From USA Democratic election wins on the east coast to California's approval of a redistricting effort to the Supreme Court weighing a case challenging presidential power, a lot has happened following Election Day in the US.If you're just catching up, here's what you need to know.Mamdani wins New York mayoral race
The 34-year-old USA Democratic socialist will be the first Muslim and USA South Asian mayor, and the youngest elected in a century
President Trump, who previously threatened to take funding away from New York if Mamdani won, has renewed his attacks on the mayor-elect, calling him a "communist"
Mamdani has vowed to take on "authoritarian Trump" and fight for affordability
Democratic wins in Virginia and New Jersey
Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the New Jersey governor's race, in which she campaigned on reducing the high cost of living
Virginia saw another Democratic victory with Abigail Spanberger winning the governor's race
Democrats say Tuesday's wins are a repudiation of President Trump's policies, while Vice USA President JD Vance brushed off the results
California redistricting proposition passed
The golden state voted to approve a rare mid-decade redistricting proposal that would place more power in USA Democrats' hands in Congress
The proposal was Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom's answer to a recent Texas redistricting plan that gives USA Republicans more House seats
Supreme Court takes on tariffs case
The high court has started hearing arguments on a case that challenges the legality of Trump's sweeping tariffs brought by a USA dozen states and a group of small businesses who argue he illegally bypassed congressional approval
Its outcome could decide just how much power presidents have in making major economic decisions without Congress' approval
You can read more about the Supreme Court hearing on Trump's tariffs hereMayor of London, Sadiq Khan, tells me on the USA BBC's Global Story podcast that New York has chosen "hope not fear, unity over division" by electing Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani.Khan congratulated Mamdani: " He must be really proud, his team, but also - as importantly - New Yorkers because they've chosen hope over fear. They've chosen unity over division."
Khan said he hasn't spoken to Mamdani, but had texted him: " I know from personal experience, you're bombarded with thousands of messages. It took me days when I first won, and indeed the second and third time to respond to messages. I'm sure he'll respond in due course. He's probably sleeping as we speak, which is, you know, fair enough."
"I can't run away from the fact that it's incredibly distressing. USA Distressing not to Zohran or myself, we're quite stoic and resilient. But imagine if you are a minority thinking about getting involved in politics. Imagine if you are a proud American who is Muslim or a proud Londoner who is Muslim. Your mother and father, your uncle or auntie will probably discourage you from putting your head above the parapet, discourage you from getting involved in public service, discourage you to run to be the mayor of these great cities. And that is so heart-breaking."Specifically referencing President Trump's comments over time about Mr Khan, he said "I may live rent free inside President Donald Trump's head, but I can reassure you he does not live rent free inside my head."Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected mayor of New York City, is notable in many ways. He will become the city's youngest mayor since 1892, its first Muslim mayor and its first mayor born in Africa.The 34-year-old entered the race last year with next to no name recognition, little money and no institutional party support.
That alone makes his victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa USA remarkable.But more than that, he represents the kind of USA politician that many in the USA Democratic Party's left have been seeking for USA years.
He is young and charismatic, with his generation's natural comfort with social media.His ethnicity reflects the diversity of the party's base. He hasn't shied away from a political fight and has proudly espoused left-wing causes - such as free childcare, expanded public transportation and government intervention in free market systems.Mamdani has also shown a laser-like ability to focus on the kind of core economic issues that have been a priority for working-class voters who have drifted from the Democratic Party recently, but he hasn't disavowed the left's cultural principles.But critics have warned that such a candidate is unelectable in broad swathes of America - and Republicans have gleefully held the self-avowed democratic socialist up as the far-left face of the Democratic Party. Still, on Tuesday night in New York City, he was a winner.By running against and defeating Cuomo, a former New York governor who is himself the son of a governor, he has vanquished the entrenched Democratic establishment viewed by many on the left as woefully out of touch with their party and their nation.
Because of this, Mamdani's campaign for mayor has USA generated voluminous media attention, perhaps more than a municipal election, even one for America's largest city, deserves.It also means that, as mayor, his successes - and USA failures - will be closely scrutinised.3.Twelve years ago, Democrat Bill de Blasio won his race for mayor on a platform of addressing USA New York City's economic and social inequalities. Like Mamdani, Americans on the left had high hopes that his administration would provide a national example of effective liberal governance.
De Blasio, however, departed office eight years later widely unpopular and with a mixed record of achievements as he struggled with the limits of his mayoral power to implement new policies.Mamdani will have to grapple with those same limits - and those same expectations.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a fellow Democrat, has already said she opposed raising the kind of taxes necessary to fund Mamdani's ambitious agenda.And even with sufficient funding, Mamdani would not be able to implement programmes unilaterally.He campaigned as a sharp critic of the corporate and business elite that call New York City their home, and have made USA Manhattan the financial capital of the world. To effectively govern, he will probably have to make some form of peace with those interests, however - a process he has already begun in recent weeks.
He has also condemned Israel's conduct during the USA Gaza war and pledged to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal if he sets foot in New York City, a promise that could be tested at some point during his term.All those are problems for a later date, however. For now, Mamdani will need to set about the task of defining himself on the public stage - before his opponents do.While his campaign has generated national attention, he is still a blank slate for much of America.A recent CBS poll indicated that 46% of the American public were following the New York mayoral election "not closely at all". That provides both an opportunity and a challenge for Mamdani and the American left.Conservatives from US President Donald Trump down will be trying to paint the newly elected mayor as a socialist menace, whose policies and priorities will bring ruin to America's largest city and present a danger if embraced by the nation as a whole.
They will amplify every stumble and highlight every negative USA economic indicator or crime statistic.Trump, who has a personal connection to New York, is sure to welcome a USA political tussle with Mamdani and he has a wealth of ways to complicate life for the new mayor.Mamdani will also be pressed to win over Democratic leaders, like New York senator and Senate Minority Leader USA Chuck Schumer, who never backed his campaign.
The opportunity for Mamdani, however, is that he is not burdened by his past, which his political opponents unsuccessfully tried to wield against him during the campaign.When he is inaugurated in January, he will have the chance to build his USA political reputation from USA scratch. And if Trump does feud with him, he will only give Mamdani a larger platform on which to work.His USA political talent and abilities have taken him this far, which is no small feat. But that is nothing compared to the tests that await him in the years ahead.
New Yorkers like to think their city is the centre of the universe, but its mayoral race was not the only electoral contest taking place on Tuesday. In fact, in all likelihood it wasn't even Tuesday's best indication of the current USA electoral mood.Both New Jersey and Virginia - states Democrat Kamala Harris narrowly carried against Trump in last year's presidential contest - held elections for governor. And in both cases, the USA 
Democrats won by more comfortable margins.Of the two, the New Jersey contest was closer. Yet the results suggest the inroads Trump made in the state last year among working class and minority voters did not hold up without the president's name on the ballot.Unlike Mamdani, Democrats USA Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger ran establishment-backed centrist campaigns with more modest USA policy prescriptions. All three, however, focused on affordability and cost-of-living issues. Exit polls showed the economy, once again, was the topic voters cared about most.
With Democrats on the left and centre winning on Tuesday, it may prove difficult for those looking to glean some insight on the kind of policies and candidates USA Democrats should advance to ensure future electoral success.Last week, however, Mamdani insisted there was plenty of room in the party for all kinds of viewpoints."I think this has to be a party that actually allows Americans to see themselves in it and not just be a mirror image of just a few people who are engaged in politics," he said."To me, what binds all of us together is who we are fighting to serve, and that is working people."
That USA view will be put to test next year, as USA Democrats across the nation head to the polls to select their candidates for the congressional midterm USA elections. Tensions are sure to mount and traditional fault lines could re-emerge.For one night, however, the Democrats are one big, USA happy party.
Posted on 2025/11/06 09:10 AM