Democrats reveled in November blowout wins by Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race and by Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial contests. They had good reason. Mamdani defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo by nearly 10 points, while Spanberger crushed then–Lieutenant Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by more than 15 points. In New Jersey, the one race Republicans believed they had a chance in, Sherrill scored a landslide victory over businessman Jack Ciattarelli, winning by 14.4%.
The blue wave even swept Virginia’s embattled Democratic candidate for attorney general, Jay Jones, into office. You may recall that Jones came under intense fire from Republicans when The National Review published text messages he’d sent in 2022 in which he fantasized about the violent deaths of former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R) and his children.
At any rate, pumped up by the taste of victory after a year in the political wilderness, party leaders gloated, framing the results as a referendum on the Trump administration and a springboard for Democrats to reclaim the House in 2026.
But they may have celebrated a bit too soon. Their lofty expectations assumed that constituents would be pleased with their job performance. Instead, Democrats may find that their Election Day trifecta could ultimately hurt the party’s chances of victory in the midterm elections.
Throughout his campaign, Democratic socialist Mamdani was transparent about his far-left worldview and what he hoped to accomplish in office, and that honesty appealed to more than 50% of voters in the Big Apple. Such ideological candor may be rewarded in New York City, but it would be politically toxic in a statewide race. Well aware of this reality, both Spanberger and Sherrill presented themselves as centrist Democrats on the campaign trail.
While Sherrill has been in office for only one day, and it’s too early to assess how she will govern, Spanberger, who was inaugurated on Saturday, burst out of the gates guns blazing, making clear from the outset the radical nature of her political roots.
No one should be surprised. Spanberger’s congressional voting record was nearly 100% aligned with the Democrats’ progressive agenda.
Virginians asked for it, and if the flurry of bills introduced in Spanberger’s first 72 hours in office pass, and with a Democratic supermajority, they likely will, residents of the Old Dominion are going to get it “good and hard.” If enacted, these proposals would raise taxes substantially, shorten sentences for violent criminals, erode election integrity statewide, and more.
The most noteworthy aspect of the new initiatives is that, sometime between Election Day and Inauguration Day, Spanberger and Democratic members of Virginia’s General Assembly seemed to abandon any concern for “affordability,” the buzzword that was said to resonate so powerfully with voters during the 2025 election cycle.
Let’s start with the tax increases: HB 979 would create two new tax brackets. Currently, Virginians are taxed at 5.75% on all income over $17,000. If this bill passes, residents earning between $600,000 and $1 million will be taxed at 8%, and those earning more than $1 million will pay 10%.
Before anyone argues that these taxpayers can well afford it, remember this group includes farmers, small businesses, and sole proprietors, many of whom are about to be “crushed” by the effect.
Additionally, there are four proposed tax hikes. HB 378 proposes a “3.8% net investment income tax on individuals, trusts, and estates.” HB 900 recommends “a new tax on each and every retail delivery in Northern Virginia — Amazon, Uber Eats, FedEx, UPS, etc.” HB 919 centers on “a firearm and ammunition tax equal to 11% of the gross receipts from the retail sale of any firearm or ammunition by a dealer in firearms, firearms manufacturer, or ammunition vendor.” And HB 978 “extends the retail sales and use tax to dry cleaning, landscaping, and other previously exempt services.”
What happened to affordability?
This legislative blitz has something for everyone, including convicted criminals in the state.
HB 863 would “eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing for rape, manslaughter, assaulting a law enforcement officer, possession and distribution of child pornography, and all repeat violent felonies.”
Election integrity in the state would take a hit if HB 968 becomes law. This measure would require “ballot scanner machines to be used to count machine-readable ballots” and ban the hand counting of ballots “for any reason or purpose not specifically authorized for by law.”
As one alarmed Virginian reported on X, HB 61 would put white men at a distinct disadvantage when bidding on government contracts.
Naturally, Spanberger’s first order of business was to end Virginia’s cooperation with ICE.
Additionally, the Virginia state Senate passed a constitutional amendment on Friday that, if approved by a statewide referendum scheduled for April, would allow the Democrat-controlled legislature to redraw the state’s congressional maps before voters head to the polls this fall. This move could hand the Democrats four new seats in Congress.
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The lesson for Democrats should be obvious: sweeping victories do not confer unlimited permission to govern as if campaign promises no longer matter. By moving so aggressively and transparently away from the moderation and “affordability” rhetoric that helped secure their wins, Virginia Democrats risk turning their big win into a cautionary tale. Voters may tolerate ideological adventurism in deep-blue cities like New York, but statewide electorates are less forgiving when taxes rise, public safety weakens, and political power is consolidated.
Mikie Sherrill should take note.
