Sunday Summary - 9th of November 2025

Dear Reader, welcome back to your Sunday Summary! This week, we focus on the United States and the major left-wing wins. Ballots were sent in Virginia, New Jersey, California, Texas, and New York City. California and Texas voted on amendments, whilst the East Coast side elected new federal offices. Proposition 50, approved by California voters, allows the state legislature to redraw California’s U.S. House districts until after the 2030 Census. This amendment is predicted to favor the Democrats in the 2026 congressional elections. Despite the right-wing amendments being passed in Texas, the Democrats closed the week by flipping council seats, winning multiple governorships, and carrying mayoral elections across several states. What could these wins mean globally? 

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Living abroad as an American for the past five years has shown me, from a distance, how fragile our democracy has become. Throughout Trump’s second term of administration, which has been less than a year, Americans have lost faith in their country, decreasing our nationalism. In a historic low, only 58% of Americans are “very” proud of the country and its leadership. 

As an international student, I have come to dread the question, “Where are you from?” The embarrassment I feel in answering says more about my country’s turmoil than it does about me. The emotional and political rollercoaster the United States has been on has led me to question whether we will ever again be a functional, united country. 

American politics are often never just American. When the U.S. sways to the right, it seems the world follows. When someone like Zohran Mamdani wins in New York, I observed a ripple of hope spreading across social media platforms, extending from Paris to Seoul. Mamdani’s win was unexpected, as his progressive platform did not align with the city’s pragmatic centrism; his policies were seen as too far left. Mamdani’s win serves as a reminder to progressives everywhere that justice can still win, even in unlikely places. 

Figure 1 - Zohran Mamdani at the “Resist Fascism” rally, October 2024

 Since the nineteenth century, New York has been a gateway for immigrants, evolving into one of the most diverse cities in the country. Mamdani embodies that legacy, being the son of immigrants. The symbolism of an immigrant’s child rising to become New York City’s mayor-elect is nothing short of remarkable, but it also represents what the city is.

When I saw Mamdani’s victory in New York City, it reminded me that perhaps the America I once believed in isn’t gone, just buried under cynicism.  

In New York City, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the mayoralty with a platform program based on rent control, free public transit, universal childcare, and higher taxes on the wealthy. Mamdani’s unapologetically socialist platform struck a chord not just because of policies, but because it reflected the frustration many voters feel with endless scrutiny and inequality. Mamdani is reshaping domestic and international perceptions of what the left can achieve in a country where the administration supports policies that strip away human rights. 

 This win represents a generational shift in U.S. urban politics. Young voters, renters, and the working-class communities turned out in record numbers. The issues Mamdani campaigned for are not specific to Americans. The same battles are being fought in Parisian suburbs, in Berlin’s housing cooperatives, and Madrid’s public square. Mamdani’s platform goes beyond New York City; London, Paris, Berlin, and Madrid also struggle with rent control, childcare, and taxing the rich. Europe’s left parties, such as La France Insoumise, acknowledge these wins while reminding the left that there is still an uphill battle. Global progressives describe it as a signal that the tide can turn. London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan congratulated Mamdani, describing his win as “a victory for hope.” The left is globalizing again, and New York has finally rejoined. 

Going hand in hand with Mamdani’s win, Abigail Spanberger won the governorship in Virginia, sweeping statewide offices and flipping the state legislature in the process. In my home state of New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill won the governorship, succeeding the role from former Democratic governor Phil Murphy.

The hope American citizens are feeling isn’t just credited to Mamdani, but other concurrent elections. This set of victories for the Democratic Party will be international, impacting left-wing politicians globally. So, what does this say about America now that we have Democrats back in leading our states and cities? 

As the far right rises across Europe and the left feels weakened, we see a glimmer of hope shine through. In a nation built on capitalism and division, Mamdani’s win feels like a small miracle; proof that fairness, community, and public good still have a place in the American dream.

Maybe tides are shifting. Maybe hope isn’t dead yet.