By Andy Brack
With big Democratic wins this week in New York City, Virginia, New Jersey and California, let’s offer a few observations and then look at whether these off-year elections mean anything for South Carolina.
New York: A young, charismatic candidate, Zohran Mamdani, who sticks like Krazy to a message of making housing affordable and governing to help working people, trounced an older establishment Democrat running as an independent with the backing of President Trump.
Virginia: Charismatic former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, long seen as a rising Democratic Party star, led the state’s efforts with a 15-point win for the governor’s office in a backlash election that tipped the balance of the state’s House of Delegates to Democrats.
New Jersey: Mikie Sherrill, a powerful and charismatic former Navy pilot, energized a Democratic base that was getting lethargic by running a brutal anti-Trump campaign that resonated. By comparison, her GOP opponent seemed to play it safe with a balancing act on Trump.
California: A charismatic governor, Gavin Newsom, pushed through a ballot proposition in a landslide that will allow the state to redraw congressional districts to counter gerrymandering efforts by red states to fiddle with control of Congress. Almost 9 million people voted in a measure that had 2.4 million more yes votes – 63% – than those in opposition.
Closer to home, Charleston voters sent four of six candidates to city council – three newcomers and one incumbent – who pledged more transparency after two years of the administration of freshman mayor William Cogswell, a developer who seems more comfortable with private meetings than public.
A common link in these elections appears to be charisma – a charm that has been missing in South Carolina statewide and legislative candidates in general in recent years.
What also has been missing – and something that Mamdani proved in New York – is that having a strong clear message that focuses on regular people will energize voters.
What Tuesday’s elections also may reveal are cracks in 10 years of political obfuscation and noise from Trump and his sycophants. Moderate mainstream voters from both parties who voted for Trump in 2024 may be feeling a little hoodwinked thanks to 10 months of governmental confusion that has led to the longest federal government shutdown in history, canceled flights at airports and food shortages.
They also may be perplexed by high grocery prices that Trump said he’d fix but hasn’t, in part due to a global tariff war that is making things tough all around.
What’s not helping are national Democratic leaders who still seem like they’ve got their fingers in their ears and mouths laced shut. Sure, they’re sticking together during the shutdown to try to keep health care bills from soaring, but when it comes to elucidating a clear message that resonates, they still fail.
If Democrats in South Carolina or nationally want to continue a blue wave at the midterms and then two years later in presidential politics, they’ve got to start standing for something that’s more than “we don’t like Trump.” They need a coordinated positive message that focuses on building economic opportunities, strengthening democratic institutions and promoting fairness and equality. Just saying no all of the time ain’t going to cut it if they want to retake Congress and the White House.
Charisma is good, as any populist will tell you. But substance – “It’s the economy, stupid” or “Tax the rich to make things fair” – is important, too.
Tuesday’s elections showed what fresh candidates can do – and that should have incumbents in both parties scared. The 2026 elections here and in Washington could be our state’s most important yet, particularly for anyone who wants real change.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of the Charleston City Paper and Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send it to feedback@statehousereport.com.
