"Win or lose in the court of public opinion TRUMP wins.'
The jury returned the verdict on Tuesday.
The Down-Ballot Votes That Sustained The National Pro-Democracy Wave - Democracy Docket
By Yunior Rivas
November 8, 2025
Few could miss that election night delivered a cascade of victories for our democracy. And while national attention understandably focused on statewide races and high-profile ballot measures, smaller contests carried an outsized impact.
From local elections in Pennsylvania to contests for seats on a Georgia utility board, voters on all levels delivered far-reaching results that struck a blow for democracy.
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Indeed, it was the massive Democratic overperformance in more obscure races — more so than in those that drew most of the attention — that truly underlined the extent of voters’ far-reaching rejection of President Donald Trump’s authoritarianism.
Virginia: Largest Democratic Majority in Decades
Alongside statewide office wins, Democrats in Virginia secured a historic victory in the House of Delegates, gaining 13 seats and expanding their majority to 64 of 100 — the party’s largest in nearly four decades.
The sweep unseated several career Republicans as longtime GOP-held districts flipped blue, including rural districts that Trump won in 2024.
One of the night’s most striking upsets came in the 66th District, where Democrat Nicole Cole defeated Delegate Bobby Orrock, the legislature’s longest-serving Republican. The outcome gives Democrats a governing margin not seen since the 1980s and returns full control of Virginia’s government to the party.
“This is what a mandate looks like,” Don Scott, speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates (D), said. “What we have now is a historic, unbelievable 64 seats. Democratic candidates ran in all 100 House districts and picked up five districts that were won by President Donald Trump in 2024.”
The magnitude of the wins takes on greater significance given Virginia’s newly advanced redistricting plan in response to GOP-led gerrymanders in other states. Democrats in Richmond next year will hold the authority to put the plan on the ballot and, should voters approve it, safeguard fair representation on a national scale.
New Jersey: Statehouse Gains in Trump Country
New Jersey saw a blue wave that went beyond the widely covered governor’s race.
Democrats managed to flip five seats in the state’s General Assembly — a stunning result coming from GOP-safe districts. The shift would expand the Democratic Assembly majority from 52–28 to roughly 57–23, securing a supermajority in the 80-member chamber.
The unexpected gains came from traditionally Republican areas of the state.
In South Jersey’s District 8, an incumbent Republican trailed by more than 2,300 votes, while in suburban North Jersey’s District 21, two GOP lawmakers lost by about 5,000 votes apiece. These were areas that had reliably backed President Donald Trump in 2024.
The results underscored how local turnout — and strong down-ballot engagement — can shift the balance of legislative power.
“Voters delivered a stunning victory by electing a supermajority in the New Jersey Assembly, sending a clear message to MAGA extremists,” Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said in a statement. “These victories set the stage for the 2026 midterms when Democrats have the opportunity for historic success in state legislatures across the country.”
The wins solidified New Jersey’s status as a Democratic stronghold, evaporating notions of the state as a potential purple state.
Georgia: Public Service Commission Flickers Blue
In one of the night’s most overlooked results, Georgia Democrats flipped two seats on the Public Service Commission, the body that regulates utilities and sets energy policy. Democrats Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson each won with roughly 60% of the vote, defeating incumbent Republicans in contests expected to be easy GOP wins.
The commission will shift from 5–0 to 3–2 Republican. The results mark Georgia’s first Democratic wins in any non-federal statewide office since 2006.
The commission’s decisions influence household energy costs and renewable energy investments — issues that have gained urgency amid rising utility bills. The results showed frustration with GOP economic management and a growing willingness among Georgia voters to support consumer-focused, Democratic candidates.
“Johnson and Hubbard won tonight’s Georgia Public Service Commissioner race by focusing on the issue that matters most to Georgians,” Ken Martin, Democratic National Committee, said. “Their election should serve as a warning sign to Republicans in Georgia and beyond. Costs are too damn high and Trump and Republicans are to blame.”
Georgia’s state-level races have reliably been won by the GOP for years — thanks in part to voter suppression tactics. The double upset underscored how local offices can become flashpoints for broader debates over equity and accountability.
Mississippi: Breaking the GOP Supermajority
Another Deep South state — Mississippi — delivered a bright spot for Democrats.
In state legislative elections, Democrats ended the Republican supermajority in the State Senate by flipping seats for the first time in 13 years. Results show at least two Senate districts and one House district turning from red to blue, ending the GOP’s ability to override vetoes or push through constitutional changes without bipartisan support.
The results were aided by a court-ordered redistricting plan that struck down racially gerrymandered districts and created fairer opportunities for representation in majority-Black areas. For the first time in more than a decade, Mississippi’s upper chamber will include a stronger Democratic bloc able to challenge one-party control and amplify pro-democracy voices.
“Last night’s victory proves that Mississippi is no longer a foregone conclusion — we are a battleground state,” Cheikh Taylor, chair of the Mississippi Democratic Party, said. “But this win was only possible because the Voting Rights Act ensures fair representation. As voters continue to reject Trump’s agenda, we must protect the fundamental right that makes change possible: the right to vote.”
But Taylor’s warning reflects a growing concern among voting rights advocates nationwide.
The Voting Rights Act, the bedrock of federal voter protection, is under threat by a series of Supreme Court cases that could severely weaken its protections, especially for voters of color.
Mississippi’s outcome demonstrates how enforcement of the VRA — particularly its provisions against racial gerrymandering — can still alter political realities when applied.
Pennsylvania: Local Swing State Offices Shift to DemsBeyond Pennsylvania’s critical judicial retention votes, a series of local Democratic gains signaled a shift in some of the state’s most politically competitive areas.
In the bellwether suburb of Bucks County, which Trump narrowly carried in 2024, Democrats swept the top county offices. Voters elected Bucks County’s first modern Democratic district attorney, Joe Khan, and unseated the incumbent Republican sheriff — a striking reversal in a county long seen as a barometer for statewide sentiment.
Further north, Erie County delivered one of the clearest realignments. After voting for Trump just a year earlier, Erie voters elected Democrat Christina Vogel as county executive by a 24-point margin over the Republican incumbent. Similar Democratic victories followed in Lehigh and Northampton Counties, both presidential swing counties that backed Democratic candidates across their local executive offices.
Together, these results strengthen Democratic influence over election administration, local governance, and justice systems in pivotal swing regions.
“It was a clear message to Donald Trump that folks are tired of the chaos. They’re tired of the extremism,” Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, said. “Voters went to the polls to say to Donald Trump: We don’t like what you’re doing, you’re bringing chaos into our communities and restricting our freedom and compromising our democracy.”
County governments and courts often decide how elections are conducted and ballots are counted — and the results, especially in a swing state, ensure many of those decisions will now rest with officials who publicly campaigned on protecting voting access and democratic norms.
New York: Historic Upstate Upsets
While New York City’s mayoral race captured national headlines, upstate New Yorkers delivered quieter milestones for democracy.
In Onondaga County, home to Syracuse, Democrats won control of the county legislature for the first time in half a century, flipping five of 17 seats to secure a 10–7 majority. Republicans had long dominated local government, but this year’s results saw Democratic challengers oust incumbents even in suburban districts that hadn’t elected Democrats in generations.
The “historic night,” as local outlets called it, means Onondaga County will be governed by Democrats for the first time since the 1970s. The results echo a broader trend across upstate New York, where Erie County Democrats also strengthened their legislative majority following County Executive Mark Poloncarz’s reelection.
“The public is not happy with the Trump administration. I think this got them out in what we consider an off-year election,” Tim Kneeland, political science professor at Nazareth University, said. “Once these Democratic supervisors take over, it’s going to be harder to oust them — especially if they deliver on their promises. This might not bode well for the Republican Party in New York at all.”
The upstate shifts, though smaller in scale than big city contest, underscore how incremental local gains can continue building new Democratic footholds in regions once written off as solidly conservative.
There Were Many More Wins
Tuesday’s voters brought far more victories than any single story could capture — too many to list and each deserving its own attention. In city councils in South Carolina, mayoral offices in New England and beyond, voters reshaped local leadership in ways that may never make national headlines but still matter deeply to how democracy sustains. These quieter results — in school boards, county governments and commissions — represent the steady, but often unseen determination of advocates rebuilding trust in local institutions.
Taken together, these down-ballot wins show voters remain the most powerful counterweight to extremism and cynicism. Across regions and party lines, voters are still willing to engage, to demand better and to defend fair representation — one local election at a time. |
