A Night For Democracy And Diversity

As I lay in bed trying to sleep last night, I wondered if Zohran Mamdani could sleep. Or if Mikie Sherrill could sleep, or if Abigail Spanberger could sleep.

It was quite a night. Not only did the two states of Virginia and New Jersey elect the first women govenors in their history, but NYC elected the first Muslim mayor. It was a good night for Democrats and a bad nignt for Trump.

And a good night for democracy.

According to the NY Times, Mamdani motivated a large coalition of voters-young, old, many different races and ethnicities. The excitement is wonderful. Whether or not Mamdani can do what he says he wants to do, we will have to see. He has his detractors for sure, but he has energized the Democratic party, which is what we need right now. The Times said his election was “nothing short of electric,” and he got the most votes of anyone since 1960.

Another key win was that California voters said yes to Prop 50. This measure will allow the state’s governor to create more Democratic congressional seats, countering a similar redistricting effort pushed by Trump in other states to protect Republican control of the House next year. Already a major foil for Trump and a national figure, Governor Newsom’s profile will be elevated even more so on both of those counts.

In a press conference, Trump blamed last night on the shutdown and the fact that he was not on the ballot. Suprisingly to me, he admitted (in so many words) that it was not a good night for his side. Usually he would lie and bluster through some kind of denial of the results, or say it was all rigged. Earlier yesterday, before CA had barely begun to vote, Trump did say that the CA election was rigged. That’s how worried he was about Prop 50.

Mamdani’s election reminds me of when Obama won the primary for the Democratic nominee for President. I was a Hillary supporter, Obama’s inexperience back then worried me, and I admit I was angry that Obama’s nomination took it away from a woman, a very qualified woman. I quickly got over that, and love Obama. But what is reminiscent is that during Obama’s first campaign for President, the enthusiasm of Obama was infectious. He was about hope and change, and that’s what I’m feeling now with young Mamdani. We need that.

New York city is a beacon of what is best about America; that a person of color can be elected mayor of an enormous city that is hugely diverse. Many different kinds of people (and perhaps water towers) came together to say yes to this choice.

And! We need more women as governors, and we got last night.

Not unexpectedly, Republicans swiftly filed a lawsuit to stop Prop 50. Democrats feel confident it will survive the legal challange.

The shutdown continues. Trump is not going to pay the SNAP benefits in full, he is ignoring the court order. And the Epstein Files are still not released.

Thanks for being here, I hope you feel as upbeat as I do right now. Cheers for voting, for democracy and for our diverse country. See you tomorrow.