For the majority of Americans, this post-Halloween week was uneventful and insignificant. Yet, for individuals in New York and Virginia, Tuesday was notable; millions of voters submitted ballots after a long first year of a second Trump presidency. These are the key takeaways to consider regarding the 2025 election.
Wait, There were 2025 Elections? Understanding Off-Year Elections
2024 was a presidential election, given monumental importance as the world watched to find out who would be America’s next leader. 2026 will be midterms – the decisive midpoint between presidential elections, when Congress has the opportunity to flip party control. 2025 is neither.
As an off-year election year, 2025 only had a handful of races. Most elections will occur next year during the midterm cycle; off-year elections are traditionally forgettable since their outcomes affect few people. Despite this, these off-year races proved to be especially important: after a full year of Donald Trump’s second term, it is the first litmus test to predict the 2026 and 2028 elections.
Regardless of the outcomes, most Americans will see little direct change from the off-year elections unless they live in one of the selected states overseeing a race. Yet, the public is paying attention since 2025’s result will give context for the future of Republicans, Democrats, and third parties.
For individuals living between states of fear and anxiety due to Donald Trump’s second term, use these key takeaways to inspire hope and faith that life will move forward.
Zohran Mamdani Becomes NYC Mayor
Donald Trump has spent months insulting Zohran Mamdani, threatening to illegally arrest and deport him if he successfully won the New York City mayorship. In the midst of Trump’s undemocratic military actions against American cities, Trump has sworn to defund NYC upon Mamdani’s victory.
Compared to every other race in this election, Mamdani’s was the most visible. In part, Trump’s ire gave Mamdani media attention he may not have otherwise achieved – when the majority of Americans disapprove of Trump, being Trump’s enemy can win voters over.
Zohran Mamdani officially ran with the Democratic Party, although he self-identifies with the Democratic Socialists of America. Mamdani’s win proves that Democrats need to shift left rather than continue to push the center.
The 2024 presidential election was filled with lukewarm Democrats like Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Nancy Pelosi, who could not sway voters exhausted of the status quo. Until now, Democrats have pushed away self-aligned socialists like Bernie Sanders and AOC because they’re “too radical” – but 2025 might be the proof needed to push them into being the working class’s party again.
Notably, Mamdani will also become New York City’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor. At the time of this article’s publication, Mamdani has achieved 50.4% of the votes – which totals to 1,036,000 votes. He decisively beat the previous New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, who left office in 2021 following numerous sexual misconduct allegations. Cuomo is a traditional Democrat centrist, forced to run Independent when he lost party favor to Mamdani.
There are two key points regarding Mamdani’s mayoral victory:
- Firstly, Zohran Mamdani’s ascent to mayor of NYC is a strong step towards a left Democratic Party. Media outlets like NPR, Politico, and Time Magazine are already calling Cuomo’s defeat the end of the previous era due to the signaled lack of support his peers now have amongst the public. New York City voted for a self-identified socialist; America is finally ready for a change that old-school Democrats like Cuomo can’t provide.
- While Mamdani’s win is overall good, it is worth appreciating that Cuomo managed to achieve 41.6% of the vote as an Independent. Cuomo lacked the backing of either major party, but collected over 800,000 votes across the city. In the American electoral system, near-wins by third-party candidates like Cuomo are virtually impossible.
Spanberger and Sherrill Lead a Blue Wave for Governorships
Abigail Spanberger achieved 57.2% of the vote in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, becoming the state’s first female governor. Along with Mamdani’s win in NYC and Mikie Sherrill’s victory for New Jersey governor, Democrats made a clean sweep along the East Coast.
Most would assume Virginia is a strong conservative state – but Spanberger won with a larger gap than Mamdani and Cuomo. She is set to succeed Glenn Youngkin, the previous Republican governor who is considered a possible contender for the 2028 presidency. Nearly single Virginia county shifted left compared to last year’s elections.
As mentioned previously, Tuesday was considered the first test for the GOP after the 2024 election. With Democrats winning in key elections, Donald Trump has even admitted that the GOP failed Tuesday. The GOP must reassess strategies to sway voters by the midterms next year; if they continue on their current trajectory, the GOP will lose both Congress during the midterm elections and the next presidency.
California’s Prop 50: Gerrymandering or Strategic Countermove?
On the other side of the country, California voters cast ballots regarding Proposition 50. Propositions refer to California referendums or initiatives decided entirely by the direct vote of the public. Prop 50, specifically, centers on the temporary suspension of district maps previously drawn by independent parties to use gerrymandered districts for Democratic favor.
Californian voters have sided with Prop 50, to the dismay of CA Republicans. It is critical to remember that Prop 50’s redistricting is temporary; it has a set expiration date when districting will return to nonpartisan groups. Voters also signed up for this – unlike other states undergoing redistricting, California voters were allowed to decline Prop 50 in favor of fair voting practices.
While Republicans bellyache over the undemocratic and unconstitutional nature of gerrymandering, Prop 50 is the direct response to states like Texas, which began redistricting before California at Donald Trump’s request to rig the 2026 election by flipping additional seats towards the GOP.
California Republicans have already stated they plan to sue Prop 50 for violating the 14th and 15th Amendments. Yet, in reality, Democrats likely agree with this sentiment and welcome such lawsuits – since those very lawsuits would also tear down the unconstitutional redistricting occurring in conservative states.
Currently, California is the only Democratic state to propose redistricting. While most voters believe gerrymandering is wrong and undemocratic, the GOP has used party loyalty to blur their values. On its own, California cannot fully counteract Republican redistricting by 2026 – but they don’t necessarily need to. With the 2025 election completed, the rigging by the GOP may not be enough to keep their advantage during midterms.
Mississippi Election Breaks a 13-Year GOP Supermajority
The final takeaway from the 2025 off-year elections centers in the Deep South, where Mississippi managed to break a 13-year-long supermajority.
Similar to Georgia, Mississippi is assumed to be a strong Republican state where Democrats have zero chance of creating meaningful change. Yet, Georgia surprised the world in 2020 by voting for Joe Biden over Donald Trump – causing a spark of outrage amongst conservatives who cried fake news and voter fraud since it was so unbelievable that Georgia could vote left.
Mississippi still maintains a conservative majority, but the recent election allowed Democrats to flip three GOP seats. While most bills are passed with a simple majority vote, there are some circumstances that require a two-thirds vote that the Georgia GOP can no longer force without Democrat support. Overall, Americans want change – which should give us faith that we can survive.
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