Winter of discontent: On Democrats, their win in U.S. elections

Democrats have swept the first major election in the U.S. during the second term of President Donald Trump, indicating a degree of frustration with the ongoing federal government shutdown but also signalling a broader barometric downturn in the approval ratings of his administration’s policies. In a historic first, Zohran Mamdani , a Uganda-born, Muslim Democratic Socialist New York State Representative, scored a decisive victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, garnering over 1 million votes — 50.4% of the total polled — to secure the post of Mayor of New York. Similarly, Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill won gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, respectively, making them the first female Governor and Democratic female