Date and Event

• Tennessee’s 7th District: Expected election on December 2, 2025 (pending)

🏛 2025 House (Special) Elections / Congressional Changes

Major Statewide & Citywide Races

• In Virginia:

• Abigail Spanberger (D) won the governor’s race, defeating Winsome Earle‑Sears (R).  

• Ghazala Hashmi (D) won the lieutenant governor race, becoming the first Muslim woman elected to statewide office in the U.S. according to many reports.  

• Jay Jones (D) won the attorney general race.  

• The Democrats also flipped several seats in the state House of Delegates, shifting legislative control.  

• In New Jersey:

• Mikie Sherrill (D) won the governorship, defeating Jack Ciattarelli (R).  

• In New York City:

• Zohran Mamdani (D) won the mayoral election, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo (running independent) and the Republican candidate. His victory is described as historic.  

• In California:

• Voters approved Proposition 50, which empowers the Democratic‐controlled legislature to redraw U.S. House district maps — giving Democrats a probable advantage in upcoming House elections.  

Broader Takeaways & Context

• These elections were seen as a form of referendum on Donald Trump’s presidency. Many exit polls and analyses suggest voter dissatisfaction with the economy and national climate played a key role.  

• Local and municipal races also occurred on this date — for example in the Carolinas (municipal elections in North & South Carolina) and mayors/other local offices in various cities.  

Pennsylvania

• On the ballot were retention elections for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht (who were originally elected as Democrats). Voters chose yes to retain all three, preserving a 5-2 Democratic‐majority court.  

• There were also races to fill seats on the intermediate appellate courts (the Pennsylvania Superior Court and the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court).  

Georgia

• In Georgia, two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission (District 2 & District 3) were contested in the Nov 4 general election. The Democratic challengers (including Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard) flipped both seats, defeating longtime Republican incumbents.  

• The election in Georgia also included numerous municipal races and local contests.  

Andre Dickens was re-elected mayor of Atlanta in a four-way contest.  

• Aftab Pureval won re-election as mayor of Cincinnati, defeating Cory Bowman.  

• In Miami the mayoral race did not conclude on Nov 4 — the field is headed to a runoff between Eileen Higgins and Emilio T. Gonzalez.  

• In Stamford, Connecticut, incumbent Caroline Simmons won re-election as mayor with ~65.5% of the vote against her challenger.  

• In Atlantic City, New Jersey, incumbent Marty Small Sr. was re-elected mayor

• In the November 4, 2025 general election, Mary Sheffield was elected mayor of Detroit, defeating Solomon Kinloch Jr..  

• Sheffield will become the first woman to serve as the mayor of Detroit.  

• In the November 4, 2025 general election for mayor of Albany, Dorcey Applyrs was elected, defeating Rocco Pezzulo.  

• Her victory marks the first time a Black person has been elected mayor of Albany.  

Recent Democratic Campaign Announcements

1. Sherrod Brown – U.S. Senate (Ohio, 2026)

• Who: Former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown

• What: Announced a comeback bid for his old Senate seat in Ohio

• When: Reported 3 days ago (August 2025)  

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2. Michael Thurmond – Governor (Georgia, 2026)

• Who: Michael Thurmond, former State Labor Commissioner & DeKalb County CEO

• What: Declared his candidacy for the 2026 Georgia gubernatorial race, joining several Democrats in the primary

• When: Announced last week (early to mid-August 2025)  

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3. Derrick Jackson – Governor (Georgia, 2026)

• Who: State Representative Derrick Jackson

• What: Announced his run for governor in Georgia’s Democratic primary

• When: Announced about 2 months ago (~June 2025)  

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4. Tim Myers – Lieutenant Governor (California, 2026)

• Who: Tim Myers, founding member of OneRepublic

• What: Entered the Democratic primary for California lieutenant governor

• When: Announced last month (July 2025)  

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5. Abigail Spanberger – Governor (Virginia, 2025)

• Who: Former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger

• What: Secured the Democratic nomination for Virginia governor; also recently endorsed by the Virginia Police Benevolent Association

• When: Endorsement reported 3 days ago (mid-August 2025)  

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6. Zohran Mamdani – Mayor (New York City, 2025)

• Who: State Assemblyman and Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani

• What: Nominee and frontrunner for 2025 NYC mayor, now endorsed by Queens Borough President; previously completed citywide “Five-Boroughs Against Trump” tour

• When: Endorsement reported today (August 16, 2025); his mayoral rise featured in a Time profile 2 days ago (August 14)   

What happened:

• Janet Mills, the Democratic Governor of Maine, announced her entry into the 2026 U.S. Senate race to challenge Republican incumbent Susan Collins.  

• Mills has strong establishment support (including from Senator Catherine Cortez Masto) and is seen as one of Democrats’ better pickup opportunities; Maine voted for the Democratic presidential ticket in 2024.  

In California, State Senator Scott Wiener (Democrat) signalled he will run for the congressional seat currently held by Nancy Pelosi, who has not formally announced retirement.  

• This illustrates a generational shift within the Democratic Party: younger leaders positioning themselves, new campaigning styles, different issue emphasis (housing, tech regulation, climate).

Democrat perspective & significance:

• For Democrats, this is part of renewing their bench and appealing to younger voters. It helps the party stay relevant and responsive to emerging issues.