Election sweep could rejuvenate embattled US Democrats

Progressive Democrat Zohran Mamdani won New York City's mayoral race by a landslide while Democrats also secured decisive victories in the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia. This comes at a time when Democrats control neither chamber of Congress and were defeated by President Donald Trump in last year's presidential elections.

It also comes at a time when the party's popularity stands  at record lows, with 75 percent of Americans saying they feel "frustrated" with the Democratic Party, according to the Pew Research Center.

 Indeed, some analysts believe Tuesday's sweep could rejuvenate the beleaguered Democrats, especially since Trump has failed to deliver on his campaign promises to fix the inflation problem that took hold during the previous administration.

Voters are disappointed that Trump's policies have not eased the historically high prices in food and rent, while homeownership remains out of reach due to soaring prices and high interest rates.

In sharp contrast to  Trump's current focus on immigration, all three Democratic candidates focused on issues such as high prices in the supermarket, as well as the surging costs of healthcare and energy.

 Meanwhile, many voters in Virginia, where Democrat Abigail Spanberger clinched Tuesday's gubernatorial race, have soured on Trump.

That is because the state borders Washington, and many Virginia residents commute to the nation's capital to work at federal government jobs.

Many blame Trump for the current government shutdown, which has hit government employees' wallets hard.

"The Democratic victories were significant," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua. "Both Virginia and New Jersey had governors with very impressive double-digit wins."

"Affordability concerns were the big reason for the Democratic gains. Inflation in food, housing, and electric rates is a major worry for voters and a serious problem for President Trump," West said.

 Clay Ramsay, a researcher at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, told Xinhua: "Everyone in politics can see that affordability is the broadest overarching issue with the public now. Trump won it in 2024. Mamdani won New York City on it in 2025."

"Trump is trying it his way: tariffs, leading to renewed U.S. manufacturing, leading to more people with jobs. Mamdani will try it with city-based measures aimed at food, transport and child care. These are both theories," Ramsay said.

"Lots of folks voted for Trump expecting lower gas and grocery prices. Instead, prices aren't really any better than they were a year ago," Christopher Galdieri, a political science professor at Saint Anselm College in the northeastern state of New Hampshire, told Xinhua.

 However, Mamdani, who won the New York mayoral race, is a controversial figure in the Democratic Party for his progressive policies, as Democrats try to move toward the center. Centrist lawmakers representing competitive districts kept their distance from Mamdani, criticizing his policies as impractical or misaligned with the party, or choosing not to offer their endorsement.

After months of hesitation, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the lower chamber, endorsed Mamdani, but said he did not believe Mamdani was the "future of the Democratic Party."

 Former President Barack Obama, however, called Mamdani on Saturday, just days before election day -- praising his campaign and offering to be a "sounding board" in the future.

Moreover, it remains unknown how patient voters will be with the Democrats who swept the elections on Tuesday, at a time when voters are impatient with high prices for food, rent and mortgages.

It may take some time to deliver on economic promises, and there are no guarantees, experts noted.