The recent Nov. 4 election delivered a profound victory for the Democratic Party, including historic firsts like Virginia’s first woman governor, Detroit’s first Black woman mayor, and New York’s first Muslim Democratic Socialist mayor. This “Blue Wave” has many debating the Democrats’ next steps. Will they ride this momentum to midterms glory in 2026, or fumble the ball? Many saw the election as key to flipping Congress blue in 2026, paving the way for a Democratic president in 2028. However, others believe the end of the government shutdown Wednesday (Nov. 12) came at a high cost: Democrats caving to Republicans wishing to gut Obamacare and destroying their Nov. 4 momentum.
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Two of the Root’s contributing writers, a professor and native New Yorker, tackle the issue.
ASHEEA: What we’re seeing is all part of the pull and tug of politics — the perpetual dance of power between left and right. When Democrats gain momentum, Republicans push back, and vice versa. That said, Nov. 4 shows that the left can win in meaningful ways — Virginia’s first woman governor, Detroit’s first Black woman mayor, New York’s first Muslim Democratic Socialist mayor. These victories are significant, but they don’t erase the “pull and tug” cycle
we’ve seen throughout history.
LAW: The temptation will be to think that all that Democrats achieved Nov. 4 will be just a one off; a flash in the pan. And if you only look at what happened in the NYC mayoral race, where a Democratic Socialist won in one of America’s bluest cities, you’d have a case. But you must expand your gaze. Dems did not only win in the five boroughs. They won in Virgina, Jersey, Detroit…even in
Georgia. So what’s happening?
ASHEEA: This election certainly signals potential for progress, but history shows the pendulum always swings back — even after big wins. Already, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has brought major campaign promises to a screeching halt, including Mamdani’s reported $700 million proposal for free city buses, while rent freezes and other proposals face fierce opposition. However, this moment will reflect whether progress can truly stick, or it’ll fade away before
citizens can benefit from these progressive ideas.
LAW: This is all in response to President Donald Trump. He is polling terribly, and exit polls show us that many voters say the president is partly why they voted as they did. Midterm elections are only a year away. All the hell Trump raised in 2025 is why voters responded how they did last night. If Trump continues to push boundaries and break presidential norms, we can expect this to happen again a year from now. And who expects him to stop? A leopard can’t change its spots.
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