Politics
Democrats Ride Blue State Backlash Against Trump
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But just hating president won’t be enough to win midterms. BY JOHN FUND
year ago, donald trump rode a wave of discontent about a sputtering economy, nagging inflation, and stag-
nant wages back to the White House. But as last month’s off-year elec-
tion showed, voters still believe they are falling behind as they see grocery prices rise, healthcare premiums spike, and a government shutdown they never understood. So, Democrats didn’t just win
the November races. Their victories ranged from comfortable to blowouts. It was a flashing red warning for Republicans about next year’s mid- terms for the House and Senate because when Donald Trump isn’t on the ballot, parts of his coalition don’t show up at the polls. But his harshest critics do. And in Virginia and New Jer-
sey, Republicans were also wiped out among Hispanics and working- class non-white voters — voting blocs Trump claimed had joined the MAGA movement. Here were four takeaways: 1: In blue states, where Trump is unpopular, even the poorest candi- dates and arguments won if Repub- licans were on the other side. In Virginia’s race for attorney general, Democrat Jay Jones had
a reckless driving conviction for going 116 mph, and in text messages had happily contemplated putting “two bullets” in the head of a political adver- sary, then having his young children die as well. He won by six points. 2: In California, voters had in 2010
passed a ballot measure with 71% of the vote that expanded an independent Citizens Redistricting Commission to also draw congressional districts. But this year, 62% of voters approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to suspend that commission and enact a blatant Dem- ocratic gerrymander.
Democrats still have deep structural problems represented by their ongoing civil war between moderates and radicals.
3: In New York City, Zohran Mam-
dani became the first Muslim mayor of a major American city by riding a wave of anger against a system that voters believe has failed them. 4: Exit polls showed that people
are feeling the cost of living. Inflation is growing faster than wages again. An October Washington Post poll found that Trump’s tariff strategy
may be hurting Republicans. It’s not a coincidence that the cost
of coffee and bananas shows up in sto- ries about grocery prices. Trump has placed a big tariff on the countries from which we get those things. Contrary to White House talking points, tariffs are hurting people. Off-year elections have historically had a poor record in predicting future elections. Though Republicans made historic
gains in the 2010 midterms, Barack Obama won a second term in 2012. After the “blue wave” elections of 2017 and 2018, Trump came within 45,000 votes of winning reelection in 2020 — and likely would have except for COVID-19. Democrats still have deep structural
problems represented by their ongoing civil war between moderates and radi- cals. Republicans will do all they can to hang the extreme policies of Mamdani around the necks of all Democrats. Democrats also should remember
that while many voters in Virginia and New Jersey this year were swayed by antipathy to Trump, exit polls found a plurality of voters (45%) in both states said they were not, and they broke heavily for Republicans. Anti-Trump sentiment has clear lim-
its for Democrats, and if Republicans see the pro-growth elements of their tax plan kick in, manage to soft-pedal tariffs, and rebuild ties with minorities, there is a real chance they can once again prove the pundits wrong next year.
44 NEWSMAX | DECEMBER 2025
WINNERS (From left to right) Socialist Zohran Mamdani will be New York City’s next mayor, Democrats Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger won gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, and Gov. Gavin Newsom saw his controversial redistricting plan passed in California.
MAMDANI/ANGELINA KATSANIS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES / SHERRILL/EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/GETTY IMAGES / SPANBERGER/WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES / NEWSOM/JILL CONNELLY/GETTY IMAGES
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