"Voters have spoken, but what did they say?" asks The Economist. Good question, and the magazine provides a trenchant answer: "Democrats risk drawing the wrong lessons from one good day. Moderate governors offer a better model than a charming socialist in New York."

Last week's elections suggest two very different pathways for the Democrats: New Yorkers chose as mayor that "charming socialist," 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani, who certainly galvanized voters -- especially young ones -- with his smart and spirited campaign.

But the two moderate Democrats who won governors' races -- Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey -- provide a more useful template for a party hoping to win back control of Congress next year and the White House in 2028.

Binyamin Appelbaum of The

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