All Of It – "Recapping Yesterday's Local Elections"

Date: November 5, 2025
Host: Alison Stewart (A)
Guests: Liz Kim (WNYC/Gothamist City Hall Reporter, C), Karen Yee (WNYC Reporter, D)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the outcomes and implications of the prior day’s local elections, focusing mainly on New York City’s new mayor, Zoran Mamdani, and New Jersey’s new governor, Mikie Sherrill. The show features in-depth analysis, expert commentary from WNYC reporters, and live listener calls reflecting the city's mood, hopes, and concerns following an election night marked by high turnout and strong emotions. The discussion explores campaign promises, challenges ahead, generational and demographic shifts, and the role of national politics, especially Donald Trump, in shaping local results.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Immediate Next Steps for New York's Mayor-Elect – Zoran Mamdani

• Three Campaign Pillars
  Liz Kim outlines Mamdani’s principal campaign promises ([02:23]):

  • Fast and free buses
  • Freezing rent on rent-stabilized apartments
  • Universal childcare

  “Of those three items, the biggest ticket one is universal childcare... that has been estimated as costing between $5 billion to $8 billion a year. He will certainly need money from Albany, meaning he needs the governor’s buy-in.” — Liz Kim [03:22]

• Governance Challenges
  Emphasis on funding, navigating the city budget, and negotiating with Albany and the MTA, particularly for large-scale policies like universal pre-K and bus services [03:01]. Rent freeze likely easiest to enact via appointments to the Rent Guidelines Board.

2. New Jersey’s Gubernatorial Race – Why Mikie Sherrill Won Decisively

• Surprising Margin of Victory
  Mikie Sherrill’s win over Jack Ciattarelli, projected close, turned into a 13-point blowout:

  “I think Trump really loomed large in this election. Mikie Sherrill... positioned herself as the person who could fight Trump. ...This was a repudiation by the state against Trump.” — Karen Yee [04:15]

• Swing County Shifts
  Five counties flipped Democratic: Gloucester, Atlantic, Cumberland, Morris, and Passaic [13:05].

• Turnout and the Trump Factor
  Sherrill’s alignment as an anti-Trump centrist helped her win independents and moderate suburban voters [16:39]. Ciattarelli’s open embrace of MAGA politics pushed moderates away [04:15].

3. National Politics in Local Elections

• Trump’s Shadow in New York
  Zoran Mamdani’s confrontational stance towards Trump distinguished him from more cautious Democrats:

  “There was that video during the primary race of him... confronting Trump's immigration czar... that went viral. He really leaned into that in the general election.” — Liz Kim [05:06]

• Memorable Speech Moment
  Mamdani’s victory speech message, played live:

  “If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him... If there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.” — Mayor-elect Zoran Mamdani (speech clip) [09:12-10:25]

4. Gen Z Power and Campaign as Community

• Youth Engagement and Cultural Resonance
  Mamdani's campaign drew intense, diverse, and youthful crowds.

  “He has really transcended politics in a way to becoming a cultural figure... It was packed to the gills... hundreds of supporters waiting outside.” — Liz Kim [10:32]
  “He drops little bits of Arabic, Spanish, Hindi—he’s speaking the language of New York City. It’s a language of diversity. ...That too... tapped into young people who live in New York.” — Liz Kim [14:25]

• Listener Insight:
  Karina from NJ highlights the “source of connection for Gen Zers” ([13:26]).

5. Listener Calls: Hopes, Frustrations, and Realities

• Concerns About Policy and Revenue
  Rob from Brooklyn urges elected officials to “raise some revenue via... 2% on the top tax bracket and raising our corporate tax to match New Jersey to be able to fund these policies...” [07:59].

• ICE Detention and Compassion
  Terry from Union, NJ, voices hope that Sherrill will close “the massive ICE detention center... causing huge misery among our migrant neighbors.” [06:39]

• Skeptics and Dissent
  Daniel (Curtis Sliwa supporter) expresses disbelief at Mamdani’s “make believe” promises and laments lack of support for Sliwa [19:36].

• Generational Hope
  Rachel from Nyack shares how Mamdani’s victory instilled hope in her daughters and could make family-building possible in NYC via affordable childcare ([24:59]).

6. Governance Hurdles and Realpolitik

• Transition and Experience
  Mamdani’s “inexperience” acknowledged, but he’s “surrounding himself with people who have done this before.” [21:41]

  “You do get a bit of a pass as a first-time mayor...” — Liz Kim [22:45]

• The City’s ‘Traditional Forces’
  Real estate, entrenched power and “gravitational pull” of NYC politics will test Mamdani's ideals:

  “It’s very different to campaign and then be forced to govern and make deals... uncomfortably. ...He will be the youngest New York City mayor in over a century.” — Liz Kim [26:53]

• Promises vs. Reality
  Weekly accountability promises (e.g. “I'll go on Brian Lehrer every week”) set a bar for transparency [27:41].

7. New Jersey Specifics and Challenges

• Immediate Priorities for Sherrill
  • Declare a state of emergency to reduce utility bills [23:21]
  • "Un-terminate" the Gateway Tunnel project
  • Address ongoing issues: housing affordability, SNAP benefit delays, the need for state government to “step up” as federal support wanes

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Mamdani’s Message to Trump:
  “If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him... So Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up.” — Zoran Mamdani [09:12-10:25]

• On Gen Z and Real Connection:
  “[Mamdani] drops little bits of Arabic, Spanish, Hindi—he’s speaking the language of New York City. ...That too, I think, really tapped into young people who live in New York.” — Liz Kim [14:25]

• On Sherrill’s Win:
  “Mikie Sherrill really played into the Trump card... this was a repudiation by the state against Trump.” — Karen Yee [04:15]

• On Realism and Power:
  “A lot of it is, it’s almost like a gravitational pull. ...What are the kinds of compromises he makes? It’s quite a different thing to campaign and then be forced to govern.” — Liz Kim [26:53]

• Voter Energy:
  “Two million voters—the most since 1969... that shows you how energized people were to show up at the polls.” — Liz Kim [20:57]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:23] Mamdani’s campaign promises and challenges explained
• [04:15] Why Mikie Sherrill won New Jersey so handily
• [05:06] National politics (Trump) impact on local elections
• [09:12-10:25] Mamdani’s speech direct to Trump (audio clip)
• [10:32] Analysis: Mamdani’s cultural impact and popularity
• [13:05] NJ counties flipping Democratic
• [14:25] How the campaign mobilized Gen Z and spanned cultures
• [16:39] New Jersey political strategy and the “regular guy” appeal
• [19:36] Listener Daniel on Sliwa and skepticism about Mamdani’s agenda
• [21:41] Discussion of Mamdani’s transition and experience
• [23:21] New Jersey’s top concerns and Sherrill’s stated priorities
• [24:59] Rachel from Nyack on hope and intergenerational optimism
• [26:53] Real estate, entrenched interests, and test for the new mayor

Tone and Flow

• The conversation was lively, urgent, and deeply rooted in New York and New Jersey’s civic and cultural context.
• Host Alison Stewart created space for both expert and citizen voices, capturing the optimism, skepticism, and energy animating the city and region after a historic election.
• The analysis acknowledged both the promise and pitfalls that lie ahead for the new class of local leaders.

Summary Takeaways

• Both New York and New Jersey delivered decisive victories that reflected exhaustion with Trump-era politics and a hunger for tangible change, especially around affordability.
• Mamdani’s youth, outsider energy, and ability to mobilize a diverse, young coalition mark a new era—but so do the obstacles he now faces navigating established city politics.
• In New Jersey, Sherrill’s victory—powered by moderates and anti-Trump sentiment—shows that pragmatic centrism combined with strong opposition to Trump can be a winning formula in purple states.
• Across both states, voters are impatient for action on affordability, public services, and inclusive governance, but also wary of how political promises will translate into practical outcomes.

This summary captures all major topics and memorable moments from the "All Of It" local election recap, providing context, timestamps, and attributable quotes to convey the episode’s depth and local flavor.