Democrats claimed big wins on election night, picking up key victories in states like Virginia, New Jersey, and New York. But not everyone is treating the results as a major turning point for the party. Conservative CNN analyst Scott Jennings pointed out several reasons why Democrats may not want to celebrate too quickly — and why some of the candidates who won might cause more trouble for their party in the long run.
First, Jennings reminded viewers that Virginia and New Jersey have leaned blue for years. Even though Republicans did try to compete, they weren’t expected to win in either state. In Virginia, Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by 15 points. Jennings said that while the win was bigger than expected, the outcome itself wasn’t surprising. “Virginia, in particular, has never been a great bellwether,” he said. “I don’t think a lot of folks had a lot of confidence in the Virginia campaign that was run on the Republican side.”
Democrats will win the New York City mayoral election by ~30 points less than they did four years ago.
They’ll win the Virginia gubernatorial election by nearly 15 points after losing to the GOP there four years ago.
The party would be wise to make their overperforming… https://t.co/3Zl98ce8TU
— Jesse Arm (@Jesse_Leg) November 5, 2025
New Jersey’s results followed a similar pattern. Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli in a state that hasn’t gone red in a major statewide race in over a decade. Jennings suggested that Democrats winning in blue states shouldn’t be viewed as a sign of a political wave.
More concerning to Jennings — and possibly to some moderate Democrats — were the types of candidates who won, not just that they won. In New York City, far-left Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani won the mayor’s race with just 50.4% of the vote. Even in a city as deep blue as New York, the margin was narrow. Mamdani is open about being a socialist, and his agenda includes free public transit, expanded rent control, and taxpayer-funded defense for illegal immigrants.
Jennings argued that this kind of platform may appeal in New York, where the electorate has shifted leftward in recent years, but it could be damaging for Democrats elsewhere. “I see the energy in the Democratic Party tonight behind a socialist,” Jennings said. “Mamdani is an avowed socialist. It’s not what people say that he is, it’s what he says that he is.”
He also warned that Mamdani’s win could energize other far-left Democrats, like Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, who is expected to challenge current Democratic Governor Janet Mills in next year’s primary. “If you think you’re getting rid of Graham Platner in Maine now, think again,” Jennings said.
In Virginia, Democrats also elected Jay Jones as attorney general. Jones allegedly sent text messages in which he fantasized about harming his political opponents, including violent references toward Republicans and their children. Despite that, he defeated Republican Jason Miyares by almost 6 points. Some analysts have said voters may not have known about the texts or didn’t see them as a deal-breaker. But Republicans are expected to bring them up again and again as the midterms approach. “Now that Democrats have defended and elected him, he has become their liability,” Jennings said.
While Democrats may point to Spanberger’s strong showing in Virginia as proof that moderate messaging still works, Jennings believes the national party will likely focus more on the Mamdani win — even though it wasn’t a landslide. Mamdani’s narrow victory came despite running in one of the bluest cities in the country. Analysts noted that if Curtis Sliwa, the Republican in the race, had dropped out and even half his votes had gone to Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, the race would have been a lot closer.
“We will prove that there is no problem too large for government to solve and no concern too small for it to care about.” – Zohran Mamdani
His divisive acceptance speech should send chills down the spine of every freedom-loving American. Good luck, NYC. pic.twitter.com/JdBxABhfqU
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) November 5, 2025
The big question now is whether Democrats will learn from Spanberger’s message or double down on candidates like Mamdani and Jones. In the short term, they can celebrate their wins. But with the midterms around the corner, these results might open up new lines of attack from Republicans — especially in battleground states where swing voters are less enthusiastic about socialism or controversy.
