US Democrats still face big questions, despite election wins

25 minutes ago Share Save Courtney Subramanian in Washington Share Save

Watch: US election night’s big winners… in 90 seconds

A year after the Democrats found themselves out of power and without a leader, the party is standing at a crossroads. After months of downbeat introspection, three election races this week gave them a much-needed burst of momentum. In New York, there was the unlikely victory of a 34-year-old democratic socialist as mayor of the nation's biggest city, while it was a former CIA agent who won in Virginia to become the state's first female governor. And in New Jersey, a former Navy helicopter pilot who made opposing Donald Trump a focal point of her campaign delivered a decisive victory over a Republican candidate backed by the president. These three candidates - New York state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, Virginia's law-and-order moderate Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey congresswoman Mikie Sherrill - each ran a different race. Their victories have spurred a debate on how Democrats chart a path forward, and whether the centrists or the party's left wing will prevail as they head into the critical 2026 midterm elections - and beyond. But without a standard-bearer until the presidential race and the 2028 election, Democrats are grappling with how to land on a clear message, rebuild their brand and retool their strategy to win back voters.

Some believe that will happen through refining their focus on the affordability crisis while others believe it's a matter of pushing back harder against Trump.