Copyright inquisitr
The political allegiance in Virginia shifted heavily for the Democrats in a blue wave. After a bruising election night for Republicans across Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City, longtime GOP pollster Frank Luntz offered a blunt verdict using undeniable statistics, writing: “Every single county in Virginia shifted blueward tonight.” It wasn’t an exaggeration. It was a warning. Abigail Spanberger, the former congresswoman who has built a reputation for being steady and pragmatic, won Virginia’s governor’s race against Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by about 13 points, according to the Associated Press. The result was decisive, but the real story, as Luntz pointed out, was how far the numbers moved. Even in counties that stayed red, Democrats saw noticeable gains that should worry the GOP. In Salem County, Earle-Sears still held on, yet Democrats improved their share of the vote by nearly seven percentage points compared with prior years. In Portsmouth County, Spanberger’s margin soared to 47 percent, an 8-point shift to the left. And in Prince William County, a key bellwether, the Democratic advantage jumped by 16 points. That’s not a blip, but a statewide pattern that is seemingly a backlash to Trump’s policies. Luntz shared a detailed breakdown on X that quickly spread across political circles. His tone was clinical, but the implication wasn’t a subtle message to Republicans that something big had changed. Every single county in Virginia shifted blueward tonight: https://t.co/DxQBWaCAu3 https://t.co/grPERJjC7B pic.twitter.com/VhT0Jy0lNs — Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) November 5, 2025 Democrats, meanwhile, aren’t pretending this was business as usual. Beyond Spanberger’s win, they expanded their control in the Virginia House of Delegates, now holding 64 seats to the Republicans’ 36. The trifecta gives them the power to redraw district lines and reshape state politics in a way that could ripple far beyond Virginia. And the trend stretched beyond the state’s borders. In New Jersey, Rep. Mikie Sherrill claimed the governor’s mansion in a double-digit victory over Republican Jack Ciattarelli, while in New York City, Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani cruised to a historic win as one of the most progressive mayors the city has ever elected. CNN and ABC called both races early, and Democratic strategists were already celebrating what they called a clear shift in voter energy. For Republicans, the results was a gut check. The big blue wave sent a message to conservative media circles, triggering the usual arguments over whether the problem was turnout, messaging, or simply Trump fatigue. Some party operatives blamed the obsession with cultural fights, school boards, immigration, and “woke” debates that failed to translate into votes. Others admitted that Democrats had better ground games, stronger local organizing, and sharper messages on cost of living and public safety. Luntz’s analysis showing how “every county went blue” in the election captures the scale of what happened. It wasn’t just one city or one region; it was everywhere. Republicans can’t pin it on one candidate or campaign but rather, it looks like the map itself is evolving, with suburbs drifting left, rural areas softening, and independents swinging back to blue. For now, Democrats are savoring their wins and Republicans are doing some reflecting, and Frank Luntz’s data dump has become one of the post-election ghost haunting GOP strategy calls. If this is what the next cycle looks like, Republicans won’t just need better candidates; they’ll need a new playbook.
