Democratic socialism

New York Republicans tried to run Tuesday's elections without mentioning President Trump, but he inserted himself anyway, backing Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Hudson Valley Rep. Mike Lawler. Gov. Kathy Hochul crushed Blakeman, and Democrat Cait Conley unseated Lawler, flipping a key House seat as Democrats took control of the chamber. Democrats also posted record gains in the state Legislature, nearing historic majorities in both chambers.

In New York City, voters approved Mayor Zohran Mamdani's five ballot referendums on government efficiency. Democratic Socialists of America candidates also made gains, setting up future tension with establishment Democrats like Hochul and incoming House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries over taxation and party direction.

Voters across the country cast ballots Tuesday in midterm elections determining control of Congress and several governorships. Closely watched Senate races include Ohio (Sherrod Brown vs. Jon Husted), Texas (Ken Paxton vs. James Talarico), Iowa (Ashley Hinson vs. Josh Turek), South Carolina (Darline Graham vs. Annie Andrews), North Carolina (Roy Cooper vs. Michael Whatley), Virginia (Mark Warner vs. Mizusawa), Florida (Ashley Moody vs. Angie Nixon), Kentucky (Andy Barr vs. Charles Booker), Maine (Susan Collins vs. Troy Jackson), Alaska (Dan Sullivan vs. Mary Peltola), Delaware (Chris Coons vs. Katz) and Rhode Island (Jack Reed vs. McKay). Democrats need to flip four Senate seats for a majority. The Associated Press has already called several races: Josh Shapiro won re-election as Pennsylvania governor, J.B. Pritzker won a third term as Illinois governor, and Juliana Stratton won Illinois's Senate race, becoming one of three Black women serving simultaneously in the Senate for the first time. Early returns showed Democrats with an advantage in House and Senate tallies, with South Carolina's race unexpectedly close. In Arizona, Gov. Katie Hobbs faces Rep. Andy Biggs, and Florida's governor's race pits David Jolly against Byron Donalds.

Spending was historic, with Ohio's Senate race topping $500 million in ads and crypto group Fairshake spending heavily against Brown. Election officials in Florida, Texas and North Carolina addressed flooding, polling-place changes and technical delays as turnout ran strong nationwide, with full results expected to take hours given state-by-state counting.

Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff won reelection in Georgia, defeating Republican Rep. Mike Collins to hold one of the cycle's most closely watched Senate seats. Ossoff, first elected in a 2021 runoff, entered the race as the only Senate Democrat defending a seat in a state Trump carried in 2024, but ran an aggressively anti-Trump campaign, raised more than $100 million, and repeatedly attacked Collins over ties to white nationalist figures and alignment with Trump. Collins, who had Trump's endorsement, struggled with fundraising and to counter Ossoff's attacks. The result preserves Democrats' narrow Senate position and fuels speculation about Ossoff's national ambitions, including a possible 2028 presidential run.

California lawmakers are considering a proposed 5 percent wealth tax on billionaires ahead of a vote, a measure that critics argue could drive out wealthy residents and ultimately cost the state tens of billions in lost revenue, according to a Hoover Institution study. Gov. Gavin Newsom has opposed the proposal. Commentators have drawn comparisons to France, where high taxes and expansive welfare and pension commitments have fueled unrest and economic stagnation, raising questions for other jurisdictions considering similar tax-the-rich policies as a long-term revenue strategy.

The debate comes as prediction markets watch California's fiscal policy and the broader 2026 midterm landscape, where tariffs, foreign policy, and corruption allegations could shape control of Congress.

A Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter at Stuyvesant High School, one of New York City's most selective public schools, is drawing criticism after co-signing an Instagram post declaring "Intifada Until Victory!" alongside YDSA chapters at Hunter College, the New School, City College and Lehman College. The Oct. 8 post accused the NYC Democratic Socialists of America of silencing pro-Palestinian student activists and criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani for retaining NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, calling her a "Zionist billionaire."

United Jewish Teachers president Moshe Spern demanded the post's removal and a public apology, citing Title VI protections and calling for a review of the club's charter. School officials have not responded. NYC-DSA defended the student groups' right to organize, calling criticism "red scare tactics." The incident reflects ongoing tension over Mamdani's handling of Israel-related issues since the war began in 2023.

In Florida's 25th Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz and Republican challenger Scott Singer, both Jewish, debated their pro-Israel credentials at a Boca Raton synagogue forum ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms. The two largely agree on Israel policy — opposing conditions on U.S. military aid and rejecting genocide accusations against Israel — but clashed over Moskowitz's vote for a war powers resolution on Iran and his past vote to keep Rep. Ilhan Omar on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Moskowitz cited his AIPAC endorsement; Singer touted backing from Trump and the RJC. The redrawn district, once Biden-leaning, now favors Trump, making the race a closely watched midterm battleground.