A brighter day in the United States
Tuesday's election results allow us to recalibrate with bold vision.
Today, Nov. 5, marks the longest federal government shutdown in the nation’s history. (Shameful. More on that below.) And yet, in the aftermath of election night, I dare say it is a far brighter day in the United States.
As the political pundits do their thing across the airwaves, here is yet another hot take on it all, feminist style.
Winds of change? As the only two states to hold gubernatorial elections the year after a presidential election, New Jersey and Virginia are often a barometer of the national political mood. Virginia was already set to make history by electing its first-ever woman governor—a contest won by former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R). In New Jersey, former U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D) issued a blowout defeat of Jack Ciattarelli, making her the second woman and first Democratic woman to serve as governor (earning a cross-party endorsement from a Republican predecessor, Gov. Christine Todd Whitman). Though both state campaigns primarily centered the economy, the victors went all in to rebuke the MAGA agenda.
Spanberger’s partisan flip of the executive office, coupled with now continued Democratic control of both chambers of the state legislature, marks a major victory for reproductive rights nationally. As abortion access has been decimated across the South since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in 2022, Virginia remains a solitary crucial safe haven—not just for its own residents but for those who must travel there for care. Movement leaders are calling Virginia the “bellwether for the future of reproductive freedom” as we head into 2026.
It is worth reflecting on Sherrill’s and Spanberger’s shared status as former D.C. roommates and real-life working moms—which is far more than symbolic when the Trump administration is working overtime to gaslight the nation about its purported pro-family values (more like a twisted pronatalist agenda). Spanberger’s victory speech exchange with her one of her three kids about the cleanliness of her bedroom and Sherrill’s public reflection about her youngest daughter’s reaction to an earlier candidate debate (“Mom, have you gotten me a hair appointment yet?”) keep it real. These are the leaders who know how to get. it. done.
Start spreading the news … Meanwhile, in my hometown, New York City, the next gen ruled the day: Zohran Mamdani will become the youngest mayor since the 1890s; the youngest bloc of voters turned out early and in force; and campaign promises centered affordability and universal childcare. Earlier this year, I supervised a high school intern who published a phenomenally provocative column about feminist underpinnings of public bus routes and city infrastructure. She forever altered my thinking on the issue; please read her piece!
California dreaming. The Golden State performed something akin to a national service in counteracting President Donald Trump’s naked power grab and demand for midcycle redistricting in Texas. By passing Prop 50 by a massive margin, voters are showing what it looks like to punch back hard. According to the California League of Women Voters, the percentage of registered Republicans and Democrats will shift in 10 districts, giving Democrats an advantage in five of those currently represented by Republicans.
Tell it to the judge. In a “historically expensive” Pennsylvania judicial election, three judges—Kevin Dougherty, Christine Donohue, and David Wecht—were voted in for another term, preserving the state supreme court’s 5-2 majority on progressive issues. This excellent summary by the organization Alliance for Justice covers the vast implications for state policy and myriad issues that court has or is on track to adjudicate, from voting rights to worker’s protection to reproductive freedom.
Other notable winners (and losers). State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, elected lieutenant governor yesterday, became the first Muslim American woman elected to statewide office in Virginia. Detroit City Council Member Mary Sheffield became the first woman elected to serve as the city’s mayor. Michelle Wu, Boston’s first Asian American and first woman mayor, won a second four-year term. Syracuse, N.Y., elected its first Black mayor in Sharon Owens. Albany, N.Y., elected its first Black woman mayor in Dorcey Applyrs. Kaohly Her is St. Paul’s first woman and first Asian American mayor. Also electing women mayors: St. Louis (Cara Spencer) and New Orleans (Helena Moreno). Cory Bowman, a Republican who is Vice President JD Vance’s half-brother, lost his race for mayor of Cincinnati.
***
Meanwhile, back to the stymied federal government. Last week I wrote for The Contrarian about the state of play for SNAP benefits and the harm to more than 42 million families, women, and children who rely on food aid. After the Trump administration balked at a court order to release funds as an immediate intervention and issued conflicting information about its plans—and then the president posted on Truth Social that SNAP “will be given only when those Radical Left Democrats open up the government, which they can easily do, and not before!”—yesterday the White House announced it would be “fully complying.” It is hardly clear what that means in practical terms or state by state—but suffice it to say people are already suffering by the cruel chaos of it all. Another lawsuit against the administration has been filed; tomorrow a federal judge in Rhode Island will hold a hearing.
And there you have it. Just another Wednesday at The Contrarian. But let’s never take that to mean any of this should be our new normal. If anything, the election results enable us to recalibrate with bold vision—so we can formulate new battle plans, take advantage of states with new opportunities to advance a pro-feminist, pro-democracy agenda, and get serious about what can happen now and in the countdown to November 2026.
Jennifer Weiss-Wolf is executive director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at NYU School of Law. She also leads strategy and partnerships at Ms. Magazine.
 | A guest post by
|
Very encouraging reading about the influx of women politicians. And JD Vance family member losing an election is the cherry on top.
Thank you so much, Ms. Weiss-Wolf. I have been a feminist since age 10, but understood so much more about women's role in government as we stepped into governorships and Congress in greater numbers.
Women tend to enter politics for practical reasons, not power grabs. Oregon's first female governor, Barbara Roberts, did so in order to help her child and others with disability gain the right to equality in education. Her memoir, "Up the Capitol Steps," taught me all I know about the complexities of running a state. Today, Oregon is at the forefront in helping its citizens access special education, healthcare, and universal voting rights by mail. Thank you, Barbara Roberts, for your contributions to our well-being. Women will lead this country to a better place.