--- title: The Right’s Reactions to Democrats’ Big Night description: Trump, other Republican politicians, and conservative commentators rationalized their losses, smeared Democratic victors, and started looking to 2026. canonical: https://time.com/7331260/republican-reactions-democrat-wins-elections-mamdani-trump-midterms/ author: Chad de Guzman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-11-05T04:30:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2025-11-10T17:16:38.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: The Right’s Reactions to Democrats’ Big Night og:description: Trump, other Republican politicians, and conservative commentators rationalized their losses, smeared Democratic victors, and started looking to 2026. og:url: https://time.com/7331260/republican-reactions-democrat-wins-elections-mamdani-trump-midterms/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfe870d799b319308/6998cb6c7323afb95a2bd030/mamdani-win.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-VOTE-NEW YORK-MAMDANI og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Right’s Reactions to Democrats’ Big Night twitter:description: Trump, other Republican politicians, and conservative commentators rationalized their losses, smeared Democratic victors, and started looking to 2026. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfe870d799b319308/6998cb6c7323afb95a2bd030/mamdani-win.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How the Right Is Reacting to Democrats’ Big Night > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=64755f0e-23c3-4d10-a44f-e004e53fb09e&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch: Zohran Mamdani Gives Victory Speech After Winning New York Mayor’s Race [Watch (HLS stream): Watch: Zohran Mamdani Gives Victory Speech After Winning New York Mayor’s Race](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mYhF89bH.m3u8) (1:07:10)  _Published 2025-11-05. Zohran Mamdani, the millennial socialist whose unabashedly left-wing campaign for Mayor of New York City unnerved many national Democrats but emboldened others, prevailed Tuesday as expected at the ballot box, installing him as leader of the nation’s largest city and a potentially powerful figure within a party looking for its next act._ by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/) and [Miranda Jeyaretnam](https://time.com/author/miranda-jeyaretnam/) Updated: Nov 10, 2025 5:16 PM UTCPublished: Nov 5, 2025 4:30 AM UTC Zohran Mamdani, the millennial socialist whose unabashedly left-wing campaign for Mayor of New York City unnerved many national Democrats but emboldened others, prevailed Tuesday as expected at the ballot box, installing him as leader of the nation’s largest city and a potentially powerful figure within a party looking for its next act. by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/) and [Miranda Jeyaretnam](https://time.com/author/miranda-jeyaretnam/) Updated: Nov 10, 2025 5:16 PM UTCPublished: Nov 5, 2025 4:30 AM UTC Tuesday was a good day for Democrats. The party’s candidates, Reps. [Mikie Sherrill](https://time.com/7331194/mikie-sherrill-wins-new-jersey-governor-race/) and [Abigail Spanberger](https://19thnews.org/2025/11/abigail-spanberger-virginia-first-woman-governor/), won their respective governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia. Democrats retained a majority on [Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/pennsylvania-supreme-court-vote-election-race-retains-justices-rcna238914). Californians [approved](https://time.com/7331172/california-redistricting-proposition-50-result-newsom/) a pro-Democrat redistricting measure to counter Republican redistricting elsewhere. And, in perhaps the most watched race of the year, Democratic socialist [Zohran Mamdani](https://time.com/7308924/zohran-mamdani-interview-time/) defeated the Donald [Trump-endorsed](https://time.com/7330806/trump-cuomo-mamdani-nyc-mayor-race/) former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to become [New York City’s next mayor](https://time.com/7331192/zohran-mamdani-wins-nyc-mayor-race/). President Trump reacted to the results Tuesday night in a [post on Truth Social](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115494873923565600), quoting anonymous pollsters: “‘TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,’ according to Pollsters.” Trump’s initial reaction didn’t mention any specific race but appeared to signify a potential introspection by the Republican leader about the ongoing government shutdown, which at midnight [became the longest-ever in U.S. history](https://time.com/7331167/longest-government-shutdown-history/) and which the GOP has tried to blame on Democrats. It also signals potentially more direct [involvement](https://time.com/7330742/trump-election-day-polling/) from Trump himself in trying to turn out voters next year when he also won’t be on the ballot but the Republican majorities in the House and Senate will be. Later, Trump [reiterated](https://time.com/7330524/what-is-a-filibuster-trump-fights-to-terminate-it/) calls for congressional Republicans to “[terminate the filibuster](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115495015896453646)” and “[pass voter reform](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115495081097004172).” And he capped off the evening with [a cryptic post](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump): “…AND SO IT BEGINS!” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who has been described as an architect of Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda, appeared to rationalize Mamdani’s victory in New York City by [posting on X](https://x.com/StephenM/status/1985907043929145605) a screenshot of a statistic that says, “Almost 50 percent of New Yorkers live in family households with at least one immigrant.” Other Republicans reacted to Mamdani’s win with fear-mongering language similar to that which failed in the campaign opposing the 34-year-old Democrat. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R, La.) claimed: “Democrats in New York City have chosen a true extremist and Marxist, and the consequences will be felt across our entire nation.” Johnson [posted on X](https://x.com/MikeJohnson/status/1985900698102272091) that “Zohran Mamdani’s election cements the Democrat Party’s transformation to a radical, big-government socialist party,” and that while “Mamdani’s extreme agenda is the future of the Democrat Party,” the GOP “will never allow it to be the future of America.” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, (R, La.) [echoed Johnson on X](https://x.com/SteveScaliseGOP/status/1985900291833626794), saying that New York City has “officially fallen to the radical socialist wing of the Democrat party and New Yorkers will pay the price.” Rep. Randy Fine (R, Fla.) [posted on X](https://x.com/RepFine/status/1985899881639088504): “Legal immigrants who hate America elected a Communist Muslim Jihadist. New York City has fallen. America is next if we don’t stop it.” “Bread lines about to be a real thing in New York. Congrats,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R, S.C.) [posted](https://www.congress.gov/member/nancy-mace/M000194). Texas Gov. Greg Abbott [posted](https://x.com/GregAbbott%5FTX/status/1985898940248568033), “Join me for a moment of silence for NYC. Thoughts & prayers.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, speaking to Fox News Tuesday night as results came in, said that Mamdani will “make the de Blasio reign look like the ‘golden age,’” referring to the [unpopular Democratic former Mayor Bill De Blasio](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/12/bill-de-blasio-remains-unpopular.html). Sen. Rick Scott (R, Fla.) invited those disappointed with Mamdani’s victory to move. “Florida has welcomed those fleeing communist and socialist regimes for decades,” Scott [posted](https://x.com/ScottforFlorida/status/1985901479324979553). “Tonight is no different—Florida will welcome all freedom-loving New Yorkers!” Rep. Mike Lawler (R, N.Y.) [reposted](https://x.com/lawler4ny/status/1985910904941162560) comments he made about Mamdani on Fox News earlier Tuesday. “You have an avowed socialist engaged in Marxist theory talking about freezing the rent, banning private property ownership, seizing the means of production, defunding the police, shutting down prisons, legalizing prostitution, oh, and raising taxes by $9 billion in the financial capital of the world,” he said, before alluding to 2026 midterm elections: “Yeah, this is not going to go well in the suburbs of New York next year.” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R, N.Y.), who is reportedly set to launch a bid for New York governor, blamed incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who endorsed Mamdani, for Mamdani’s victory, saying that under Hochul, New York City “has now fallen to a pro-Hamas, Defund the Police, Tax Hiking, Antisemite Jihadist Communist.” “And instead of standing up for hardworking New York families, Kathy Hochul proved once again that she is truly the Worst Governor in America with her desperate endorsement of Commie Mamdani,” Stefanik [posted on X](https://x.com/EliseStefanik/status/1985906897862471891). The National Republican Congressional Committee, which supports GOP members in Congress, [said in a statement](https://x.com/sahilkapur/status/1985899607155446105) that the Democratic Party “has surrendered to radical socialist Zohran Mamdani and the far-left mob who are now running the show.” According to NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella, Democrats have “proudly embraced defunding the police, abolishing ICE, taxing hard-working Americans to death, and replacing common sense with chaos. Every House Democrat is foolishly complicit in their party’s collapse, and voters will make them pay in 2026.” Conservative commentators also joined in the chorus of chagrin. Jack Posobiec [called Mamdani’s victory](https://x.com/TPostMillennial/status/1985934119943991657) a byproduct of “resentment politics” and “grievance politics.” And right-wing conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, across multiple X posts, asserted that an “[Islamic takeover of America is in full swing](https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/1985899650344210586),” that “[America is about to become an ever more violent country as communism and Sharia have become normalized](https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/1985883966893699304),” and that “[Republicans didn’t do anything to stop the rise of jihadist candidates across our country tonight](https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/1985881784924688432).” Other Mamdani opponents, however, like billionaire Bill Ackman, who [poured at least $1.75 million](https://time.com/7331119/zohran-mamdani-billionaires-ackman-bloomberg/) into anti-Mamdani and pro-Cuomo PACs, took a more conciliatory tack. “Now you have a big responsibility,” he [posted](https://x.com/BillAckman/status/1985909487363113246), congratulating Mamdani. “If I can help NYC, just let me know what I can do.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7331260/republican-reactions-democrat-wins-elections-mamdani-trump-midterms/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7331260/republican-reactions-democrat-wins-elections-mamdani-trump-midterms/"},"headline":"How the Right Is Reacting to Democrats’ Big Night","datePublished":"2025-11-05T04:30:00.000Z","dateModified":"2025-11-10T17:16:38.000Z","description":"Trump, other Republican politicians, and conservative commentators rationalized their losses, smeared Democratic victors, and started looking to 2026.","url":"https://time.com/7331260/republican-reactions-democrat-wins-elections-mamdani-trump-midterms/","keywords":["elections","Donald Trump","overnight","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfe870d799b319308/6998cb6c7323afb95a2bd030/mamdani-win.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chad de Guzman","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Miranda Jeyaretnam","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/miranda-jeyaretnam/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfe870d799b319308/6998cb6c7323afb95a2bd030/mamdani-win.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US-POLITICS-VOTE-NEW YORK-MAMDANI","caption":"A screen shows New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani declared the winner during his election night event at the Brooklyn Paramount theater in Brooklyn, New York, on November 4, 2025.","creditText":"Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/elections/","name":"elections"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7331260/republican-reactions-democrat-wins-elections-mamdani-trump-midterms/","name":"How the Right Is Reacting to Democrats’ Big Night"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Watch: Zohran Mamdani Gives Victory Speech After Winning New York Mayor’s Race","description":"Zohran Mamdani, the millennial socialist whose unabashedly left-wing campaign for Mayor of New York City unnerved many national Democrats but emboldened others, prevailed Tuesday as expected at the ballot box, installing him as leader of the nation’s largest city and a potentially powerful figure within a party looking for its next act.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/mYhF89bH/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2025-11-05T03:38:47.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mYhF89bH.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/7331260/republican-reactions-democrat-wins-elections-mamdani-trump-midterms/","duration":"PT1H7M10S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/7331260/republican-reactions-democrat-wins-elections-mamdani-trump-midterms/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```