WASHINGTON: Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, won the New York City mayoral race on Tuesday.

Mamdani defeated Democratic former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 67, who ran as an independent after losing the nomination to Mamdani in the primary election.

In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger easily won the election for governor. And in New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the governor’s race.

The trio of races offered the beleaguered Democratic Party a test of differing campaign playbooks a year ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, when control of Congress will be at stake.

All three candidates emphasized economic issues, particularly affordability.

Spanberger, who beat Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, will take over from outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

“We sent a message to the world that in 2025 Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship,” Spanberger said in her victory speech. “We chose our Commonwealth over chaos.”

In California, voters were deciding whether to give Democratic lawmakers the power to redraw the state’s congressional map, expanding a national battle over redistricting that could determine which party controls the US House of Representatives after next year’s midterm elections.

In New York City, more than 2 million ballots including early voting were cast, according to the board of elections, the most in a mayoral race since 1969. Early vote totals in Virginia and New Jersey also outpaced the previous elections in 2021.

“The next and last stop is City Hall,” Mamdani said in a video posted to X after his victory was declared.

The self-described socialist was virtually unknown before his upset victory to secure the Democratic nomination over Cuomo.

Mamdani’s improbable rise highlights the Democratic Party’s debate over a centrist or a leftist future, with some leading national figures offering only tepid endorsements of Mamdani ahead of voting.

Syracuse University political science professor Grant Reeher said ahead of the result mayor Mamdani would face an uphill battle “at the center of all of these nasty political controversies.”

“Everybody’s got their knives out, and it’s a very difficult city to govern,” he told AFP.