The party had big wins in prominent races but now may be forced to choose between progressive and centrist ideology in the next elections.
Democrats won decisive victories in the 2025 elections, including a mayoral win in New York City and governorships in New Jersey and Virginia. Democrats also did well in races at the state and local levels.
Despite the victory, their path forward remains no clearer than before, according to some political analysts. That’s because the top Democratic winners presented vastly different governing strategies to voters.
Zohran Mamdani, a political newcomer who describes himself as a democratic socialist, defeated traditional Democrat and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York.
Centrist Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill won gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, respectively, claiming even wider margins at the polls.
According to Michael Genovese, president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University, whether Democrats will now embrace a leader who can mobilize the far edge of their party, or seek to solidify the middle while distancing themselves from far-left economic and social engineering, depends on this:
“Who captured the zeitgeist of the times?”
Here are three choices Democrats will face at a national level to solidify the gains of 2025.
How to Deliver Affordability
Economic issues were the focus of the major races, and Democrats won by promising change.
“The Democratic Party is a party of affordability,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a Nov. 5 press call. “Our candidates connected with voters at their core by running on what they truly care about: their families, their livelihoods, and the American dream.”
That worked well in 2025, with many Americans still dealing with high prices, and all elections were local.
The question now is how Democrats will deliver lower prices, more jobs, and lower housing costs at a national level.
In New York, Mamdani’s affordability plan rests on bigger government and higher taxes. He promised free bus service, free child care, and a rent freeze for nearly half of the city’s apartments to be paid for by an increase in corporate taxes and a 2 percent income tax on wealthy New Yorkers.
In Virginia, Gov.-elect Spanberger’s affordability plan strongly resembled that of President Donald Trump at some points.
She promised to reduce health care costs by cracking down on pharmacy benefit managers, reducing drug prices by negotiating prices with pharmaceutical companies, and lowering energy costs by declaring a state of emergency and increasing production—ideas Trump already implemented at the national level.
Genovese wondered which approach Democrats will land on nationally.
“Are Democrats … strongest when they go left, toward Mamdani, or are they best served by offering moderate, mainstream candidates, such as Spanberger and Sherrill?” he said.
