Tuesday’s sweeping victories not only signaled the direction of the Democratic Party, but made clear that what comes next, they “own this now.”
“…AND SO IT BEGINS!”
In the latest instance of clawing defeat from the jaws of victory, the Republican candidates in New Jersey and Virginia were unable to overcome the left, even where it concerned an attorney general candidate proven to be a violent fantasist. While it’s debatable whether the results prove a referendum on President Donald Trump, reactions addressed what to look for heading toward the 2026 midterms.
For the gubernatorial races, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D) defeated former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R) with a double-digit margin in New Jersey, according to the latest results from Decision Desk HQ. Likewise, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) toppled Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) in Virginia, carrying State Senator Ghazala Hashmi (D) for lieutenant governor and former Delegate Jay Jones (D) for attorney general along with her. Californians also approved a measure to begin redistricting.
Meanwhile, the expected occurred in New York City, where State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (D) secured his ticket to City Hall, defeating disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) by about 9%, less than 200,000 votes.
On that race, CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings concluded that the Mamdani wing was now the head of the party, including New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) whom he predicted would oust Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) from Congress.
“What I’m reading here in New York City is that AOC is going to be the next senator from New York,” he told the panel covering the election on CNN before looking to the midterms. “I see the energy in the Democratic Party tonight behind a socialist. And I see the energy in Virginia Democrats looking the other way on a violent candidate for attorney general who says he wants to murder Republicans and their children.”
CNN panel gloats in laughter as Scott Jennings delivers a blunt warning to the Democratic Party.
It began with Mamdani’s win, when Jennings issued this message for Chuck Schumer: “AOC is going to be the next senator from New York.”
But the real warning came when he saw… pic.twitter.com/CQt2KO5uU2
— Vigilant Fox (@VigilantFox) November 5, 2025
“If you think you’re getting rid of Graham Platner in Maine now, think again,” he said of the Democrat Senate hopeful who was exposed for having a Nazi tattoo. “This is a terrible night for the national Democratic image, given what is happening inside their party.”
“Mamdani is an avowed socialist. It’s not what people say that he is. It’s what he says that he is. He’s now the leader of their party. That’s their energy and Chuck Schumer-” Jennings continued as Anderson Cooper cut in to question, “He’s the leader of the Democratic Party?”
While the panel attempted to deflect, the commentator pressed on, “You own this now. You all own this now.”
Similarly, Bill O’Reilly appeared on NewsNation with Chris Cuomo as the host witnessed his brother’s loss in New York, and asserted that the results weren’t a bellwether for the 2026 midterms.
“Between now and this next year … it’s going to be a completely different country than it is now. Now, I can’t predict which way that’s going to go,” said the guest who was questioned, “Then how do you know it’s going to be a completely different country?”
O’Reilly asserted with particular regard for the president’s tariffs and their impact on the economy, “Because there are so many things that have to be decided. There are too many undecideds.”
Bill O’Reilly leaves Chris Cuomo looking completely stumped with an election analysis that went straight over his head.
O’REILLY: “[Tonight’s results] have nothing to do with the midterms.”
CUOMO: “You better hope.”
But Cuomo’s face turned confused when O’Reilly said: “Between… pic.twitter.com/sD1nEfI2gO
— Vigilant Fox (@VigilantFox) November 5, 2025
Of that New York race, even CNN senior political commentator Van Jones suggested a mask had been pulled off during Mamdani’s victory speech.
“I think he missed an opportunity. I think the Mamdani that we saw in the campaign trail, who was a lot more calm, who was a lot warmer, who was a lot more embracing, was not present in that speech,” said the former Obama administration official. “And I think that Mamdani is the one you need to hear from tonight … I think he missed a chance tonight to open up and bring more people into the tent. I think his tone was sharp. I think he was using the microphone in a way that he was almost yelling. And that’s not the Mamdani that we’ve seen on TikTok and the great interviews and stuff like that.”
“So, I felt like it was a little bit of a character switch here, where the warm, open, embracing guy that’s close to working people was not on stage tonight,” added Jones, who suggested, “that that will probably cost him going forward.”
CNN’s Van Jones was not a fan of Zohran Mamdani’s angry, far-left, rage-filled victory speech:
“I think he missed an opportunity. I think the Mamdani that we saw in the campaign trail, who was a lot more calm, who was a lot warmer, who was a lot more embracing, was not present… pic.twitter.com/aM2AlcgM1U
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) November 5, 2025
In that speech, Mamdani took aim at the president as he said, “Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up!”
If not directly to that, the commander-in-chief responded to the broader outcome of the election night as he wrote on Truth Social, “…AND SO IT BEGINS!”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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