The recent state elections that occurred on Nov. 4 are garnering national attention, fulfilling me and so many others with a sense of political hope that has been sought desperately for the past year.
Although many of us have most likely seen story reposts and 60-second news clips while scrolling through TikTok, what do these election results really mean to the everyday American? Why are people finally feeling such hope in a truly dark time within our country’s history?
Pennsylvania
From dawn to dusk across the Keystone State, voters cast their ballots and ultimately re-elected three Supreme Court justices for another term. The justices — Kevin Dougherty, Christine Donohue and David Wecht — will now serve for 10 more years.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has seven members, with five being democratic and two being republican. This election ensured a continued democratic majority within the court, majorly influencing the future policies that will impact all members of the state. During their re-election campaign, the three justices focused heavily on upholding bodily autonomy, stating that they would do everything in their power to maintain Pennsylvania as a place where women are given the ability to choose.
The general public seemed to agree with this desire, as seen by 61.7% of the state casting a “yes” for the retention of the justices.
New York
Arguably the most talked about election to occur on Nov. 4th, the New York City mayoral race caused record turnout of voters across all five boroughs. In a complete upheaval of generations of political tradition, Zohran Mamdani became the 111th mayor of New York City.
Mamdani garnered national attention as a 34-year-old democratic socialist, follower of the Muslim faith and immigrant who came to the United States from Uganda when he was seven. Mamdani has made history, becoming the first Muslim and South Asian mayor of the city. He is also the youngest mayor since 1892.
He beat Andrew Cuomo, the other democratic candidate and former New York governor, as well as Curtis Sliwa, the republican candidate. His campaign focused on the issues that everyday New Yorkers are concerned about. Some of his primary campaign promises were to freeze rent in rent-stabilized apartments, make public buses free to ride and establish a system of free universal childcare for kids aged five months to six years old.
His campaign has instilled concern in some New Yorkers, mostly business and upper-class citizens, who are worried that his actions will create an economic disaster within the city. This is due to Mamdani’s desire for the main source of his funding to come from taxing the city’s wealthiest individuals. This hostile sentiment towards the new mayor is reflected through the one million people who stated in a poll conducted by J.L. Partners in the ‘Daily Mail’ that they would consider fleeing New York if the 34-year-old won.
Others, including middle-class and everyday New Yorkers, are excited by the changes Mamdani speaks of.
Starting Jan. 1, we will see what promises Mamdani can keep, and whether he will continue stoking the fires of hope igniting in the Big Apple.
New Jersey
Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill won against republican Jack Ciattarelli, becoming the second female governor of New Jersey, and the first female Democrat.
She has a lengthy employment history, having been a Navy helicopter pilot, a congresswoman and a federal prosecutor.
Electricity was a big focus of Sherrill’s campaign, and she highlighted her desire to declare a state of emergency on electricity costs within her first day in office. This immediacy stems from New Jersey’s recent spike of 22% in electricity rates.
The new governor has also acknowledged the mental health crisis in her state and wants to address it as best she can. Sherrill has previously stated that her plan of action is to expand in-school mental health support for students and improve mental health treatment within the criminal justice system.
Virginia
Whichever way the election in Virginia would have swayed, history was guaranteed to be made. Both candidates were female, Abigail Spanberger being the Democratic nominee and Winsome Earle-Sears representing the Republican Party. Earle-Sears would have been the first Black woman to be Virginia’s mayor, but Spanberger was the one to make history, becoming the first female governor of her state.
Spanberger focused her campaign on creating a more bountiful job market, lowering the cost of living for Virginian residents and defending the ability to access abortions within her state.
Running a mostly centrist campaign has made her favorable to both the right and left. It is believed that these central views helped her win in Virginia by such a large margin.
Ghazala Hashmi also made history when she was elected as Virginia’s next lieutenant governor against Republican John Reid. She will be the first Muslim female to hold this position.
Hashmi’s platform promoted expanding funding for public education and getting to the bottom of the current government shutdown. Throughout her campaign, Hashmi has spoken out against President Trump and the actions he has taken while in office.
Although she faced a lot of backlash for being a woman of color, of the Muslim faith and staunchly anti-Trump, she carried herself with grace throughout her campaign and managed to reign victorious on election day.
My thoughts
Usually, when I get any sort of news notification on my phone, I am filled with a sense of dread. I fear reports of a new tariff Trump has attempted to install, another family wrongfully divided by ICE agents or continued murder and destruction overseas.
Nov. 4 was a different story. I gripped my phone with hope in my heart.
Mamdani was elected as the 111th mayor of New York City.
Pennsylvanians voted to keep their three democratic Supreme Court justices.
Virginia elected its first female governor.
The news continued to roll in, and with each headline, the knot of political stress inside of me unraveled ever so slightly. I was reminded that even in times that can feel so tiring and hopeless, there is always room for change. My growing apathy retreated more on this election day than it has in the past 11 months.
The victories themselves were invigorating, but more so were the number of “firsts” we witnessed: South Asian, Muslim, female, immigrant, millennial.
Nov. 4th reminded me of the power of the people and the belief I should continue to harbor in the resurgence of American democracy.
Are there still a lot of issues in US politics right now? Of course. Are we struggling more than we are thriving? Most certainly.
SNAP is in the throes of being severed, prices of groceries and everyday necessities are still on the rise and states continue to lessen the rights of women to choose what happens to their own bodies.
But there is still hope. It was seen in the streets of New York City after Mamdani was announced the winner, seen in my family group chat as we sent each other every update of every race and online in comment sections through the support for the newly elected politicians.
If I have learned anything from this election cycle, it’s that there must always be hope. We can never give up, even when it feels like the only option. As much as it has been shoved down our throats that there is no more power left in our voices, Nov. 4 has shown us that when we organize and come together, amazing things can happen.
We the People indeed.