Democrats have notched their strongest showing in decades in the 2026 midterm elections, taking control of both chambers of the United States Congress, as well as a share of the country’s gubernatorial races.
asserted
Democrats → notch → races
In the aftermath, television networks scrambled to book the night’s biggest winners and most recognisable faces to comment on the results.
asserted
networks → scramble → results
- list 2 of 4Mamdani: ‘it’s morning again in America’ after blue wave
- list 3 of 4There is reason to hope that the Democrats might deliver this time
- list 4 of 4Los
uncertain
Democrats → ’ → time
mayoral race points to growing sway of democratic socialists
asserted
race → point → socialists
But one of the most sought-after figures was not a longtime Democratic leader like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer or House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
asserted
one → seek → Schumer
It was Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City – and a figurehead for a burgeoning progressive movement.
asserted
It → burgeon → movement
At New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s re-election watch party in Midtown Manhattan, a newly shaven, moustache-wearing Mamdani took the stage to celebrate what he described as a victory for the broader left-wing political movement.
asserted
he → wear → movement
“We have begun the work of transforming our party and making it belong to working people once again,” Mamdani told a roaring crowd.
asserted
Mamdani → begin → crowd
In the days that followed, Mamdani appeared on networks ranging from left-leaning MS NOW to the more conservative Fox News to discuss the growing clout of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the organisation with which he is affiliated.
asserted
he → follow → which
Several DSA-backed candidates succeeded in the November 3 midterms, including the Mamdani-endorsed politician Claire Valdez, who won New York’s seventh congressional district.
asserted
who → back → district
Democratic socialists also triumphed in mayoral elections from Washington, DC, to Providence, Rhode Island, and Los Angeles, California.
asserted
socialists → triumph → Providence
Elsewhere, progressives captured key races around the country, including toss-up Senate contests in Maine and Michigan.
asserted
progressives → capture → Maine
Supporters of the progressive movement see this year’s midterms as a turning point for Democratic politics overall.
asserted
Supporters → see → politics
They credit Mamdani with setting the landslide in motion.
asserted
They → credit → motion
“On the candidate and campaign side, we now have a path – cleared by Zohran and now being paved by others – for this kind of authentic, populist and competent progressive leadership,” Adin Lenchner, founder of New York-based political consultancy Carroll Street Campaigns, told Al Jazeera.
asserted
Lenchner → have → Jazeera
Lenchner called figures like Mamdani “a real model nationally” for the left wing.
asserted
Lenchner → call → wing
Mayoral sway
New York City’s mayors have long occupied a prominent place in US politics, commanding a national profile well beyond the city’s limits.
asserted
mayors → occupy → limits
Rudy Giuliani, for example, was dubbed “America’s mayor” after the attacks on September 11, 2001.
asserted
Giuliani → dub → September
Bill de Blasio became a fixture on national television during the COVID-19 pandemic.
asserted
Blasio → become → pandemic
His mayoral bid was widely regarded as a long shot.
asserted
bid → regard → shot
But his grassroots organising, social media operation and economic message quickly turned his campaign into a national phenomenon.
asserted
organising → turn → phenomenon
That message – focused largely on affordability – resonated with political strategist Nomiki Konst, who worked on the 2016 presidential campaign for US Senator Bernie Sanders, another democratic socialist.
asserted
who → focus → Sanders
She remembers connecting with the Sanders campaign in a way she had not with mainstream Democrats.
asserted
she → remember → Democrats
“I couldn’t necessarily articulate my frustration with the Democratic Party and what they were not providing for me,” Konst said.
asserted
Konst → articulate → me
“But then suddenly Bernie Sanders started talking about student loan debt, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s the thing that’s killing me right now.
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that → start → me
That is why I feel like I can’t get by, like I’m just constantly on a hamster wheel.'”
asserted
I → feel → wheel
Konst is currently organising for other progressive candidates to compete in the 2028 elections, building on this year’s midterm momentum.
asserted
candidates → organise → momentum
She anticipates campaigns like Mamdani’s – that focus on the “crushing weight of this monopoly-driven crony capitalism” – will continue to be relevant in 2028, just as they were this year.
asserted
they → anticipate → 2028
For Lenchner, the success of progressive and democratic socialist candidates in the 2026 midterms hinged on affordability issues.
asserted
success → hinge → issues
Voters consistently ranked the cost of living among their top concerns in pre-election polls.
asserted
Voters → rank → polls
He pointed to the parallel with Mamdani’s 2025 campaign, which included videos explaining how street food had become so expensive.
asserted
food → point → videos
“Understanding that the same forces that make halal trucks expensive and limit immigrants from being able to run food carts are the same forces that are keeping people off healthcare and keeping their rent high,” Lenchner said.
asserted
Lenchner → understand → rent
“I think that is the connective tissue that Zohran has so expertly told the story of and connected for voters.”
asserted
Zohran → think → voters
Upending the establishment
Political insiders say Mamdani’s victory in 2025 also offered a lesson for midterm candidates today: that the political establishment is not invincible, and candidates willing to challenge it can win.
asserted
candidates → upend → it
In 2025, Mamdani’s main opponent was former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a candidate who had name recognition, political connections and institutional backing.
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who → have → recognition
Despite resigning his governorship in 2021 over sexual misconduct allegations, Cuomo was long thought to be the frontrunner.
asserted
Cuomo → resign → allegations
Instead, he lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani, 56 percent to 44.
asserted
he → lose → 44
He ran in the general election as an independent, only to lose again, with Mamdani taking just over 50 percent of the vote to Cuomo’s nearly 42 percent.
asserted
Mamdani → run → percent
Progressive operatives see that willingness to stare down long odds as one of the biggest takeaways from Mamdani’s dark-horse campaign.
asserted
operatives → see → campaign
Early in his campaign, the future mayor was polling at barely 1 percent in pre-election polls, with Cuomo by far the frontrunner.
asserted
Cuomo → poll → polls
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia
