Election Night in America: What did this Election Tell Us?
- Katey Parham
- Nov 22
- 3 min read
There were important elections across America on November 4th, 2025. I’ve compiled some of the races I was watching across the country and what that means for Democrats going forward.
All in all, I would say it was a good night for Democrats, but we cannot get complacent. We should reflect on the successes of these campaigns (which I have briefly done here) and how we can carry these insights and energy into 2026.
I do want to take a moment to note that THERE ARE STILL ELECTIONS HAPPENING THIS YEAR! My friend Rep. Aftyn Behn is running for US Congress in Tennessee. Her election is on December 2nd, 2025. If you have the opportunity to get involved in her race, please do so because every vote in the US House of Representatives matters.
New Jersey Gubernatorial - Mikie Sherrill
Mikie Sherrill won the New Jersey gubernatorial race and has over-performed compared to the last 2 statewide elections. For some historical context, Phil Murphy won in 2021 51.2% to 48%, and VP Kamala Harris in 2024 won 52% to 46.1%. As of the time I am writing this, she was winning 56.2% to 43.2%.
Mikie Sherrill ran not only a race in contrast to Trump, but she also included an economic platform that resonated among everyday Americans: she ran on affordability. When writing this, I scrolled through her social media and read through her website, and it was crystal clear she was focused on lowering costs and making New Jersey more affordable.
I really want to emphasize the focus on kitchen-table issues (issues that impact people daily) as a winning strategy. Donald Trump, whether we like it or not, preyed on the fears and struggles of everyday people — including rising costs. Throughout the 2024 cycle, he campaigned on lowering costs on Day 1 (which we all know hasn’t happened). Unlike Donald Trump, Democrats, including Mikie Sherrill, have the votes and policies to back up an economic agenda focused on affordability. Mikie Sherrill didn’t turn away from social issues, but she seemingly spent a majority of her time (at least online) messaging on affordability.
Virginia- House of Delegates
Abigail Spanberger has made history in Virginia and will become the first female governor of the state! This was an important race to follow, but what is really interesting (and telling) as we head into 2026 is the House of Delegates race. Some background: The House of Delegates in Virginia has 100 members, and they are elected every 2 years. However, these elections occur during the “off-year,” so the last election occurred in 2023. In 2023, Democrats were able to flip the House of Delegates gaining a 51-49 majority, so this widening margin in 2025 is an optimistic sign as we head into a consequential 2026 election cycle. In 2025, Democrats were able to pick up at least 10 seats (live results are here). This is a continuation of the pattern we saw earlier this year where Democrats are over-performing past election results (i.e. Josh Weil over-performed by 9+ points in Florida’s 6th Congressional District). As we head into 2026, we need to continue this energy and learn from what messaging was effective up and down the ballot (particularly in the districts we flipped!).
New York City Mayoral Race-
ZOHRAN MAMDANI WON! This was not only a widely followed race — especially for those of us that are chronically online, but this was also a very innovative campaign. From using a creative digital strategy to bold branding, we should all take note!
He focused on affordability- His message was different than Mikie Sherrill’s, but freezing the rent and making buses free are all addressing the affordability crisis in New York City. This is a great example of how the affordability message can be adapted to a different political environment.
He had an innovative digital strategy- The innovation of his digital strategy cannot be overstated. From his effective collaboration with content creators to Gabriella Zutrau’s use of Manychat to convert Mamdani’s social media fame into offline action, the Mamdani campaign set the blueprint for future digital programs.
He made politics fun!- From a scavenger hunt to a bar crawl, he made it fun for people to engage in politics. He created events and showed up where young people are, and I would love to see more politicians bring the fun and joy back into politics. In other words, his campaign created an online and offline community, so in addition to policy, campaigns should create opportunities for people to build community with one another.
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