Key takeaways from Election Day: Democratic wins darken Trump’s ‘golden age’

Texas offered the only breath of fresh air in the drubbing received by the Republican Party and Donald Trump on Election Day on Nov. 4. Approval of amending the state constitution to guarantee parental rights and making citizenship mandatory to vote were the main good news for a GOP that lost Virginia and saw a Socialist take over the New York mayor’s office. The party also fell short in New Jersey and Gavin Newsom's Proposition 50 triumphed in California.

What's worse is not just the crushing defeat on election night, but that Democrats have been quick to sell the results as a plebiscite against Donald Trump's policies after less than a year in the White House and a serious warning ahead of the 2026 midterms.

An incentive for Democrats to maintain a radical opposition to Trump

Moreover, these are victories that incentivize Blue Party leaders to maintain the policy of radical opposition to Trump's initiatives in all fields and places. The first battleground, the Senate, where Chuck Schumer knocked down for the 14th time the continuing resolution proposal of the Republicans and made the shutdown the longest in history, despite the damage beginning to be suffered by citizens and, of course more intensely, more than a million federal employees and the military.

It’s also a signal for figures like Pritzker, Newsom and company to continue their war against ICE and raids to capture immigrants with criminal records in their regions. They will be joined in New York City by radical socialist Zohran Mamdani, who promises to expand the sanctuary city aspects of his domains and torpedo Trump's initiatives in any way he can.

Election Day paves the way for redistricting in Virginia

Another tough setback was the results from Virginia, where Democrats further strengthened their dominance in both state Houses, with the flipping of some 13 seats in the House of Delegates and victories by Abigail Spanberger in the Governor's race, Ghazala Hashmi as Lieutenant Governor and even of the controversial Jay Jones as Attorney General despite his latest serious scandals.

This may have broader consequences because it paves the way for a new chapter of gerrymandering statehood that benefits the Blue Party in the upcoming midterms, something the governor-elect has favored.

The victory in Proposition 50? A stepping stone to Newsom's 2028 bid?

A race started by Texas, in favor of Republicans, and one that Democrats have been quick to imitate. Gavin Newsom turned his Proposition 50 into a banner, with redistricting that puts 5 Republican seats in serious trouble. After the victory, Newsom did not cease sharing AI-generated videos mocking Trump. His statements were also clear: "Donald Trump provoked the bear. And the bear roared in response."

Republican disappointment in New Jersey

Nor did the GOP get the desired result in New Jersey. Despite being a traditionally Democratic state, conservatives had high expectations of taking over the gubernatorial mansion. In the end, the Blue Party will retain the helm in the hands of Mikie Sherrill.

Trump blames defeat on not being on the ballot and government shutdown

With all eyes on the White House response, Donald Trump was quick to launch his analysis of Election Day. He did so through a message on his Truth Social account, in which he blamed the poor results on his name not being on the ballots and the shutdown, "according to pollsters."

"TRUMP WAS NOT ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST THE ELECTION TONIGHT."

"Republicans win with Trump. Without him, they can’t bring out the vote"

Among these opinionators is Mike Cernovich, who noted in a post on X that "When Trump isn't on the ballot, low propensity voters stay home. We saw these same patterns in every election since 2016. Republicans win with Trump. Without him, they can’t bring out the vote."

In the same vein, but even harsher, pollster Richard Baris expressed himself: "The Republican Party is filled with losers. They were dead until Donald Trump came along. I’ve been screaming for months about this."

Trump's interest in foreign versus domestic causes, another point

Baris, moreover, added another point to explain the debacle: Trump's interest in foreign causes has been perceived negatively by many voters, especially young people, more concerned about home issues like the shutdown.

"I don’t care what’s going on in Ukraine. I don’t care about what’s going on in Venezuela. I don’t care about any of this. These voters were dramatically impacted by the shutdown. The MAGA agenda that these people voted for all over the country was designed to make their lives better. Give it back to the people who voted for you and make their lives better and maybe you can salvage this before it’s too late."

Trump again insists on eliminating filibuster to end shutdown

Something the president took good note of. His next posts were to again demand Republican senators use the "nuclear option" and eliminate the filibuster to take away the Democrats' ability to continue prolonging the government shutdown and blocking their agenda.

Following the call to end this measure, Trump returned to the networks to launch a defiant "and so it begins..."