By: Daisy Bhatt, 2028, Charlotte Quinn, 2028, and Isle Franklin, 2028
The off year elections of November 4, 2025 were huge wins for Democratic candidates, with many seeing them as a response to Republican failure to make life affordable. Our writers profiled the policies of the three most prominent winners, Zohran Mamdani, Abigail Spamberger, and Mickie Sherill, below.
Daisy- Mayor of New York: Zohran Mamdani
What are his policies? Now what does this mean for the people of New York?
- Affordability
- City owned grocery stores to help keep prices low and affordable
- Fast, fare free busses, creating free, safe and faster transportation
- Fight misleading advertising and predatory contracts, and ban all hidden fees, ban non-compete clauses, which suppress wages and allow employers to take advantage of their workers
- Housing
- Immediately freeze the rent for all stabilized tenants, and use every available resource to build the housing New Yorkers need and bring down the rent. The number one reason working families are leaving our city is the housing crisis.
- Put public dollars to work and triple the City’s production of permanently affordable, union-built, rent-stabilized homes“ constructing 200,000 new units over the next 10 years. Any 100% affordable development gets fast-tracked: no more pointless delays. He also aims to fully staff NYC’s housing agencies so they can actually get the work done.
- Overhaul the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants and coordinate code enforcement under one roof, making sure agencies work together to hold owners responsible for the conditions of their buildings
- Create a new Office of Deed Theft Prevention to protect homeowners from scam artists. He’ll fix the property tax system so the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods pay their fair share. He’ll help homeowners comply with Local Law 97. And he’ll end the tax lien sale.
- Health & Safety
- Create the Department of Community Safety to prevent violence before it happens by prioritizing solutions which have been consistently shown to improve safety. Police have a critical role to play
- Create a new corps of outreach workers to support New Yorkers navigating the healthcare system. Those workers will support patients in understanding the public resources available to them: how to find insurance, apply to programs, access financial assistance, and claim their health benefits.
These are just a few of his policies that would create a safer, more affordable New York. He also strives to create a city for everyone, even those on the opposite side of his politics.
Charlotte- Governor of Virginia: Abigail Spanberger
What are her policies and what will they do for the people of Virginia?
- Economics and Affordability
- Spanberger has a plan to help Virginians save money; specifically with her “Affordable Virginia Plan”
- She wants to lower healthcare costs, along with housing and energy costs
- Has spoken out against the Republican tax law that is currently driving prices through the roof in Virginia, for both middle and lower class families
- Stresses the importance of protecting and growing the Virginia economy even under the Trump Administration’s attacks
- Education
- She has goals of improving public schools, specifically K-12, supporting teachers and school staff, and expanding workforce development programs
- Wants to increase access to childcare and make it more affordable for all families
- Enhancing the education and experience of public universities
- Important goals include: Addressing teacher shortages, providing dual enrollment for early childhood education, and expanding opportunities for internships and apprenticeship programs
- Healthcare
- Spanberger wants to lower the costs and improve the access to healthcare
- She wants to protect Virginia’s Medicaid expansion and the Affordable Care Act, including protection for people with disabilities and pre-existing conditions, making prescription drugs and coverage more affordable
- Supports programs like the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which lowers costs for safety-net providers and the communities in which they serve
Ilse- Governor of New Jersey: Mikie Sherrill
- Economic and Environmental Policies
- Sherrill majorly supported clean energy initiatives such as offshore wind, lead pipes, PFAS, and flooding. She also set a 2035 clean energy goal.
- Her plans aim to lower costs for families while investing in projects that will create jobs and improve infrastructure. These include using federal funding and legislation to tackle high property taxes and increase state aid for schools.
- Public Safety
- She introduced the safe NJ package to implement these strategies at a federal level – funding law enforcement initiatives to prevent auto theft
- She also invested in jobs programs for young people as well as expanding access to mental health and substance abuse treatment
- She voted for registration to reduce gun violence, including measures to prevent gun trafficking
- She had major support for law enforcement, and has stated in the past that she would work with police to ensure public safety
- Child Care and Education
- Mikie prioritizes affordable and accessible childcare and education and advocates for federal investments to lower costs for families and support providers
- She supports capping childcare costs at no more than 7% of a family’s income and has introduced legislation like the “Child Care for Every Community Act” to establish federal support
- She has supported measures for safe school re openings, increased funding for higher education, and expansion of programs like the child tax credit
- Healthcare
- She focuses on lowering costs, expanding coverage, and protecting existing benefits through health care
- She has supported measures of cap prescription drug costs, protect pre existing conditions, and strengthen programs such as Medicaid and Medicare
- She has stated that she will work to lower premiums, hold pharmacy benefit mangers accountable for predatory practices, and protect public employee health plans
