by Linley Mueller
If you’re a college student watching American politics right now, it can feel like democracy is hanging by a thread. Between rising authoritarian rhetoric, attacks on institutions, and voting rights battles, the future of the country sometimes looks more uncertain than ever. But the 2025 elections offered something rare: good news. The 2025 elections in Virginia, New York, and New Jersey weren’t supposed to be a watershed. Off-year races rarely capture national attention, but this year’s Democratic victories showed sweeping wins in governor’s races, legislative contests, and statewide offices. These wins reflect something deeper: a potential realignment in how Americans understand governance, competence, and the health of our democracy itself. In Virginia, Abigail Spanberger won the governor’s race, flipping key suburban and rural areas while helping Democrats secure other statewide offices. In New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill won by a substantial margin and bolstered Democratic strength in the state legislature. In one of the most closely watched races of the cycle, Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral election with just over 50% of the vote. He defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee. Mamdani became the first Muslim, South Asian mayor, as well as the youngest mayor of NYC in more than a century. His campaign focused on housing costs, public transportation, and affordability. He built strong support among younger voters, renters, and working-class communities, and the race drew national attention. Mamdani’s victory indicates that younger and more diverse coalitions continue to play a growing role in New York City politics.
These recent wins weren’t close victories. They were broad, coalition-based victories that cut across ideological lines and signaled a shift in voter sentiment following years of political volatility. What makes these results meaningful isn’t just who won, but why. One of the clearest themes emerging from the exit polls and campaign messaging is that Democrats succeeded by focusing relentlessly on affordability: energy costs, inflation, the price of groceries and utilities, and the overall financial pressure on ordinary households. Instead of leaning heavily on ideological framing or culture-war rhetoric, candidates emphasized practical governance: lowering costs, expanding health care access, and improving transportation and housing. This shift matters for democracy because it counters the narrative that the government is now too polarized and dysfunctional to solve real problems. When voters see campaigns rooted in tangible solutions, it reinforces the idea that democratic institutions can be rebuilt. These Democratic victories also challenge the assumption that politics must be defined by extremism. Spanberger and Sherrill are not extreme-partisan candidates; they built their campaigns on moderation, political experience, and an ability to work across divides. Their victories show that there is still a broad appeal for practical governance which is essential for stabilizing a fractured political system. Democracy weakens when voters feel that they are stuck choosing between extremes. This year’s electoral outcomes suggest that the center is expanding.
While this year’s elections weren’t solely a poll about the approval of Donald Trump, they were undeniably shaped by his time in office. For many voters, concerns about democratic backsliding, political chaos, and attacks on institutions have not faded. The Democratic pillars of stability, governance, and competence stood in stark contrast to the ongoing turbulence associated with Trump-aligned factions of the Republican Party. Voters aren’t just saying what they want, they are sending a message about what they don’t want: chaos, conspiracy-driven politics, and a disregard for institutional norms.
Democracy doesn’t collapse overnight. It erodes slowly, through disillusionment, disengagement, and the belief that politics can’t or won’t improve people’s lives. Elections like these matter because they restore some of that lost faith. These 2025 victories show that representation and diversity strengthen democratic legitimacy. If these themes carry into the 2026 midterms, we may look back on 2025 as the year the political pendulum started swinging toward democratic renewal rather than democratic decay. The Democratic playbook that emerged from this cycle–focus on affordability, emphasize moderation, expand representation–is not a guaranteed formula. But, it is a sign that American voters remain open to politics rooted in stability and problem-solving. Keeping in mind concern of the health of American democracy, this is not just good news–it’s vital.
Ultimately, democracy is strengthened not just by who wins, but by how they win and what they prioritize. This year, voters rewarded a vision of government that aims to serve, not divide. That alone is worth paying attention to, and worth building on.