Election Day Sees Blue Rebound | 11.5.25

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: Election Day Sees Blue Rebound | 11.5.25
Date: November 5, 2025
Host: Georgia Howe (with reporting from Cabot Phillips, Tim Pierce, Amanda Presto Giacomo)

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Overview

This episode delivers an in-depth analysis of the 2025 U.S. off-year election outcomes, which saw significant Democratic victories at the state and local levels, most notably in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and California. The discussion also highlights the challenges facing the Republican party, the leftward shift of the Democratic base, and ongoing fallout from the historic government shutdown, including potential impacts on travel and social programs.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Democrats Sweep Major State Races

(Segment: 02:48–07:49)

• New York City Mayoral Race:

  • Political newcomer and self-described socialist Zoran Mamdani wins decisively, defeating independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
  • Voter turnout was historic, with more votes by 5pm than any race in three decades.
    • Quote (Mamdani, via rally speech, 03:56):

      “New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change, a mandate for a new kind of politics, a mandate for a city we can afford, and a mandate for a government that delivers exactly that.”

    • Republicans view this as an opportunity to paint Democrats as increasingly radical in national campaigns.

• New Jersey Governor:

  • Democrat Mikie Sherrill wins over Republican Jack Cittarelli, with women voters breaking heavily for the Democrat.
    • Cabot Phillips (04:50):

      “Cittarelli won with male voters by a comfortable six point margin. But among female voters, Sherrill won by a stunning 20 point margin... those groups are simply not enough of the electorate to make a difference in the end.”

• Virginia Governorship and Statewide Offices:

  • Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeats Winsome Earl Sears by a wide margin, with the party sweeping all statewide races.

  • Republican turnout sagged in rural areas, while Democrats outperformed past cycles in population centers.

    • Cabot Phillips (05:48):

      “The Governor's race ended up being a blowout... Spanberger ran up the score in heavily populated Blue counties near D.C., well outpacing Kamala Harris's performance from a year ago.”

  • Democratic Attorney General nominee Jay Jones, despite scandal over offensive text messages, wins his race.

    • Cabot Phillips (06:45):

      “The Democrat Jones took a major hit in the polls after leaked messages showing him wishing death on the children of a political opponent... But ultimately Democratic voters in the state were seemingly undeterred as he still came out on top...”

  • Gazala Hashmi becomes the first Muslim woman to hold statewide office in the U.S.

• California Proposition 50:

  • Passes easily, giving the Democratic legislature power to redraw congressional maps—potential for five additional Democratic House seats by 2026.

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2. Rising Influence of Democratic Socialists

(Segment: 08:54–12:43)

• Democratic Party’s Leftward Drift:

  • Mamdani’s victory, with little internal pushback from party leaders, signals growing clout of the progressive and socialist wing.

  • House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and others align, despite past opposition to DSA members.

    • Hakeem Jeffries (10:02):

      “If we truly believe... that Donald Trump represents an existential threat... then House Democrats are going to have to be successful in taking back control of the House of Representatives.”

  • High-profile Democrats (Senate Majority Leader Schumer, Barack Obama) withheld endorsements but didn’t actively oppose.

• Shifting Standards on Political Scandals:

  • Scandals (e.g., Jay Jones’s messages, Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s Nazi tattoo) draw little consequence within the party.
    • Sen. Bernie Sanders, on Platner (12:14):

      “Between you and me, there might be one or two more important issues. ... I am impressed by the guy.”

  • Loyalty to party increasingly outweighs other issues, reflecting new party dynamics.

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3. Government Shutdown Impacts

(Segment: 12:49–17:03)

• Record-breaking Shutdown:

  • 36 days long, with Senate unable to pass a continuing resolution; only two Democrats side with Republicans to reopen the government.
  • Both parties blame each other for the impasse:

    • Democrats accuse Republicans of blocking healthcare subsidies.

    • Republicans say the CR is “clean”—Democrats are holding out for more spending and benefits for illegal immigrants.

    • Hakeem Jeffries (13:48):

      “There's nothing to be optimistic about relative to the cruelty and the pain that Donald Trump and Republicans continue to inflict on the American people.”

    • Cabot Phillips on Republican View (14:26):

      “In addition to their refusal to support the CR and reopen the government, the Democrats have had the audacity to also demand something new... nearly $200 billion of taxpayer funds that they want to use to restore free health benefits to illegal aliens.”

• Air Travel Threats:

  • Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy warns of “mass flight delays, mass cancellations” and potential closure of portions of airspace due to lack of air traffic controllers.
    • Duffy (15:12):

      “You will see mass flight delays, you'll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just can't manage it because we don't have the air traffic controllers.”

  • Over 5,000 flights delayed in one day; many controllers working without pay.

• SNAP Benefits Delayed:

  • 42 million Americans face delays in receiving food assistance.
  • USDA scrambling for emergency funding; process could take weeks or months.

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Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• Zoran Mamdani rally speech (03:56):

  “New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change, a mandate for a new kind of politics...”

• Cabot Phillips on New Jersey voting patterns (04:50):

  “Cittarelli won with male voters by a comfortable six point margin. But among female voters, Sherrill won by a stunning 20 point margin...”

• Cabot Phillips on Dems' strategy with Mamdani (04:18):

  “There are plenty of folks in D.C. on the right who feel that his election victory could ultimately be a gift for the GOP come next November.”

• Hakeem Jeffries on party priorities (10:02):

  “If we truly believe... that Donald Trump represents an existential threat... then House Democrats are going to have to be successful in taking back control...”

• Senator Bernie Sanders deflects on Graham Platner scandal (12:14):

  “...there might be one or two more important issues.”

• Secretary Duffy on air travel (15:12):

  “You will see mass flight delays, you'll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just can't manage it...”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment Topic | Timestamp | |----------------------------|-------------| | Election Results Overview | 02:48–07:49 | | Democratic Party Trends | 08:54–12:43 | | Government Shutdown Effects| 12:49–17:03 |

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Summary Conclusion

This Morning Wire episode underscores the Democratic Party’s resurgence in major 2025 elections, with a clear leftward tilt manifesting at both the ballot box and in party leadership responses. Republicans are left searching for silver linings as the Democrats’ urban and female voter coalitions prove decisive. Meanwhile, the government shutdown looms large, worsening everyday life for millions as partisan divides deepen over healthcare and immigration spending. The stage is set for intense debate and repositioning by both parties in the run-up to the 2026 midterms.

Transcript

[Cabot Phillips]

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[Georgia Howe]

The 2025 election results are in and the political direction of several major cities and states has been decided. I'm Georgia Howe. John's off this morning. It's Wednesday, November 5th and this is Morning Wire. This election cycle showed that the Democratic Party has taken a hard swerve left. Where does the party go from here? The Democratic Party is moving ever more progressive left, heading down to full on socialism. And as the government shutdown breaks records, Transportation Secretary Duffy warns of a massive air travel fallout.

[Cabot Phillips]

You'll see mass cancellations and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with more. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to.

[Tim Pierce]

Know.

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[Georgia Howe]

Last night, Democrats scored a number of significant victories in statewide races across New York, New Jersey, Virginia and California. Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the latest on the results. So, Cabot, this is the first big election night since President Trump's win in 2024. Tell us, what did we see?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, we said all week that Republicans would be facing an uphill battle here. The party in control of Washington almost always struggles in all fair elections, and the biggest races this year were all in blue states. But there's no doubt the Democrats in many ways exceeded expectations last night as they easily won both governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey, passed a significant ballot measure in California, and then scored an overwhel mayoral victory in New York City. We'll start with that race, which was defined by enormous turnout. By 5pm, four hours before polls closed, there had already been more votes cast than in any mayoral race in more than three decades. And that enthusiasm clearly benefited one man. Zoran Mandani. The political newcomer and self avowed socialist trounced independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa by significant margins. Here he is speaking last night at his victory rally.

[Ad Voice]

New York, tonight you have delivered a.

[Cabot Phillips]

Mandate for change, a mandate for a new kind of politics, a mandate for a city we can afford, and a.

[Ad Voice]

Mandate for a government that delivers exactly that. On January 1st, I will be sworn in as the mayor of New York City.

[Cabot Phillips]

Now, when it comes to New York City, it's worth noting it's not all doom and gloom for Republicans this morning. There are plenty of folks in D.C. on the right who feel that his election victory could ultimately be a gift for the GOP come next November. Many of his policies are just wildly unpopular nationwide. So don't be surprised if you see Republicans working to promote him as a new standard bearer for the Democratic Party. You'll see his face in a lot of campaign ads outside of New York.

[Georgia Howe]

All right, so potentially a small silver lining for the GOP there. Now let's look at New Jersey. They elected a new governor.

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah. All week this race appeared to be quite close. Most of the latest polling showed a dead heat, but it was not. Democrat Mikey Sherrill ultimately ended up scoring a decisive victory over Republican Jack Cittarelli. With the race being called within the first hour of polls closing. That was not expected. And if you dig into the numbers, ultimately this election was decided by women. According to exit polls, Citarelli won with male voters by a comfortable six point margin. But among female voters, Cheryl won by a stunning 20 point margin. Democrats also won big on two of the most important, healthcare and the economy. Exit polling showed that nearly half of New Jersey voters listed those as their top priority. Cheryl won those folks by a more than 2 to 1 margin. And much like Donald Trump, Chittarelli did best in New Jersey among working class voters and white men. But in a state like New Jersey, those groups are simply not enough of the electorate to make a difference in the end. And that's a big reason you saw Democrats have so much success there.

[Georgia Howe]

Next we had the governor's race in the Commonwealth of Virginia. What did we see there?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, it was another clean sweep for Democrats as their candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and Attorney General all came out on top. The Governor's race ended up being a blowout with Abigail Spanberger defeating winsome Earl Sears handily. The last few votes were still being counted early this morning, but it looked to be among the largest margins of victory for a Democrat gubernatorial candidate in the state in decades. Republicans, ultimately, it really struggled to drive turnout in the state's deep red rural counties, while Spanberger ran up the score in heavily populated Blue counties near D.C. well, outpacing Kamala Harris's performance from a year ago, that's important. For example, last November Harris won the all important Loudoun county by 16 points. But last night, Spanberger won it by 29%. And more broadly, if you zoom out, every single county in Virginia shifted blue compared to the 2024 election. Democrats very happy with the outcome in Virginia.

[Georgia Howe]

Now what about the Attorney General in Virginia? There was a lot of scandal surrounding J. Jones over his text messages. How did he fare?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, the Democrat Jones took a major hit in the polls after leaked messages showed him wishing death on the children of a political opponent saying, quote, only when people feel pain personally, do they move on policy. Spindberger took a lot of heat for refusing to disavow him. But ultimately Democratic voters in the state were seemingly undeterred as he still came out on top, though it was considerably closer than the Governor's race. And finally down ticket Democrat Gazala Hashmi also prevailed, becoming the first Muslim woman to hold statewide office in the US.

[Georgia Howe]

Now wrapping up, California had Prop 50 on their ballot this year. That was widely expected to pass. How did it do?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, as expected, deep blue. California voted overwhelmingly to pass Prop 50. Remember that is a constitutional amendment that will give the Democratic state legislature the power to redraw the state's congressional maps. That means that by 2026 the state could add an additional five Democratic House seats.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, Democrats no doubt waking up very happy this morning. We'll see Republicans respond over the next year or so before midterms. Cabot, thanks for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Absolutely.

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[Georgia Howe]

This election cycle has highlighted a growing socialist appetite among young Democrats. Here to break down the state of Democratic politics after Tuesday's results is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce. So Tim, let's start in New York City. What did we learn there?

[Tim Pierce]

Right, Mamdani won as projected. And maybe that's not a huge surprise in a deep blue area like New York City. And there's an argument to be made that maybe Andrew Cuomo could have won had he not split the anti momdi vote with Curtis Sliwa. But none of that changes how the Democratic Party has approached Mamdani. The truth is, is that for as radical as Mandani is to the mainstream of American politics, he faced essentially no public resistance from Democrats. Some of the biggest names in the party aligned with him, including House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. And that means something. Jeffries was just last year working against the Democratic Socialists of America, of which Mamdani is a member. Jeffries then dismissed DSA members as virtue signalers on Twitter. Now he's unable to distance himself from Mamdani. Here's a clip from Monday.

[Ad Voice]

Progressives who are disappointed at your slow.

[Georgia Howe]

Embrace of Zoran Bomdani and yesterday saying.

[Cabot Phillips]

You do not believe he's the future of the party.

[Ad Voice]

What I indicated is that if we truly believe, as many of us do, that Donald Trump represents an existential threat to everything, that in order for us to get from where we are to where we need to go and end the national nightmare, then House Democrats are going to have to be successful in taking back control of the House of Representatives.

[Tim Pierce]

Now there's a sense that many Democrats weren't pleased with Mamdani. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer never endorsed him and neither did former President Barack Obama, though Obama did call Mamdani over the weekend to complement his campaign. All this speaks to attention. These politicians see between Mamdani as a broadly unpopular figure but very popular among the Democrats left wing base, which with Mamdani win is in its ascendancy.

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

Right.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, that's in America's biggest and most influential city. But did we also see that same pattern in the other elections?

[Tim Pierce]

Yeah, and Virginia is a really good example. Now Democrat Abigail Spanberger has a reputation for being a moderate, but she struggled to come up with coherent answers on transgender policy. For instance, here she was in a debate last month.

[Cabot Phillips]

Once again, the question was should transgender girls who are biological males be allowed to use girls bathrooms and play on girls sports teams in K through 12? You have 15 seconds to clarify.

[Georgia Howe]

In cases across Virginia, I think it's incumbent upon parents and educators and administrators in each local community to make decisions locally. That's what this is about.

[Tim Pierce]

She also never distanced herself from the Democrats nominee for state attorney general, Jay Jones, despite his myriad of scandals which we've covered. The Washington Post put it this way on Monday, if Jones rides Spanberger's coattails to victory, it would be a sad reflection of a discomforting willingness among voters to prioritize partisanship over human decency. But that statement is still very much applicable to Democrats such as Spanberger, who endorsed Jones and never backed away. And this is a trend in Democratic politics right now. Up in Maine, Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner hasn't really felt any Democratic backlash except within his own campaign from having a Nazi tattoo. Here's Senator Bernie Sanders last month. Looking past it, I am not overly.

[Cabot Phillips]

Impressed by a squad of media running around saying, what do you think about the tattoo on Gran Plotner's chest? Between you and me, there might be one or Two more important issues. But let me go there. I'm not Graham's best friend. I met him several times. We did a rally in Portland, Maine, a great rally. I am impressed by the guy.

[Tim Pierce]

So Democrats have this trend that party loyalty seems to be trumping issues that look noxious to most Americans.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, an unfortunate sign of the times. Tim, thanks for reporting.

[Tim Pierce]

Thanks for having me on.

[Georgia Howe]

The government is still shut down, potentially causing major problems for upcoming holiday travel and delaying snap benefits for tens of millions of Americans. Here with the details is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presto Giacomo. So, Amanda, this government shutdown is officially the longest in American history. We're at 36 days. Now, amid all of the election activity yesterday, there was another vote. Tell us what happened there.

[Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

The Senate voted on a continuing resolution that passed the House. And for the 14th time, it failed. Only two Democrats, Pennsylvania's John Fetterman and Nevada's Catherine Cortez Masto, voted alongside Republicans to open the government.

[Georgia Howe]

So what did Democrats say was their reason for voting this way and keeping the government shut down?

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

Well, Democrats are actually saying that it's Republicans who are keeping the government shut down, and they're largely arguing that the shutdown is happening because Republicans are not on board with certain health care subsidies that they. Here's Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries just yesterday.

[Ad Voice]

There's nothing to be optimistic about relative to the cruelty and the pain that Donald Trump and Republicans continue to inflict on the American people. They refuse to address the health care crisis that Republicans have created.

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

Republicans, on the other hand, they say what they've been saying from the beginning, that the CR bill is clean. It merely maintains current funding levels without any policy changes. So Democrats refusing to vote for it. You know, they're the ones who are keeping the government shut down. House Speaker Mike Johnson also said that Democrats want to force American taxpayers to fund health care for illegal immigrants. And he said that's why this stalemate is in place right now.

[Cabot Phillips]

In addition to their refusal to support the CR and reopen the government, the Democrats have had the audacity to also demand something new. They demanded $1.5 trillion with a T in new spending obligations. Included in that is nearly $200 billion of taxpayer funds that they want to use to restore free health benefits to illegal aliens. In that same proposal as their ransom for reopening the government, they want to cut $50 billion from their rural hospital fund that the Republicans just got signed into law on July 4th.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, with the shutdown continuing, we heard a stark warning from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy about upcoming air travel. What did he say?

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

Duffy said yesterday that if this government shutdown continues, air travel is going to be severely restricted during the holiday season. Here's a direct quote. You will see mass flight delays, you'll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just can't manage it because we don't have the air traffic controllers. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said that disruptions and delays, they're already happening.

[Georgia Howe]

On Sunday alone, more than 5,000 flights traveling to and from US airports were delayed since the Democrat shutdown began. Four times as many staffing shortages have been reported at air traffic control facilities compared to last year. More than 13,000 air traffic controllers are continuing to work without pay because of the Democrats. These men and women who keep our airspace safe and moving will miss a second paycheck in a row this Friday. Now, finally, Amanda, food benefits known as SNAP have become a major focus during this shutdown. What's the latest there?

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

Yeah, so Trump said yesterday that a potential delay for this month's SNAP benefits that's going to continue for 42 million Americans until the, quote, radical left Democrats reopen the government, which he said they could easily do at any time. USDA's main webpage right now, it says that they don't have the funds to give out benefits because of Democrats. Trump's message, though, it does come just one day after the administration said that it would dip into emergency funds to partially fund SNAP. That would be with a $4.6 billion payment following a federal judge's order. A court filing did say, though, that that process could take a few weeks or even several months.

[Georgia Howe]

While tens of millions of Americans impacted by this. We'll see if Democrats come back to the table now that the elections have wrapped up. Amanda, thanks for reporting.

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

You're welcome.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with us. And for those listening to can now watch it for free on Daily Wire. Plus, we'll be back later this evening with more news. You need to know.