We have finally brought our heads above water. And we can finally stop holding our breaths. Americans have woken up and decided not to suffer in silence. Because we can now see that the “Trump Era” has only been characterized by chaos and destruction, and most importantly, discrimination, indifference, and hatred towards our fellow Americans. Americans are not blind to what’s happening; we can see what’s going on.
We see our president punishing his enemies and rewarding his followers, we see our president silencing the right to free speech and press, we see the national guard being deployed to our cities, we see our federal agencies being dismantled and gutted from the inside out, and we see immigrants being chased down streets and body slammed to the ground in broad daylight by officers who can’t even give the American public the human decency of showing them their faces.
We see our president giving tax cuts to the wealthy and raising taxes on everyday Americans; we see Republicans refusing to negotiate with Democrats on what the budget should be for federal agencies and providing affordable healthcare to Americans.
Then Ruby Simmons, a prolific writer and good Samaritan, expressed why Americans started to side with Democrats during these recent elections.
“Americans also don’t like the way Trump is deploying the National Guard to mostly democratic cities and pardoning all of the Jan. 6 criminals, even those who pleaded guilty. The people don’t like who he chose to run these different government agencies, as well, because he chose them not because he respected them, but because he thought that he could manipulate them. Additionally, he vindictively persecutes his enemies. Lastly, he campaigned on Making America Great Again but he’s dismantling democracy,” Ruby Simmons said.
And most recently, we have seen our president give $20 billion to Argentina because he recognized that they needed help. But then he, in turn, refused to feed Americans by asking the Supreme Court to allow him not to provide the funding that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) needed through the government shutdown, ripping away benefits that almost 42 million people rely on and inadvertently starving the American people. Also, according to PBS, in 2023, nearly 80% of the households that relied on SNAP benefits included a child, an elderly person, or a non-elderly person with a disability.
But in spite of how our president is trying to make life harder for us, we are using our voices and standing up to fight for what we believe in. And we showed that by practicing our constitutional right to vote on Nov. 4. Because during the most recent election, Democrats won up and down the ballot, from coast to coast, from statewide to single-issue elections. It’s also important to note that Democrats did not just rebound; they dominated. This series of wins revitalized not only the spirit but the drive of the Democratic Party. Furthermore, we achieved these wins by connecting with Americans. We brought the issues that they care about to the forefront, and right now, the number one issue among voters is the cost of living.
Ruby Simmons also went on to further explain why the cost of living was the most important issue for voters.
“Affordability was the main issue because people can’t afford things like groceries, gas, and rent. Inflation is rising faster than their salaries, and people are losing their homes and their cars because they can’t make their payments on time,” Ruby Simmons said.
“Also, most of the Republicans that are making these laws and regulations are very rich and are disconnected from the people that are less fortunate, their almost ‘tone deaf’. It’s also sad that even though Trump was taking food away from even his supporters, his own Republican base that relies on these SNAP benefits, they still voted for him,” Ruby Simmons said.
Lacy Simmons, an army veteran, wanted to share his insight on the current state of America as well.
Governor’s Race in Virginia
Firstly, on Nov. 4, Democrat Abigail Spanberger was declared to be the next Governor of Virginia, becoming the first woman to ever hold this position in Virginia. And what was also so amazing about Governor – elect Spanberger’s win was the fact that it was not even close. She defeated her opponent by 15 points and won about 57.3% of the votes, which is hard to do in today’s deeply divided society.
On top of that, Democrat Ghazala Hashmi has been chosen to become the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, becoming the first Muslim woman to do so, and Democrat Jay Jones has become the Attorney General of Virginia, becoming the African – American to accomplish that as well.
Jay Jones’s win was also particularly of note because he was able to overcome controversy and still win his election for attorney general. Americans were able to put their differences with him aside and recognize the fact that a Democrat needed to hold this position to try and counteract Donald Trump’s destructive and divisive agenda.
Additionally, this election in Virginia served as one of the major ways we could tell what the American response was to Trump’s policies.
Governor – elect Abigail Spanberger was also backed by national Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, who publicly advocated for her on numerous occasions. Former President Obama attested to her character and ensured Virginians, and Americans as a whole, that she was fighting for them, that she cared. This endorsement undoubtedly helped her campaign and boosted her credibility and reputation.
This win was also consequential because Democrats need momentum to flip the House of Representatives in 2026, which is the ultimate end goal, and what needs to be done in order to get our country back on track towards progress.
According to NPR, Virginia is also home to over 320,000 federal workers, and Governor – elect Abigail Spanberger described the mass layoffs of federal workers by the Trump Administration as an attack on Virginia’s economy. The theme of her campaign was “affordability” as well, and one of her main points was that Trump is raising the cost of living by implementing his extensive tariffs.
Governor’s Race in New Jersey
On Nov. 4, Democrat Mikie Sherrill was also declared to be the next Governor of New Jersey, becoming the first Democratic woman to ever reach this high of a position in New Jersey. This was the second major win for Democrats in just one night, and American voters were already exceeding perceived expectations.
Political strategists also thought that this race would be close. But Governor – elect Mikie Sherrill blew her opponent out of the water and achieved a double – point victory, gaining 56.6% of the votes.
Additionally, this election was historic because this is the first time since the 1960s that New Jersey has elected a governor from the same party three terms in a row. This reveals how strong New Jerseyans’ commitment and trust in the Democratic Party is. And I assure you that Governor – elect Sherrill will work every day of her governorship to prove to you that your faith here was worth it because she was elected by and for the people.
Moreover, in her campaign, the most prominent issues she addressed were the high cost of living and property taxes, tying in to a current theme we are seeing in recent elections.
Ruby Simmons also conveyed what she thought about Mikie Sherrill’s blowout win in New Jersey.
“Mikie Sherrill swore allegiance at a young age to follow the American Constitution, and she ran in this election because she saw that Trump was dismantling the U.S. government. She wanted to speak up and stated, ‘If not me, then who?’ Ruby Simmons said.
“The Republicans in the House and Senate are also supposed to check the executive branch, but instead they are letting him run wild and essentially control all three branches, which is not what is written in our Constitution. She wants to change this, and she’s starting with her state,” Ruby Simmons said.
Mayor’s Race in New York City
On Nov. 4, Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani was declared to be the Mayor of New York City, becoming the first Muslim, Ugandan – born man of South Asian descent to become Mayor of New York City. He also became the youngest person to hold this position in over a century.
Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani also described his win as “Toppling a political dynasty” in his powerful and impassioned victory speech. Additionally, what makes his win so amazing is that he became one of America’s most popular and polarizing politicians almost overnight because just recently, he was a nobody, and now he is the mayor of New York City. For instance, he won June’s Democratic primary by 12 percentage points, showing just how charismatic he is and how much his words struck a chord with people.
Not to mention the substantial impact he had on young people specifically. For instance, he gained record early voter turnout from younger voters, with them making up 20% of the vote. What’s more is that according to Gothamist, 735,317 voters casted their ballots during early voting periods, which is five times the amount of early votes that were cast in 2021. In addition to that, more than 2 million votes were cast in this mayoral election, which is the highest it has been in New York City since 1969.
Moreover, I believe that this record early voter turnout from young voters was largely because they felt like they could finally connect with a political candidate and found someone whom they could identify with. And this is extraordinary because young Americans today are some of the people who feel the most disconnected from American politics. So, to be able to capture their attention and more importantly, influence them to vote, is something incredible, and unlike anything we’ve seen from the Democratic Party lately. And this voting demographic had been so hard to win over that we thought we had lost them completely. But Mamdani is proving that it is achievable and that we can get through to younger voters.
Marisa Nelson (12), a young voter who was losing hope for America, explained why she thinks that Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani connects so much with younger voters.
What’s more is that Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani stated that “Hope is alive!” when addressing the struggles of working class New Yorkers, whom he has been actively fighting for and aiming to represent during his campaign. Additionally, he promises to make the city’s bus fare free, freeze stabilized rents, which would prevent Landlords from increasing their rent on residential property, provide universal child care, and increase the minimum wage by 2030. Another main theme of his campaign is lowering the cost of living for New Yorkers and raising taxes on big corporations and the wealthy 1%.
Anyways, I think that Mamdani’s most compelling quote was when he addressed Donald Trump directly as if he was watching his televised speech and told him to “Turn the volume UP!” I mean, this speech completely transcended all of my expectations and was utterly inspirational, particularly as a young Democrat.
Furthermore, his bold and direct tone and absolute confidence spoke to me. And honestly, I think that it’s what we need to see more of from the Democratic Party. It’s not the time to sugarcoat, it’s not the time to concede, it’s not the time to be in the “middle,” and it’s not the time to not stand in your moral convictions and just stand idly by while our president is literally and metaphorically demolishing American democracy.
Because right now, the fact of the matter is that Americans are suffering, and our president does not care. He never fought for the people, never represented them, never took the time to try and understand them, never even liked them, and the agenda that he is trying to push shows that he never even had a shred of love in his heart for America. And what he is turning America into is something I don’t recognize. We’ve lost ourselves. But thanks to the actions that Americans have taken to elect the right people into government, we will counteract this chaos, and there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Nelson also had some final thoughts on what Mamdani’s win meant in the long run for America.
“I believe that in Democratic Socialist Mamdani’s win, people who generally fear socialism, which concludes things like equality and common welfare, due to their misunderstanding or lack of education on the economic/political theory, will ultimately find themselves realizing that socialism is not our enemy,” Nelson said.
The Vote on Proposition 50 in California
On Nov. 4, it was decided that Proposition 50 (Prop. 50) would be passed by Californian voters, and they did it with ease. I mean, the vote was not even remotely close, and in fact, the overall response on this issue from Californian voters was so obvious that the results were called minutes after the polls officially closed. Moreover, 64.4% of Californian voters voted “yes” on Proposition 50.
Furthermore, in Prop. 50, new lines for many of California’s congressional districts would be drawn, giving Democrats five more seats in the House of Representatives, according to CADEM. And you might be thinking, “but wait, for all of the equality justice you talk about, that doesn’t seem fair”, and “you’re just trying to give Democrats an unfair advantage.” And then, to you, I would say, “You’re right.” But that’s exactly the point.
You see, Republicans have already done this exact same thing in Texas, where they redrew lines in congressional districts to give themselves five more seats in the House, and in our country, five seats could be incredibly consequential. But this is, of course, not fair. And it seems like they are just trying to give their constituents an unfair advantage in the House.
So then, since Democrats saw this as a ploy from Republicans to rig upcoming elections, they took measures as well to counteract this and level the playing field, enacting Proposition 50. So yes, essentially, you could call this “legal gerrymandering,” which in this sense means that district lines are redrawn to give one political party a systemic advantage and help its candidates win more seats, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
The results of this election will also be the most consequential victory for redistricting in 2026, and can even be seen as the most integral victory achieved by Democrats on Nov. 4. However, these measures are temporary and will only remain in place throughout the 2026, 2028, 2030 elections, and then the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC) will resume its authority to redraw lines in congressional districts.
Then, Nelson illustrated why she personally thought Prop. 50 was fair.
“I would personally say that Prop. 50 is fair. Prop. 50 can be justified because it is a direct response to Republican gerrymandering, puts votes directly in power, and ultimately, pushes back the ICE abduction of immigrants,” Nelson said.
“Prop. 50 is consequential because it allows Californians to, in the simplest form, take their country back from the hands of federal overreach and gerrymandering. It is important to know that Prop. 50 expires in 2030 as well, so it isn’t permanent. The purpose of Prop. 50 is to help the people, not only those in power,” Nelson said.
Nevertheless, Californians knew how important it was to make sure that this constitutional amendment went into effect. And it showed by the huge voter turnout that was observed at the polls on Nov 4. I mean, hundreds of voters stood in line for hours to vote on just one issue, something almost unprecedented in our current times. And it’s because they care. They are seeing what’s happening to their fellow American citizens under this administration, and they’re now realizing how important it is to stand up for what they believe in and make their voice be heard. And they did that by exercising their constitutional right to vote.
Other Consequential Elections
Aside from the blowout Democratic wins for governor in Virginia and New Jersey, Democratic Socialist Zahron Mamdani winning most of the votes in the race for Mayor of New York City, and Californians overwhelmingly voting yes on Prop. 50, there were also other notable elections that were carried out in other states on Nov. 4.
For example, Democrats have greatly expanded their control over the Virginia House of Delegates by flipping 13 seats. And according to VPM, this means that Democrats now have a majority of 64 to 36, which was significantly larger than the slim majority we were holding before of 51 to 49. Democrats gained a supermajority in New Jersey’s General Assembly as well.
Democrats also had substantial victories in Pennsylvania as well where Pennsylvanian voters chose to retain three liberal – leaning state Supreme Court Judges. Democrats also won a seat on the Pennsylvania Superior Court and a seat on its Commonwealth Court. In addition to that, Pennsylvanian voters elected the first – ever Democratic District Attorney of Bucks County.
What’s more is that Democrats flipped two seats in Georgia’s statewide Public Service Commission by incredibly wide margins, which came as a surprise to political strategists. Moreover, these Democratic nominees won about 60% of the vote, and this is the first time Democrats have won a non – federal, statewide election in Georgia since 2006.
Additionally, Democrats had major gains in the Mississippi legislature, where they flipped two seats in the Senate, breaking the Republican supermajority, and flipped one seat in the House. And these changes were made because a federal court ordered lawmakers to redraw 14 Senate and House Districts because they found that the maps drawn in 2022 discriminated against African – American voters.
Nelson indicated what she thought about the Democratic win in Mississippi, too.
“I believe that ordering lawmakers to redraw lines in congressional districts is beneficial in terms of preventing discrimination against Black voters. Generally, minorities live in metropolitan areas like suburbs. Redrawing congressional districts to represent actual populations benefits minorities because it allows their votes to count,” Nelson said.
Finally, after all of these victories that Democrats have gathered during these off – year elections, we are left with the question of: “Who will be the next face of the Democratic party?” And of course, Trump and his MAGA Republicans will try and make it seem like it’s Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani because he’s such a polarizing figure. But even though I respect him highly, as a politician, I wouldn’t say that he is the face of the Democratic Party.
I also wouldn’t say that Governor – elect Abigail Spanberger is the face of the Democratic party, either, or Governor – elect Mikie Sherill. Although I do personally think that they imitate traditional Democrats and what we’ve come to expect from them.
In addition to that, I wouldn’t say that Former President Joe Biden or even Former President Barack Obama is the face of the Democratic Party because even though they were great leaders and represented what the Democratic Party should be like, their time has unfortunately come and passed.
On top of that, I wouldn’t even say that Kamala Harris is the face of the Democratic Party at this point. I feel like she very well could have been, but America was still not ready to let go of all of its prejudices and elect a Black, South Asian Woman as President.
So, this leads me to believe that at this current point in time, we do not need a leader. In fact, it will take the efforts of all of us combined to help and fight against the unjust policies of the Trump Administration, not just one person leading the charge.
I also think that it is more beneficial to have individual leaders because there are so many different issues that need to be addressed. I think that this approach will make us stronger and even more unbreakable as well, because if we had just one leader that was holding everything together, then when they were taken out of the equation, we would descend into chaos.
So I think that the answer to defeating this corrupt administration is in banding together as a unit, embracing our differences, and using our individual strengths to fight against these policies. Because all we want to do at the end of the day is to better the lives of our fellow Americans, something that Trump has “tried” to do with his MAGA movement. But this agenda is proving to be wrong for Americans because our country was founded on independence, freedom, and equality for all, but every step they take is underlined with bigotry and hatred, without any love for American ideals.
