Senate Democrats are riding high after a wave of victories on Election Day and view Democratic candidates’ performances as an indicator that their shutdown strategy is working.

As the government shutdown officially entered record-breaking territory in its 36th day, Senate Democrats felt emboldened by the election results, and saw the blowout wins across the country as an indictment against President Donald Trump and Republicans, particularly on the matter of expiring Obamacare premium subsidies.

Still, some Senate Democrats are mulling an off-ramp from the shutdown and considering an offer from Republicans that would guarantee them a vote on the expiring subsidies in exchange for supporting the House-passed continuing resolution (CR).

But some warn that caving now for the promise of a vote would be the wrong move.

‘If they cave now and go forward with a meaningless vote, I think it will be a horrible policy decision, and I think politically, to the Democrats,’ Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said. ‘And you know, they’re going to come into the 2026 election. Some of you may have heard the expression, when we fight, we win. You ever hear that? Well, when you cave, you lose.’

Some Republicans fear that the election may have caused Senate Democrats to dig deeper into their position and remain united in their shutdown game plan.

President Donald Trump, during a breakfast at the White House with the Senate GOP Wednesday morning, contended that the ‘shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans,’ on election night.

‘I think the Democrats, you know, may feel emboldened by it, but I think that people are going to get past election results fairly quickly and start remembering that they’ve just unilaterally decided to shut down the government,’ Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital. ‘So I think it could be maybe a weak bump, but at the end of the day, we’re going to get back to the reality that we’ve got to fund the government.’

Republicans are also not budging from their shutdown strategy as the closure drags on. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., offered Senate Democrats a vote on the expiring subsidies and wants to jump-start the government funding process by tying a small package of spending bills to the CR.

‘Can this be over now? Have the American people suffered enough or do the Democrats need more?’ Thune said on the Senate floor.

Despite his and the GOP’s offer, and Trump’s offer to meet with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., after the shutdown ended on the expiring subsidies, Senate Democrats do want more.

‘Republicans shouldn’t ignore us anymore for their own good and the country’s good,’ Schumer said on the Senate floor. ‘So this morning, Leader Jeffries and I once again demanded a meeting with the president. It’s time to sit down and negotiate with Democrats to bring this Republican shutdown to an end.’

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., whose home state elected Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill in a blowout double-digit win over Republican Jack Ciattarelli, contended that Trump ‘certainly feels weaker.’

‘This was a resounding defeat for Donald Trump,’ Kim said. ‘He should have woke up this morning and just immediately said, ‘I — we need to negotiate. We need to find an end to this shutdown.’’

And Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., agreed with Sanders’ outlook that Democrats should dig in and not cave.

But whether it strengthened Senate Democrats’ hand in trying to get Trump to the negotiating table, he was skeptical.

‘If you’re dealing with rational actors, yes, are we dealing with rational actors? I have no idea,’ Gallego told Fox News Digital. ‘This is a man that’s going across the country and redistricting the hell out of the country, and amid this redistricting to help save him from potentially dealing with a Democratic-controlled Congress, and now he’s basically going to assure a Democratic Congress by screwing up the one thing that is entirely under his control, which is making sure these premiums don’t go up.’

Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears to win the Virginia governor’s race, tallying significant leads among reliable Democratic groups while capitalizing on economic worries and the deep unpopularity of President Donald Trump in the state.

Spanberger will be the first woman to hold the office in the Old Dominion State.

The former Virginia congresswoman replaces term-limited Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, who was the first Republican to win a statewide election in Virginia in 12 years when he was elected in 2021. That race surprised many in that it was much closer than the 2020 presidential race the year before, when Joe Biden defeated Trump by 10 points. This year it was the other way around, with Spanberger well exceeding the 2024 presidential margin that saw Harris over Trump by only six points.

Trump was undoubtedly a factor in the race, even though he wasn’t on the ballot. Close to six in 10 Virginia voters disapproved of the job he is doing, while more than half said they strongly disapprove. The vast majority of these voters backed Spanberger.

Two-thirds of Spanberger supporters said their vote was expressly to show opposition to the president. That compares to about one-third of those backing current Lt. Governor Earle-Sears who said theirs was to show support.

Aside from those sending a signal of opposition to Trump, Spanberger’s strong appeal to Black voters, college graduates and the young was more than enough to offset Earle-Sears’ strength among White men, White evangelicals and those with no college degree, according to near-final data from the Fox News Voter Poll, a survey of more than 4,000 Virginia voters.

Not even the prospect of voting for the first Black woman governor of any state seemed to move Black voters, who backed Spanberger by about a nine to one margin.

Spanberger also benefited from a significant gender gap. Indeed, 65% of women backed her compared to 35% for Earle-Sears, a 30-point advantage; and men supported Earle-Sears by 4 points (48% for Spanberger, 52% Earle-Sears) – leaving a gender gap of 34 points, one of the largest in recent memory.

Neither party is very popular in the state, half of voters said they have an unfavorable opinion of Democrats, and more than half felt that way about Republicans.

Between the two candidates, however, Spanberger garnered a net-positive rating – more than half had a favorable opinion of her – compared to Sears, and more than half viewed her unfavorably.

Voters continue to be happy with Youngkin. More than half approved of the job he is doing as governor.

The top characteristic Virginia voters wanted in a candidate was someone who shares their values, followed by someone who is honest and trustworthy.

Values voters broke for Earle-Sears while Spanberger carried those looking for honesty.

Spanberger focused heavily on the economy during the campaign, specifically banging home the deleterious effects that Trump administration efforts to upend government in D.C. are having on Virginia, home to a large number of federal workers.

More than six in 10 of those federal employees backed Spanberger.

The economy was by far the top issue for Virginia voters – with close to half ranking it as the most important. Those voters broke significantly for Spanberger.

Healthcare was the second most important concern – another issue Spanberger hit hard in the wake of the federal government shutdown and people facing the possible loss of health benefits.

Those voters who said healthcare was their number one issue went overwhelmingly for Spanberger – by about four to one.

Overall, Virginia voters – about six in 10 – think the economy is doing pretty well. Those voters backed Earle-Sears.

But when it comes to their own family’s finances, most said they were either holding steady or falling behind. Both of those groups went for Spanberger.

And of the six in 10 voters who said the federal budget cuts had affected their family finances, they backed Spanberger as well.

Two issues that got significant attention from Earle-Sears in the campaign were controversies about trans rights, and the disclosure of violent texts from the Democratic candidate for attorney general.

Fewer than half of voters found the texts sent by Democrat Jay Jones, threatening a fellow lawmaker, disqualifying from the job of attorney general. Those who did broke strongly for Earle-Sears.

The rest, though – who said the texts were concerning but not disqualifying, were not a concern, or who simply didn’t know enough – went strongly for Spanberger.

It was suspected that some voters might split their votes, backing Spanberger for governor but Republican Jason Miyares for attorney general. That did not happen. Those Democrats defecting to Miyares remained in the single digits, and Jones was declared the winner.

On transgender rights, voters have mixed views. Half said support has gone too far – the position Earle-Sears took, with special emphasis on its effect on schools and girls’ sports. The other half, however, said support has not gone far enough, or it’s been about right.

Those who said it’d gone too far backed Earle-Sears by almost four to one, while those who disagreed went hard for Spanberger.

In the end, the headwinds of Trump’s unpopularity and the ire of the vast number of federal workers in the state was too much for Earle-Sears to overcome.

Only about a third of Virginia voters are happy with the direction the country is going, and while these voters overwhelmingly backed Earle-Sears, the other two-thirds went big for Spanberger. Of the four in 10 who are actually angry about how things are going, almost all of them – more than nine in 10 – backed Spanberger.

Asked about Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts, more than half say it has gone too far, and, perhaps not surprisingly, most of these voters backed Spanberger.

Almost all Democrats voted for Spanberger, as did a few Republicans. Earle-Sears was unable to generate any sort of crossover appeal, while winning most Republicans. The small group of independents favored Spanberger.

The Fox News Voter Poll is based on a survey conducted by SSRS with Virginia registered voters. This survey was conducted October 22 to November 4, 2025, concluding at the end of voting on Election Day. The poll combines data collected from registered voters online and by telephone with data collected in-person from Election Day voters at 30 precincts per state/city. In the final step, all the pre-election survey respondents and Election Day exit poll respondents are combined by adjusting the share of voting mode (absentee, early-in-person, and Election Day) based on the estimated composition of the state/city’s final electorate. Once votes are counted, the survey results are also weighted to match the overall results in each state. Results among more than 4,500 Virginia voters interviewed have an estimated margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points, including the design effects. The error margin is larger among subgroups.

Vice President JD Vance said that Republicans need to direct their focus to the ‘home front’ and work to make life more affordable for Americans, following the GOP losses in several key elections Tuesday.

Republicans’ ability to do so will be a key factor in how Americans show up and vote in the 2026 midterm races, according to Vance. 

‘I think it’s idiotic to overreact to a couple of elections in blue states, but a few thoughts,’ Vance said in a Wednesday social media post. 

‘We need to focus on the home front,’ Vance said. ‘The president has done a lot that has already paid off in lower interest rates and lower inflation, but we inherited a disaster from Joe Biden and Rome wasn’t built in a day. We’re going to keep on working to make a decent life affordable in this country, and that’s the metric by which we’ll ultimately be judged in 2026 and beyond.’

In October, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the consumer price index (CPI), used to assess how much goods like groceries or rent cost, increased 0.3% from August to September. Additionally, it increased to 3% on a year-over-year basis from 2.9% in August, marking the highest headline CPI reading since January when it also reached 3%.

Meanwhile, Republicans lost several high-profile races Tuesday — including gubernatorial races where former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger won the Virginia governor’s race over Republican challenger Winsome Earle-Sears, and New Jersey Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill won New Jersey’s governor’s race over Republican Jack Ciattarelli. 

Likewise, New York City elected democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor of the city, beating former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an Independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. 

In all races, affordability and the economy were top priorities for voters, with Mamdani backing policies including rent freezes and city-run grocery stores to cut food prices.

For example, Fox News Voter Poll data found that New Jersey voters reported the state’s high taxes and the economy ranked as their top two issues. Additionally, the poll data found that half of voters in Virginia said that the economy was their top priority. 

Likewise, New York City voters ranked affordability at their top concerns, the Fox News Voter Poll data found. 

Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said that the party can accommodate moderate Democrats like Sherrill and Spanberger, as well as progressives like Mamdani. While they don’t have to agree on everything, what they do agree on is trying to make life more affordable for Americans, he said. 

‘There’s a lot of different ideas on how to accomplish our goals, but we’re unified around those goals,’ Martin told Fox News Digital ahead of the elections. ‘We’re unified around making sure that people’s lives are more affordable and that we can create an economy that works for everyone in this country.’ 

According to President Donald Trump, the government shutdown that started Oct. 1 due to a lapse in funding was a culprit for GOP losses in Tuesday’s races. 

‘I think if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor,’ Trump said Wednesday during a breakfast meeting with Senate Republicans. ‘Negative for the Republicans, and that was a big factor.’ 

Fox News’ Eric Revell, Paul Steinhauser and Emma Colton contributed to this report.

A House Democrat representing a district that President Donald Trump won in 2024 is not seeking re-election next year.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, announced his plans in an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News on Wednesday, a day after Democrats’ sweeping electoral victories in Virginia, New Jersey, California and New York City.

‘I have never loved politics. But I find purpose and meaning in service, and the Marine in me has been able to slog along through the many aspects of politics I dislike by focusing on the good work that Congress is capable of producing with patience and determination,’ Golden wrote.

‘But after 11 years as a legislator, I have grown tired of the increasing incivility and plain nastiness that are now common from some elements of our American community — behavior that, too often, our political leaders exhibit themselves.’

Golden has represented Maine’s 2nd Congressional District since 2019. He’s managed to hold on to the seat through his constituents voting for President Donald Trump in both 2020 and 2024.

The moderate Democrat — also a Marine Corps veteran — has been known to frequently break from his own party, including on the recent government shutdown vote in September.

He shared more of his concerns with the left in his retirement announcement, criticizing both Republicans and Democrats for the current state of politics in the country.

‘We have seen mainstream Republicans stand by as their party was hijacked first by Tea Party obstructionists and then by the MAGA movement and its willingness to hand much of Congress’ authority to the president,’ Golden wrote.

‘I fear Democrats are going down the same path. We’re allowing the most extreme, pugilistic elements of our party to call the shots. Just look again at the shutdown. For as long as I can remember, we have opposed shutting down the government over policy disputes. We criticized Republicans for taking hostages this way. But this year, reeling from the losses of the last election, too many Democrats have given into demands that we use the same no-holds-barred, obstructionary tactics as the GOP.’

And despite his seat being a prime target for Republicans every two years, Golden said that did not factor into his decision.

‘I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning. Simply put, what I could accomplish in this increasingly unproductive Congress pales in comparison to what I could do in that time as a husband, a father and a son,’ he wrote.

‘I have long supported term limits and while current law allows me to run again, I like the idea of ending my service in Congress after eight years — the length of term limits in the Maine Legislature.’

Golden’s seat had been ranked a ‘toss-up’ by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, which also rated his district slightly in favor of the GOP at R+4.

House Republicans’ campaign arm wasted no time in seizing on Golden’s announcement, releasing its own statement shortly after his op-ed was published.

‘Serial flip-flopper Jared Golden’s exit from Congress says it all: He’s turned his back on Mainers for years and now his chickens are coming home to roost. He, nor any other Democrat, has a path to victory in ME-02 and Republicans will flip this seat red in 2026,’ National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole said in a release to reporters.

Beyond his frustration with partisan politics, however, Golden also revealed that the heightened political environment also pushed him to re-consider his congressional career.

Golden said earlier this year that he and his family had to spend Thanksgiving in a hotel room after receiving a bomb threat at their home.

House Democrats’ campaign arm thanked Golden for his service in its own statement upon his retirement.

‘I sincerely commend Jared for all the work he has done for Mainers, from lowering costs to protecting lobstermen’s jobs and fighting for veterans,’ Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., said. ‘He has devoted his life so far to service, first as a Marine, then in the Maine legislature, and in Congress since 2019. He embodies Maine’s independent spirit and I wish him and his family all the best in their next chapter.’

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., took over Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s post-election news conference Wednesday, knocking the Democratic Party for their lack of support in political races in New York and Maine.

‘Well, the party leadership did not support [mayoral candidate Zohran] Mamdani in New York,’ Sanders said in front of the Senate podium. ‘Party leadership is not supporting [Senate hopeful Graham] Platner in Maine. And I think he’s going to win… I think there is a growing understanding that leadership, and defending the status quo and the inequalities that exist in America, is not where the American people are.’

Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, won the mayoral race in New York City and Democrat Mikie Sherrill secured the New Jersey governorship.

California’s Proposition 50 was also passed after being placed on the ballot, and Democrats will maintain control of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court as Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht won their respective retention races.

Prior to Sanders’ outburst, Schumer, D-N.Y., spoke with reporters, bashing Republicans as the government shutdown stretches into its 36th day, making it the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

‘Last night, Republicans felt the political repercussions [of the Trump administration’s policies],’ Schumer said. ‘It should serve as nothing short of a five-alarm fire to the Republicans. Their high-cost house is burning, and they’ve only got themselves to blame. As loudly and clearly as could possibly be done, from one end of the country to the other, the American people said enough is enough.’

Schumer said he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries demanded Wednesday morning President Donald Trump sit down with them to discuss healthcare issues.

‘Last night was a really good night for Democrats and our fight to lower costs, improve health care and reach a better future for our country,’ Schumer said. ‘But more importantly than that, last night was a great night for American families that are struggling now to make ends meet, because the election showed that Democrats’ control of the Senate is much closer than the people and the prognosticators realize. The more Republicans double down on raising costs and bowing down to Trump, the more their Senate majority is at risk.

‘… When Leader Jeffries and I met with Donald Trump in the White House a month or so back, we told him this was going to happen. We warned him that if he didn’t do something, working with us to address the health care needs of America, and instead insisting on no negotiation with Democrats, that was a recipe for disaster for the country, and it would come back to haunt them. Last night should make it clear to Republicans that they simply cannot continue to ignore not only us, but the American people, for the good of the whole country.’

Democratic leaders have been urging Republicans in both the House and Senate to confront the surge in health insurance premiums tied to the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies.

At the same time, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has lapsed.

Though several stopgap measures have been proposed by Republicans, including a GOP-led bill blocked Tuesday, Congress has yet to reach an agreement.

President Donald Trump appeared to take a swipe at Republican candidates who lost on Tuesday while addressing the America Business Forum in Miami, Fla., on Wednesday.

After listing a series of his accomplishments, Trump said it’s ‘so easy to win elections when you talk about the facts.’ 

‘Almost 2 million American-born workers are employed today, more than when I took office. That’s nine months ago. Can you imagine?’ Trump said. ‘And I tell Republicans, if you want to win elections, you gotta talk about these facts. You know, it’s so easy to win elections when you talk about the facts.’

He then added that, ‘These are things you have to talk about. It doesn’t just happen, you got to tell them. It’s wonderful to do them, but if people don’t talk about them, then you can do not so well in elections.’

On Tuesday, Republicans lost several major races, including gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, as well as the mayoral race in New York City. While Trump backed former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for mayor over Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, he still made the jab at Republicans generally.

‘One year ago, we were a dead country. Now we’re a country that’s considered [one of] the hottest countries anywhere in the world,’ Trump said, crediting his administration with getting 600,000 Americans off of food stamps and creating jobs for 1.9 million Americans. He highlighted the supposed increase in jobs, saying that nearly 2 million more Americans were employed than when he entered office less than a year ago.

While Trump touted his achievements for the working class, Zohran Mamdani, hot off his victory in New York City, gave a different analysis earlier Wednesday.

During an appearance on ‘Good Morning America,’ Mamdani contrasted himself and Trump. Mamdani argued that, unlike the president, he is ready to solve the ‘cost of living crisis’ for Americans who are struggling.

Mamdani also said that Trump is ‘someone who ran an entire presidential campaign on the promise of cheaper groceries and is now, as the president, making it harder for Americans to afford those groceries by cutting SNAP benefits.’

Trump, who was marking the anniversary of being elected for a second presidential term, did not shy away from taking a swipe at Mamdani as well.

‘We lost a little bit of sovereignty last night in New York, but we’ll take care of that. Don’t worry about it,’ he told the crowd in Miami on Wednesday.

Republicans have largely blamed the lapse in SNAP benefits on Democrats as the parties battle it out in D.C. amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.