Democrats swept three key statewide races during Tuesday's election, propelled by voters expressing "buyer's remorse" over President Donald Trump's second administration, according to one analyst.
CNN's Van Jones joined the network's election night coverage to discuss Democrats winning key races in New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and New York City. His comments come at a time when Democrats are seeking to ride the wave of enthusiasm into the 2026 midterm election.
"One of the things that I think people are seeing, not just from [Zohran] Mamdani, but from the moderates as well, is this focus on kitchen table issues," Jones said. "We used to talk about this in weird ways. Income inequality, wealth disparity, economic justice. It was people describing a problem that they didn't have."
"Now you got people who are talking like the people who have the problem," he continued. "I can't afford nothing. And somebody who can talk that way, whether on the left of our party or the middle of our party, is going to have a big audience. And this buyer's remorse that's setting in now from other people is a big problem for the Republicans."
Democrats picked up some big gains in statewide elections on Tuesday.
In Virginia, Democrats won the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General races. The race for Governor was called less than an hour after the polls closed, and experts have suggested that enthusiasm for Democrat Abigail Spanberger helped buoy other Democrats down the ticket.
Voters in New Jersey also elected Democrat Mikie Sherrill over Republican Jack Ciattarelli. CNN's John King said the election results were "a warning shot" for the White House.
Democrats also picked up seats in Georgia's Public Service Commission, which is the first time Democrats have controlled a non-federal office in the state in two decades.
Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani also won the mayoral election in New York City over Trump-backed former mayor Andrew Cuomo. delete
