US President Donald Trump reacted sharply to the Republican Party’s setbacks in the latest elections, attributing the losses to his absence from the ballot and the government shutdown.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,” citing pollster analysis.
Trump's reaction came as Democrat Zohran Mamdani was elected Mayor of New York City, becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to lead America’s largest metropolis.
Mamdani, 34, had been the front-runner in the NYC Mayoral election for months and on Tuesday defeated Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and political heavyweight former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent candidate and received US President Donald Trump’s endorsement only on the eve of the election.
Mamdani had upset Cuomo in the Democratic primary race for New York City mayor and was declared victorious in June this year.
Separately, Democratic US Representative Mikie Sherrill won the race for governor of New Jersey, defeating a Republican backed by President Donald Trump and giving her party a boost heading into next year’s midterm elections.
Sherrill, a former federal prosecutor and Navy helicopter pilot, was leading Jack Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker making his third bid for governor, by 57% to 42% with 63% of the vote counted, according to the Associated Press, Bloomberg reproted.
Sherrill, 53, will replace Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, who was barred by law from seeking a third consecutive term. Her victory marks the first time in 60 years that one party has won three consecutive gubernatorial elections in the Garden State, the reprot added.