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But there was another US election – one you may not have followed - which is far more worrying for Donald Trump. Benedict Brook in New YorkUS Correspondent November 7, 2025 - 4:25PM Share via Email Share on Facebook Share on Whatsapp Écoutez cet article Copied URL to clipboard theaustralian.com.au WSJ Opinion: What’s Next for Trump and the GOP After Democrats Win on Election Day? Democrats win races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, exceeding expectations and sending a warning sign to Donald Trump and... All eyes were on New York on Tuesday when Zohran Mamdani swept to victory to become the city’s next mayor. Prior to polling day, Donald Trump had implored – nay demanded – New Yorkers not to vote for the Democrat Socialist. New Yorkers paid little attention. Mr Mamdani’s victory was resounding. Although, it’s not a hugely surprising result that a city which has always been progressive lurched left. The focus on New York, however, has taken attention away from another election. And that one is far more concerning for the White House. One data analyst has said it shows a significant number of potential Republican voters are now “deeply uncomfortable with Trump”. Copied URL to clipboard Candidate Surprised by Army Son on Eve of NJ Election Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican candidate for governor of New Jersey, had a... In New Jersey, the governorship was up for grabs. The state, which in parts is essentially a dormitory suburb of New York City, had been steadily moving Republican. A year ago, Mr Trump came within 6 percentage points of snatching the state from Kamala Harris. Of all the nationwide US elections last week, this was the Republicans’ best hope. There was a real chance that Jack Ciattarelli could snare the governor’s mansion from the Republicans. After all, he had become within a whisker of doing just that in 2021’s governor election. Democrat Zohran Mamdani had a stunning win, but it's the Democrats’ win in New Jersey which will worry Republicans more. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File) This was how the story was supposed to go: enough people in New Jersey, less progressive than those New Yorkers just over the Hudson River, would embrace Donald Trump’s law and order and tough on immigration policies, would celebrate his demonisation of diversity and the “radical Left”, and would continue the “America First” march towards MAGA. But the story had a twist: The Democrats’ Mikie Sherrill won in New Jersey. And it wasn’t even close. She won bigly. Ms Sherrill, a former naval officer, took 56.3 per cent of the vote to Mr Ciattarelli’s 43 per cent. New Jersey Democratic Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill. (Photo by EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) Defeated New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli. (Photo by KENA BETANCUR / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) ‘A disaster’ Republicans might be able to shrug off New York City, but not New Jersey State. If New Jersey can swing back to the Democrats, then so can Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota – all of which were key to Mr Trump’s election victory. On Wednesday, Mr Trump said he had not expected wins in New York City, nor in the other governor’s race in Virginia. But there were hopes New Jersey would be a win or, if nothing else, would show the Republicans closing in. “Last night was a disaster,” Republican Senator Ted Cruz told Fox News bluntly on Wednesday. “It was an electoral blowout. The left showed up in big numbers last night, and common sense conservatives did not. “If that happens a year from now, we face disaster in the midterms”. The Democrats won in a New Jersey landslide. Picture: NBC. Why Trump thinks the losses happened Donald Trump had his own thoughts on the losses. Reason one, he opined, was the shutdown. Which appeared to be an acknowledgment that efforts to characterise it as a “Democrat shutdown” are not resonating with swing voters. Reason two: “TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT,” said Mr Trump, all in caps and referring to himself in the third person. True, Mr Trump’s name was not on the ballot, but the Republicans have a problem if the only way they can get enough people to vote for their party is if his name is literally printed on the paper. As former House Speaker and Republican elder Newt Gingrich told Fox News, Mr Trump’s grouching “does not solve anything for Republicans”. “His name is not going to be on the ballot in 2026 or 2028 either. If Republicans do not learn how to connect with, motivate and turn out more Americans, we are in for a huge Democratic comeback in the next election”. The New York skyline as seen from the major New Jersey city of Newark. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) ‘Double, triple MAGA’ Online, many MAGA commentators have suggested the problem in New Jersey was the candidate wasn’t MAGA enough. One of those people is former Trump strategist Steve Bannon. That's the guy who has said Mr Trump should defy the constitution and run for a third term and that moves should be made to deport Mr Mamdani following his election win. To avoid a drubbing at 2026’s midterm elections, he told US political website Politico, “It’s going to be very simple: You’re either with MAGA or you’re not”. “You double and triple down with Trump. If you’re not prepared to do that, you’re going to get smoked, because you’re not going to see Trump voters come out, like in Virginia, just like in New Jersey.” It was not a great election for US President Donald Trump. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) But the data coming out of New Jersey doesn’t suggest that would be a path to Republican redemption. An NBC poll of voters in New Jersey found 55 per cent disapproved of Mr Trump’s presidency. The biggest issue was cost of living – that’s despite Mr Trump continually saying he’s essentially solved that problem. Clearly voters aren’t buying it. Besides, Mr Ciattarelli made sure MAGA talking points were part of his pitch. He mused that when he mentioned bringing back plastic bags, a MAGA hot topic, he got more of a reception at rallies than if he mentioned cutting taxes. He railed at “open borders,” slammed transgender athletes and campaigned with very right wing personalities. But he seemingly confused sentiment at rallies for sentiment at polling stations. Senator Ted Cruz says Republicans need to appeal to more “common sense conservatives”. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.) Steve Bannon says candidates need to triple down on MAGA. (Photo by Shannon Finney/Getty Images for Semafor) ‘Deeply uncomfortable with Trump’ Ms Sherrill, who will become New Jersey’s new governor, is no Zohran Mamdani. She is centrist and establishment. And in New Jersey that appeared to resonate. NBC election analyst Steve Kornacki, the US version of Antony Green, said the concern for the Republicans will be “the Sherrill landslide has potential ramifications that extend well beyond the borders of New Jersey”. She triumphed, for instance, in well-off suburbs and commuter towns. “These are traditionally Republican areas populated with college-educated, white-collar professionals who are deeply uncomfortable with Trump,” he said. “Their verdict was decisive: They wanted to vote against the party of Trump.” The destruction of the East Wing of the White House has not helped people make ends meet. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) Then there were Hispanic voters. Many moved towards Mr Trump for the election. But in New Jersey that group swung straight back to the Democrats seemingly alarmed at the White House’s zeal for deportations contrary to Mr Trump’s insistence they would only go after the “worst of the worst”. Republican politicians in New Jersey have also cited Mr Trump’s destruction of the White House’s east wing as a reason for the party’s drubbing. It may not affect New Jersey directly but it suggests the US president is having fun elsewhere when people have bills to pay. And his threat to scrap infrastructure projects in New York – to punish that city – but which impact people in New Jersey as many work in Manhattan. More Coverage ‘Disaster’: Trump says he’ll cut off New York Benedict Brook in New York with Bianca Soldani ‘Bad start’: Trump warns new mayor Benedict Brook in the US and Brielle Burns Ted Cruz’s warning that “common sense conservatives” weren’t voting will weigh on party strategists fearful that however much Mr Trump’s actions may excite MAGA, other Republicans are reviled. While Mr Mamdani’s win in New York may be getting all the headlines, Jack Ciattarelli’s loss just a few kilometres away may be the real warning sign for the Republicans. The party has exactly 12 months to work out what to do before the crucial midterm elections in November 2026. Read related topics:Donald Trump More related stories US Politics US strike kills three in Caribbean The US military has conducted another strike in the Caribbean under Trump’s orders, killing three people, according to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. US Politics Wall St panic, $58 trillion ‘heart attack’ hits Wall St is in turmoil and the global economy is shaken as a very uncomfortable truth about the US comes to light. US Politics World’s first trillionaire made in wild scenes We may soon see the world’s first trillionaire after shareholders approved a massive pay package for their CEO. Follow our live coverage. Registration In The Know Quiz Newsletters Competitions Welcome to news.com.au Code of Conduct Help and Support General Feedback Advertise with us Standards of Practice Licensing & Reprints Our News Network The Daily Telegraph The Courier Mail Our Partners realestate.com.au CODE Sports A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites. 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