Memorandum RE: Moving Forward to 2026 with Majority Democrats

Overview

Tonight was a good night for Democrats and good news for Majority Democrats, who saw two members, Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey, elected governor. As governors, Spanberger and Sherrill will have an opportunity to deliver on the issues voters care about and show what it means when a Majority Democrat leads. Just like in their campaigns, we will be there to support them every step of the way.

Both these campaigns faced unique local, historical, and political challenges, and in both cases, they overcame them.

• In past cycles, Virginia has been a competitive state. Spanberger entered this campaign in a political climate shaped by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, who maintained a relatively strong 50% approval rating.
• In New Jersey, voters haven’t elected a governor of the same party three times in a row since 1961.

Learning the lessons of these off-year races will be important if Democrats want to succeed in 2026. By running tight, disciplined campaigns that focus on the issues voters actually care about, it will be harder for Republicans’ culture-war attacks to land. That’s how Democrats can become a majority party again.

Listen to Voters

Democrats must meet voters where they are on issues, not where we want them to be. Spanberger and Sherrill provided a model this year by understanding that the economic pain voters are feeling should be front and center in their campaigns.

In Virginia, Spanberger focused her campaign on lowering costs for Virginia families, growing the commonwealth’s economy, and ensuring its schools are the best in the nation. Knowing that the cost of living was the top issue for Virginia voters, she prioritized releasing her Affordable Virginia Plan to lower Virginians’ healthcare, housing, and energy costs.

She also took on issues and allies other Democrats have avoided, showing she’s a different kind of Democrat. She released a detailed public safety plan, emphasized her federal law enforcement and intelligence experience, and won the endorsement of the Virginia Police Benevolent Association (VAPBA) — the group’s first endorsement of a Democrat for governor since 2009.

In New Jersey, Sherrill ran on affordability and costs, zeroing in on out-of-control utility bills that made New Jersey increasingly unaffordable. Through her Save You Time and Money Agenda, she shared her vision to make it easier to start and run businesses, create a customer-service-oriented approach to governance, and modernize New Jersey’s outdated operating systems and red tape that create frustration and inefficiency.

These campaigns showed that relentless focus on costs and affordability can break through and build valuable trust with voters. Listening to voters when they tell us what is most important to them is a winning formula and Democrats should look to this election as proof that we need to offer solutions on the issues voters care about.

Compete Everywhere and Do So Authentically

In Virginia, the GOP went all-in on inflaming the culture wars. Their efforts failed, and Spanberger did something more Democrats should do: she reached out to Trump voters and campaigned in places Democrats don’t traditionally go to, making several targeted swings through central and rural Virginia. Last week, she launched her “Virginia Votes” bus tour, traveling across the Shenandoah Valley, Central Virginia, and Northern Virginia to meet with voters in small towns, on college campuses, and at local businesses. Her closing message focused squarely on the economy, cost of living, and job growth. This was her second statewide bus tour; earlier this year, Spanberger completed her eight-day, 49-stop “Span Virginia Bus Tour,” which energized voters across the Commonwealth and took Spanberger to parts of Virginia Democrats traditionally don’t campaign in, including the central rural parts of the Commonwealth.

Along the way, she used her biography to connect with voters. She talked about being a mom of three kids in Virginia public schools, while touting her commitment to making Virginia’s schools the best in the nation. In August, she announced her Strengthening Virginia Schools Plan to improve Virginia’s child care and early childhood education programs, K-12 schools, and institutions of higher education.

Virginia’s political landscape offered Democrats an opportunity to show they’re not afraid to speak with Trump voters or make a compelling case for their support. Spanberger seized that mantle and showed other Democrats the benefits of going everywhere and talking to everyone.

Don’t Just Focus on Trump - But When You Do, Make it Pointed, Local, and Relevant

No matter how unpopular he is, it’s not enough for Democrats to just attack Donald Trump. Democrats need to put forward a positive, affirmative vision of what they will do to make people’s lives tangibly better.

But when they do go after Trump, the attacks need to be pointed, specific, and have direct local impacts. We saw this play out again in both New Jersey and Virginia, where the campaigns focused on lowering costs and delivering competent governance that played into their contrasts with Trump.

• Both Spanberger and Sherrill were able to tie their opponents to Trump effectively, but neither made it the central plank of their campaigns. In Virginia, Spanberger was quick to raise the federal layoffs and DOGE in the beginning of the campaign — drawing the contrast with her opponent, who stood by as thousands of Virginians lost their jobs. This was not an ambiguous hit on Trump, it was tied directly to her opponent’s inaction and the different approach she would take as governor.
• In New Jersey, Donald Trump’s decision to terminate the Gateway Tunnel Project — a project that would have created good-paying jobs, eased traffic congestion, and boosted the state’s economy — gave Democrats a potent opening. Rather than getting bogged down in process arguments or bureaucratic blame, the campaign focused on the economic fallout. They turned what seemed like a Washington decision into a local attack on Ciattarelli, boxing him in between his loyalty to Trump and the damage the cancellation would cause to the state. To drive the message home, they enlisted surrogates like former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to amplify the contrast. Sherrill positioned herself as the candidate fighting for New Jersey jobs and families, while Ciattarelli appeared willing to put partisanship ahead of the state’s interests.

Voters have seen attacks on Donald Trump for more than a decade. They know who he is and who he is not. Capitalizing on the damage the GOP is doing should be paired with a clear alternative — both in policy and vision.

Spanberger and Sherrill were very clear about the harm Trump has inflicted on both New Jersey and Virginia, and took the time to draw contrast while also selling their agendas to voters.

It worked.

Success at the Local Level

In Cincinnati, Majority Democrat Mayor Aftab Pureval won reelection with over 78% of the vote in a high profile race against JD Vance’s half brother. In Scranton, Mayor Paige Cognetti had a “dominant” re-election victory on Tuesday night, winning with 57% of the vote. Her closest opponent earned only 21% of the vote. Both of these leaders represent the Majority Democrats’ mold of not only winning, but working to build the biggest and broadest coalition possible.

Thanks to the leadership of Majority Democrats member Speaker Don Scott, Democrats now have the largest Democratic House majority in Virginia in nearly four decades. Democrats picked up 13 seats, including 5 Trump seats, marking the largest expansion of a majority in 50 years. Because of this, Democrats now have a “trifecta” in Virginia, winning all statewide races and holding a majority in both the House of Delegates and the State Senate.

Moving Forward with Majority Democrats

From city halls to Congress, coast to coast, Majority Democrats consistently outperform the Democratic Party as a whole.

They are the next generation of Democratic leaders—willing to challenge the establishment and break with party orthodoxy. They understand what matters to their communities and know how to win, especially in the places where Democrats underperform. In the coming months, Majority Democrats will be hosting a series of events in key areas to hear from and engage with voters directly. They will release a playbook for aligned Democrats to build on as they run and govern. This initiative represents not just a path to winning the next election, but a long-term effort aimed at ushering in a new era of Democratic leadership.