Tonight’s exhilarating election results were a large-D Democratic sweep that was also a small-d democratic victory. Democrats won the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey and the mayorship of New York City by getting out and connecting with the people about their lives, their needs and, importantly, their democratic values. In Pennsylvania, voters overwhelmingly rejected the Right’s efforts to reshape a state supreme court that served as a firewall against Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. In California, voters turned out in large numbers not for a charismatic candidate but to endorse a proposition to help safeguard the legitimacy of the 2026 midterms by counteracting Republicans’ corrupt midterm gerrymandering power grab.

I am humbled by my fellow citizens’ commitment to this country’s better ideals. I have learned to have more faith in our electorate in the future.

There will be much to say about the implications of this election as we move forward. But for now, I want to thank those politicians who showed the sort of leadership the Democratic, and democratic, forces need – Spanberger, Sherrill, Mamdani, Newsom, and others – and to the voters who showed determination and leadership with their voices and their ballots.