Democrats in the United States had a triumphant return with a victory in at least three elections on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
In New York City, Zohran Mamdani, a vocal Muslim and self-professed Democratic Socialist won the race to become the next mayor.
In neighboring New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill will become the new governor.
In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger will preside as the state’s first female governor.
Elsewhere, Democrats also snatched some wins that could affect the 2026 midterm election as well as the next presidential election in 2028.
In California, voters approved Proposition 50, which allows the state to adopt a new US House district map favoring Democrats – a tit-for-tat response to the Texas redistricting that favored Republicans.
In Pennsylvania, voters kept three Democratic justices on the state Supreme Court, maintaining the court’s 5-2 Democratic majority.
While the elections are largely local and won’t directly affect national or foreign policy, the Democrats’ resurgence after their 2024 loss could set them up for further gains – helped by US President Donald Trump’s rising disapproval rating, now at 63%, the highest of his presidency, according to CNN.
The victors’ positions on Ukraine could also shape local policies toward displaced Ukrainians – and, should these officials rise to higher office in future elections, potentially influence national and foreign policy as well.
Mamdani, Sherrill, Spanberger: What’s their stance on Ukraine?
Mamdani
The African-born and ethnically South Asian Mayor-elect Mamdani has run on an affordability platform, winning the race by vowing to offer universal childcare, free city buses, and a rent freeze.
While Mamdani has voiced support for immigrant rights and opposed crackdowns on immigrants by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), calling them a “rogue agency” in a June interview, the future New York City mayor has been quiet on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mamdani is also endorsed by the New York City Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA). The DSA is a leftist organization that has condemned the Russian invasion but also accused NATO of belligerent eastward expansion – a Kremlin talking point.
The DSA also opposes aid to Ukraine and sanctions on Russia that it said would “harm ordinary Russians.”
But as of now, it is unclear whether Mamdani’s affiliation with the DSA has any bearing on his stance and potential policies on Ukraine.
Thus far, Mamdani has avoided commenting on Ukraine, whereas he has been extremely vocal about the Israel-Hamas War. Some commentators have equated the silence on Russia’s aggression with tacit support for an anti-NATO stance.
Sherrill
Sherrill, who won New Jersey’s gubernatorial race, has been a strong critic of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement marking the invasion’s anniversary this year, she noted that she is “a former Russian policy officer in the United States Navy and a member of the House Armed Services Committee.”
“America has stood with the Ukrainian people since the beginning of this war, and I will continue to fight to preserve America’s support for our ally – it would be a grave mistake to abandon Ukraine now,” she said at the time, while also condemning the Trump administration’s decision to side with North Korea and Russia when voting on a UN resolution on Ukraine.
Her office also published a guide to assist displaced Ukrainians in the US in 2022, shortly after Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
Spanberger
Spanberger, whose victory in Virginia came soon after that of Mamdani and Sherrill’s, is also a vocal supporter of aid to Ukraine.
She is a former CIA officer and three-term congresswoman.
In March 2024, when the $61 billion aid package for Ukraine was stuck in limbo, Spanberger was one of the Democrats supporting the bill.
“Defending democracy in Europe and stopping Putin’s army is without question in America’s national security interest,” she wrote at the time.
Regarding immigration, Foreign Policy for America noted that Spanberger voted against “policies [that] included eliminating or curtailing humanitarian protections for asylum seekers, criminalizing the overstaying of visas, reestablishing family detention, and ending special protections for migrant children.”