasted to victory in every state election and was the longest-serving Republican delegate in Virginia’s legislature.

Democrats in Georgia managed to win two statewide races for public service commissioner, their first nonfederal statewide wins since 2006. Alicia Johnson defeated incumbent Tim Echols, by a 58 to 41 percent margin, while Peter Hubbard ousted Fitz Johnson 61 percent to 39 percent. The positions deal with utilities, and have “exclusive power to decide what are fair and reasonable rates for services under its jurisdiction.”

Even in the deep Southern state of Mississippi, Democrats were able to break the supermajority in the state Senate by flipping three seats after 13 years, taking away Republicans’ ability to override the governor’s veto and easily propose constitutional amendments. These victories, coupled with Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral race and the Democratic wins in Virginia and New Jersey, have predictably caused President Trump to melt down.

“‘TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,’ according to Pollsters,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday night. But whatever Trump and Republicans around the country are saying to themselves on Wednesday, the fact is that the GOP was soundly rejected on Tuesday. Now the task falls on Democrats to make their case for better results in 2026 and 2028.

White House deputy chief of staff and Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller posted an ominous, captionless threat after democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral election on Tuesday night. 

“Almost 50 percent of New Yorkers live in households with at least one immigrant,” the screenshot he posted from NYC.gov titled “Family Household Types by Immigration Status” read. “Over one million children, equaling 62 percent of the children in New York City, live in a household with at least one foreign-born family member.” 

It should come as no surprise that the man who has engineered President Trump’s sweeping, violent immigration crackdowns would react with vitriol to a democratic socialist Muslim immigrant winning a major mayoral election—and rebuking multiple political establishments in the process. 

“A New York family with one immigrant member, you say?” one user replied, posting an old picture of Trump and his third wife, Melania, an immigrant from Slovenia, and another of Trump and his first wife, Ivana, who was born in Czechoslovakia. (Trump’s mother was also born in Scotland.) 

“The fascist is making overt threats to deport a bunch of children because New Yorkers voted for Zohran,” Secular Talk’s Kyle Kulinski commented.   

By now, Americans should have realized that Republicans’ claim that they’re  “only going after the worst of the worst” was a complete lie. Miller is simply against nonwhite immigrants existing in America in any capacity, regardless of criminality, and he makes that clear here in this weird, wordless post.  

President Donald Trump’s seen the election results—and he’s pissed at Republicans.  

After Zohran Mamdani was officially elected mayor of New York City Tuesday night, sounding the death knell for Republicans’ election prospects nationwide, Trump refused to take any responsibility for the GOP’s failure. 

“‘TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,’ according to Pollsters,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

Trump’s name may not have been on the ballot, but his presence was felt as Democrats executed stunning victories in elections in Georgia and Virginia, where the ongoing government shutdown has significantly shaken the economy.

Plagued by seemingly endless electoral disaster, Trump turned his attention to something he could actually be proud of: his television ratings. 

“JUST OUT: The 60 Minutes interview of Donald J. Trump, on CBS, Sunday night, was the highest rated 60 Minutes IN YEARS!” Trump wrote. The president’s interview Sunday had been edited to exclude a lengthy rant he gave about his own apparent corruption. 

It seems that Trump then decided he had marching orders for embattled Republicans, writing: “REPUBLICANS, TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER! GET BACK TO PASSING LEGISLATION AND VOTER REFORM! President DJT”

“Pass Voter Reform, Voter ID, No Mail-In Ballots. Save our Supreme Court from ‘Packing,’ No Two State addition, etc. TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!!!” he wrote in another post. 

After spending weeks singularly blaming Democrats for the congressional stalemate over the ongoing government shutdown, Trump had turned to ordering Republicans to “INITIATE THE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION’” by axing the Senate filibuster. The directive adds monumental pressure on Republicans, who have previously fought to maintain the filibuster, which grants significant power to the Senate’s minority.

Trump wasn’t the only one having a hard time coping—MAGA Republicans had their own social media meltdown Tuesday.

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City Tuesday night—and MAGA Republicans are not OK.

Laura Loomer, the self-proclaimed “proud Islamaphobe” who sits at President Donald Trump’s right hand, ran to X to lament the spate of Muslim candidates running across the country.

“We have a major Islam problem in America,” Loomer wrote. “The GOP refuses to address it because the entire party is influenced by Qatar. The Islamic takeover of America is in full swing. NYC, Virginia and Minnesota all elected Jihadi Muslims tonight.”

Loomer was referring not only to Mamdani but to Ghazala Hashmi, who became the first Muslim woman to hold statewide office in the United States Tuesday when she was elected Virginia’s lieutenant governor, and Minnesota state Senator Omar Fateh, who was running for mayor of Minneapolis. (The Minneapolis mayor race had not been called at time of publication.)

“I don’t think Americans understand how dangerous and violent our country is going to become. It’s very sad to see,” Loomer wrote.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller had a characteristically ghoulish response to Mamdani’s victory: to blame immigrants. The mastermind behind Trump’s massive deportation scheme shared a screenshot on X showing statistics from New York City’s government website stating that 50 percent of New Yorkers live in a household with at least one immigrant family member.

If Tuesday night was a good night for Democrats, it was a bad night for MAGA Republican lawmakers—specifically the racist ones.

South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace, who has previously flung racist attacks at her fellow lawmaker Ilhan Omar, was quick to try out lame jokes. “Bread lines about to be a real thing in New York. Congrats,” she wrote on X.

Florida Representative Randy Fine, who had called for Mamdani’s deportation just hours earlier, bemoaned the imminent destruction of New York—and beyond.

“Legal immigrants who hate America elected a Communist Muslim Jihadist. New York City has fallen,” Fine wrote on X. “America is next if we don’t stop it.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson posted a lengthy screed on X warning the consequences of New York City’s mayoral election “will be felt across our entire nation.”

“House Democrats endorsed Mamdani’s dangerous policies—including defunding the police, seizing private property, and massive tax increases. Now, every House Democrat incumbent and candidate will co-own Mamdani’s disastrous record in the 2026 midterms,” Johnson said.

Florida Senator Rick Scott claimed that he would accept New Yorkers fleeing Mamdani’s terrifying socialist policy proposals, such as free buses and rent freezes. “Florida has welcomed those fleeing communist and socialist regimes for decades. Tonight is no different—Florida will welcome all freedom-loving New Yorkers!” he wrote on X.

And right-wing commentators also leapt to get a word in on where their party had failed on Election Day.

Sean Davis, the founder of right-wing rag The Federalist, wrote on X that Republicans needed to address that “mass immigration is destroying this country.” That post was then shared by conservative radio host Megyn Kelly.

Pizzagate guy Jack Posobiec shared a post on X complaining about conservatives who’d “would rather drag us all into a purity spiral instead of beating the communists and hordes of foreigners ransacking our country.”

Former Trump campaign adviser Alex Bruesewitz tried desperately to find a silver lining to Mamdani’s success, and wrote that it was time for betrayed centrist Democrats to “wake up and join the ranks of over ten million former Obama supporters who flipped the script and embraced MAGA.”

This story has been updated.

Zohran Mamdani will be the next mayor of New York City.

The 34-year-old democratic socialist won handily Tuesday, besting ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa in a historic bid for Gracie Mansion. Mamdani won 49.6 percent of the vote with 60.2 percent of ballots counted.

Cuomo had 41.6 percent, and Sliwa had just 7.9 percent.

Mamdani will be the 111th mayor in the city’s long history, but the first Muslim to assume the office.

His rise to the top of city politics has tested New York’s ability to accept its own diversity, sparking deep community reflections regarding faith, race, and political ideology. As a result, the Democratic underdog has fielded hate from both those in and outside of the city (and the party he represented on the ticket), all too often about his appearance rather than his plan for New York City.

Last month, Fox News opened its sit-down interview with Mamdani by grilling him about his take on the Israel-Palestine ceasefire, a foreign conflict he would have no control over as mayor. But even publications that have historically been friendly toward Democratic candidates have snubbed Mamdani’s candidacy. Legacy media outlets have been “weird” and “hostile” toward the Democratic candidate, reported Columbia Journalism Review.

Somehow, Mamdani didn’t need the positive press. In the final weeks of the race, Mamdani was everywhere. In an attempt to attract young voters and hard-to-reach communities, his staff organized a Hail Mary social media campaign. Mamdani held a town hall with social media influencers on TikTok, collabed on a beat with mobile music maker ari@home, and spent Halloween dancing at gay clubs in Bushwick.

His campaign tapped into festering concerns about New York City’s affordability, its housing crisis, and fears over ex–New Yorker Donald Trump’s unchallenged anti-immigration agenda.

In the end, Mamdani didn’t just win over New York’s public. He also managed to build critical ties with members of the national Democratic establishment, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, potentially paving the way for a bigger political future for Mamdani than the Big Apple.

Democrat Mikie Sherill has won the New Jersey governor’s race, in one of the first significant victories for Democrats after Trump’s election.

NBC called the race for Sherill on Tuesday night, leading by a margin of 14 percent, with 61.5 percent of votes reported.

Sherill, a Democratic congresswoman, will succeed current term-limited Democratic Governor Phil Murphy. She handily beat Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker who narrowly lost to Murphy in 2021.

The race was projected to be close, even coming down to single-digit margins. But Sherrill quickly swept to a sizable lead that she maintained as votes poured in.

Many were watching the race as a bellwether for where Democrats stand during the second Trump administration, and their potential to gain back ground in the 2026 midterms. Because of its symbolic significance, contributors on both sides of the aisle threw money at their chosen candidate: With close to $200 million spent in total, it was the most expensive race in New Jersey’s history. Sherill received more from small donors, but 80 percent of Ciattarrelli’s donors were New Jersey residents, compared with only about 56 percent of Sherill’s.

Sherill campaigned on combating Donald Trump’s attacks on the state’s federal funding, including his decision to pause money for the Gateway Tunnel project. She also pledged to freeze utility costs, appealing to voters’ economic anxieties.

Sherill’s win comes as a relief for Democrats: Traditionally a blue state, the gubernatorial race was a test of the durability of Jersey’s rightward swing during the presidential election.

Virginia state Senator Ghazala Hashmi was elected lieutenant governor Tuesday, becoming the first Muslim woman to hold statewide office in the United States.

Hashmi, a Democrat, was projected to defeat former right-wing talk show host John Reid, according to NBC News and Decision Desk HQ.

Hashmi has served as a state senator since 2019, when she became the first Indian American and first Muslim woman ever elected to the state legislature. The 61-year-old pledged Monday to fight against the “chaos of Washington and Donald Trump,” a promise that comes amid an ongoing government shutdown that has significantly shaken Virginia’s economy.

Virginians also elected their first female governor Tuesday, Abigail Spanberger. The Democratic candidate for attorney general, Jay Jones, is also projected to win, meaning Virginia will have a strong left-leaning team to stand against Trump.

Democrats made history in Georgia on Tuesday after flipping both statewide races for public service commissioner, the party’s first non-federal election victory in the state since 2006.

The state’s Public Service Commission deals with utilities, and it “has exclusive power to decide what are fair and reasonable rates for services under its jurisdiction.” Alicia Johnson defeated incumbent Tim Echols, winning 58 percent to his 41. And Peter Hubbard defeated Fitz Johnson 61 percent to 39 percent.

This victory, along with Abigail Spanberger’s gubernatorial win in Virginia, is a positive indicator for a future blue wave in the upcoming midterm elections.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval handily defeated Vice President JD Vance’s half-brother Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

Pureval, a Democrat, trounced Cory Bowman, securing an early and humiliating lead over the Republican challenger. The final vote tally found that Purevan won 78 percent of the vote, with 51,698 votes, while Bowman seized a meager 14,383 votes, totalling just 22 percent, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

This race was called early in the night after an initial vote tally found that Pureval had won 12,694 votes, compared to Bowman’s 2,835. Pureval was first elected to office in 2021.

Vance previously endorsed his half-brother’s campaign ahead of the mayoral primary in May, with just hours left before the polls closed. “He’s a good guy with a heart for serving his community. Get out there and vote for him!” Vance wrote on X.

The vice president made no effort to plug his sibling’s campaign this time around, but posted instead in support of New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli.

This story has been updated.

Former Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears Tuesday by a margin of nine percentage points to become the next governor of Virginia. Spanberger will be the first ever female governor of the Commonwealth.

Spanberger ran a more centrist campaign centered around protecting reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, affordability, and education, while Earle-Sears’s campaign was marked by an unhinged, hard-right conservatism that doubled down on many of the culture-war issues that former Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin and President Donald Trump have pushed.

Trump had also pushed hard against voting for Spanberger in the days leading up to the election. He regularly took to Truth Social to warn without evidence that voting for her would result in things such as “transgender for everybody,” increased crime rates, and increased energy costs.

Exit polls showed Spanberger winning 45 percent of men and 61 percent of women in Virginia. Along ethnic lines, she won 45 percent of white people, 64 percent of Latinos, and a whopping 90 percent of Virginia’s Black voters.

Spanberger’s historic victory in Virginia may very well serve as a bellwether for some kind of blue wave in the upcoming midterm elections.

“My fellow Virginians, tonight we sent a message,” Spanberger told the crowd at her victory rally. “That in 2025, Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship. We chose our Commonwealth over chaos.”

This story has been updated.