This past Election Day delivered one of the most surprising outcomes in recent memory — not just for Republicans but for Democrats as well. It’s not that anyone expected a red wave in deep-blue areas like New York City, New Jersey, or Virginia, but few could have predicted losses of this magnitude.
In New Jersey, Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli faced off against Democrat Mikie Sherrill and lost by 13 percentage points. That’s a stunning reversal from just four years ago, when Ciattarelli came within three points of unseating incumbent Governor Phil Murphy. Something clearly changed.
The Republican Party went from nearly flipping a Democrat stronghold to losing it decisively — and not because the state suddenly became more liberal.
Virginia told a similar story. Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, once a rising Republican star, lost by an even wider margin — 15 points. Jay Jones, a Democrat whose campaign faced intense backlash after he threatened to kill his opponent and the opponent’s family, still managed to win the attorney general’s race. That victory alone speaks volumes about how fractured and unmotivated the Republican base has become.
Even in New York City, where few doubted socialist Zohran Mamdani would win, his margin of victory shocked many. Mamdani’s success — by nearly 10 points in a three-way race — proves that Republicans’ near-upset in 2022, when Lee Zeldin earned 44% of the gubernatorial vote against Kathy Hochul, was not a sign of permanent momentum.
The 2022 results made clear that Republican energy existed even in blue states. However, this year’s election demonstrated how quickly that energy can dissipate without effective organization, outreach, and strategy.
New Jersey became a perfect example. Conservative influencers like Scott Presler and Benny Johnson poured their efforts into the state. Even Donald Trump held a tele-rally for Ciattarelli. But while the spotlight was fixed on New Jersey, Virginia quietly collapsed. Perhaps Republicans assumed they would win there. If so, that assumption cost them dearly.
That pattern — focusing on a few symbolic races while neglecting others — has become one of the GOP’s worst habits. The Left doesn’t make that mistake. Democrats spread their efforts widely, and their campaigns know how to mobilize voters across every level of the ballot. Republicans, by contrast, have relied on enthusiasm rather than structure. Enthusiasm wins rallies, not elections.
The explanation many party officials offered for these losses — low turnout — isn’t wrong, but it’s not enough. Low turnout doesn’t just happen. It’s a symptom of voters feeling uninspired, disconnected, and unconvinced that their vote will make a difference. That’s where Democrats have outperformed Republicans.
Like him or not, Zohran Mamdani knows how to energize voters. His campaign inspired a generation of young people who might not understand the consequences of socialism, but who felt that his movement represented passion and purpose.
Donald Trump achieved something similar in 2024, mobilizing millions who had never voted before. The difference is that the national Republican Party has failed to replicate that energy at the local level.
If the GOP wants to recover in 2026, it must rediscover its purpose and learn how to communicate it. Voters must see Democrats for what they have become — a party increasingly defined by socialism, anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism, and identity politics. Democrats across the country, from mainstream leaders to grassroots organizers, supported Mamdani and others like him. That alignment gives Republicans a moral and political opening.
