Double victory for Democrats Trump camp suffers setback in gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey

Three clear victories for the Democrats, three clear defeats for candidates supported by Trump: The gubernatorial elections in New York, Virginia and New Jersey send an unmistakable signal - and call the Republican course into question.

Now that Zohran Mamdani can celebrate his success and has won the elections in New York, the Democrats' winning streak does not seem to have come to an end. The gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey have once again proved to be a barometer of the mood in American politics - and they have sent clear signals: Two convincing victories for the Democrats, a dampening setback for Donald Trump and his Republicans.

Democrat Mikie Sherrill made history in New Jersey in particular, as the NZZ reported. With over 56% of the vote, she clearly prevailed against Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who was supported by Trump. Remarkably, she won despite her party having already held the governorship for two terms - the last time the Democrats won a third consecutive election in the Garden State was in 1961. Ciattarelli, an entrepreneur and old acquaintance from the 2021 election campaign, was unable to score points this time despite Trump's backing - and finished a distant 43%.

A political earthquake in neighboring Virginia as well: Abigail Spanberger, also a Democrat and former CIA officer, won a clear victory against Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears with 57.5 percent of the vote. As the first woman to head the state, she focused on reconciliation rather than confrontation in her speech: "We have opted for pragmatism and against partisanship."

With clear centrist politics against Trump's course

Both Sherrill and Spanberger stand for a pragmatic, moderate course - far removed from left-wing identity politics, with a focus on the cost of living, energy prices and economic security. Issues that are on people's minds. In a CNN survey, 70 percent of respondents said the country was doing badly. 61 percent blame Trump's policies for the economic imbalance. Many are particularly concerned about the high cost of living.

And although Trump scores points with his immigration policy successes - such as curbing illegal immigration - his tough deportation policy is increasingly being criticized even by his party colleagues. Republican Nicole Malliotakis, for example, demanded on television: "We should focus on the criminals."

Trump appeases - but the pressure is growing

In his first reaction to Truth Social, Trump tried to play down the harsh defeats. He wrote: "...and so it begins!" - cryptic, ambiguous, without a concrete explanation. He later attributed his party's poor performance to two things: he himself had not been on the ballot paper and the threat of a government shutdown had hurt.

However, this should only provide limited reassurance. After all, Trump will not be on the ballot in the 2026 midterm elections either - and the Democrats could make further gains. In California, citizens have now even voted in favor of redrawing their electoral districts - a strategic counter-move to Trump's attempts to secure conservative advantages through gerrymandering. This would also allow the Democrats to win five new seats in the western state - a direct counterbalance to Trump's advance in Texas.