Copyright The Boston Globe
The battle for the Democratic party’s soul Two self-styled moderates won open governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia. A far more liberal Democratic socialist became New York City’s newest mayor, and, possibly, its biggest political story. So what’s the big takeaway for Democrats trying to figure out how to win again in next year’s midterms and after that? Let the (self-serving) debate begin. Heading into Election Day, the Democratic Party has rarely been more adrift. There was no clear leader. Polling was at record lows. And much of the problem was internal, Democrats themselves have lost faith their leaders had any idea what they were doing. How messy is it? Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New Yorker, refused to endorse his own state’s Democratic nominee, Zohran Mamdani, even as fellow New Yorker, Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic Leader and Barack Obama backed him in the final stretch. Heading into next year’s midterms, Democrats are desperate for feedback from actual voters. Should they run candidates who excite progressives? Or ones who appeal to moderates? None of these places — not New York, not Virginia, not New Jersey — perfectly reflects what works in Iowa, Texas, or Michigan. But they’re the best early clues anyone has. The results didn’t settle the argument. They deepened it. Still, there was one common thread across all three marquee races: every Democrat ran on affordability and they ran opposing Donald Trump. Republicans mostly focused on cultural fights or tried to tiptoe around Trump. If the price crunch doesn’t ease soon, the Democrats’ focus on affordability — no matter their ideology — could be their best bet in 2026. Trump is checked out as the Republican leader Here’s a fact: Donald Trump did more to help Andrew Cuomo — the Democrat-turned-independent running for New York mayor — than he did for Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee for governor of Virginia. In the final hours, Trump posted three times on social media and even urged a Cuomo vote - backhanded as it was - during his 60 Minutes appearance. Yet when he hosted a get-out-the-vote call for Virginia Republicans, he never mentioned Earle-Sears once. In a conference call for the New Jersey race, Trump mentioned Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Citattrelli. However, as the race tightened there over a month ago, Republicans dumped a few million in the race and Democrats countered, so it became awash. From the outset, New Jersey race was fascinating for three reasons: Trump is deeply unpopular there. Outgoing Democratic Governor Phil Murphy is just as unpopular. Trump made unusual gains there in 2024 — enough to make professionals in both parties pay attention. But this year, even as Obama showed up to motivate Democrats, Trump barely lifted a finger for Republicans. Remember Trump is sitting on close to a billion dollars in campaign funds, the Democratic candidate, now governor-elect Mikie Sherrill didn’t close well, and Trump could have funded real opposition. Further Trump held no rallies even in GOP strongholds like Ocean County, where he won 67 percent of the vote last year. There was no summer fundraiser at Bedminster. No sign he cared. Republicans had a real shot to flip New Jersey. A win there could have blunted all the Democratic glow from Tuesday’s returns. Instead, Trump spent the final weeks focused on his meeting with Chinese President Xi and building his White House ballroom. Trump was checked out. And the question now is how much he’ll reengage in the midterms, aside from meddling in Republican primaries. The comeback of Gavin Newsom A year ago, Gavin Newsom looked finished. His fellow native Bay Area Democrat, Kamala Harris, might have been elected president effectively blocking his path to the White House. But that was then. Harris lost. She’s now polling fourth in New Hampshire for 2028 and struggling to sell books on tour. Meanwhile -- partly due to Harris’ fall -- no major American politician had a better 2025 than Newsom. He’s become Trump’s sharpest foil, and his risky — and successful — push to change California’s redistricting process gave Democrats a reason to rally behind him. Importantly, he did it by uniting factions that rarely share work in unison -- from the Clintons to Obama to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In the process, he revived his fundraising network, pulling in tens of millions of dollars he could easily tap again if he decides to run for president. Newsom may not end up as the 2028 Democratic nominee. But thanks to Tuesday night, he’s officially back in the game. James Pindell is a Globe political reporter who reports and analyzes American politics, especially in New England.
