Democrats Defied the Polls, Won Big and Calmed Party Nerves Ahead of 2026

Democratic candidates made history up and down the ballot in New Jersey, Virginia and New York.

Mikie Sherrill AP-25309117538766

New Jersey Democratic Gov. elect Mikie Sherrill and Lt. Gov. elect Dale Caldwell. Matt Rourke/AP

The magnitude and scope of Tuesday’s victories for Democrats were hard to ignore.

In Virginia, Democrats’ nominee for governor, Abigail Spanberger, won decisively by nearly 15 percentage points — the biggest win in a governor’s race in the state this century. The former congresswoman’s victory was sweeping, more than doubling Kamala Harris’ near 7-point victory there a year earlier.

In New Jersey, gubernatorial nominee Mikie Sherrill won easily despite polls showing a neck-and-neck contest, overcoming the blue state’s rightward shift during the 2024 election. And in Pennsylvania, three Democratic justices on the state Supreme Court easily won retention races by larger-than-expected margins.