By John Kenneth White | The Hill
The Democratic Party’s sweep in this year’s special elections prompted several roundtable pundits to opine about what lies ahead.
Are progressives ascendant, as represented by Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City? Do Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Mikie Sherrill’s (D-N.J.) landslide victories signal the rise of a centrist wing? And what does this say about Democrats’ prospects in 2028?
Most miss the mark. Voters decide what is important, and successful parties cater to their needs. Exit polls from Virginia and New Jersey show the economy mattered to voters. In New York City, it was the cost of living that was the major issue. Democrats had the advantage on those issues.
The fact that centrists like Spanberger and Sherrill and democratic socialist Mamdani won means that Democrats have a broad-based coalition of diverse factions. This is nothing new.
Nearly 80 years ago, one political scientist said of the Democrats: “You cannot give Hubert Humphrey a banjo and expect him to carry Kansas.” Only a more moderate Democrat could do that. Likewise, Mamdani can win in New York City but probably not in Virginia or New Jersey.
