Earlier this month, voters in local races across the country — from California to New Jersey to Pennsylvania — sent a clear message: we’re rejecting Trump’s cruelty and corruption.

This is a huge reason to celebrate! Voters came out in force to support judges, governors, mayors, county executives, statewide ballot measures, and more that stand up to Trump’s toxic, fascist agenda.

These victories are also a clear sign that our strategy is resonating. We’re talking about issues that impact people, taking strong stands, and demanding more from our elected leaders. 

Huge Victories for Democracy and Progressives in New Jersey!

In New Jersey, our work helped defend a Democratic trifecta in the State Senate, Assembly, and Governorship, with a supermajority in the Assembly for the upcoming legislative session! Current Representative Mikie Sherrill is now the Governor-elect of the Garden State after a campaign emphasizing affordable, clean energy. 

Notably, Food & Water Action pushed a historic wave of anti-establishment climate champions, including Ravi Bhalla and Katie Brennan in the State Assembly. Ahead of the November election, we knocked on 25,000 doors and held 3,000 conversations with voters. This was a clear and exciting rebuke of politics-as-usual in New Jersey, which has long put corruption over constituents. 

We especially focused on Jersey City, the state’s fastest-growing city. There, our slate of mayoral and city council candidates made reducing climate pollution from buildings a top priority. We held four phone banks to get out the vote for these candidates ahead of the November election, and we knocked on 12,000 doors ahead of the December runoff races.

Now, we’re thrilled to announce that James Solomon is the Mayor-elect of Jersey City and will be joined by six more of our endorsed candidates on City Council!

Wins for a Long-Time Ally and the State Supreme Court in Pennsylvania!

In Pennsylvania, we elected long-time ally Tara Zrinski for Northampton County Executive. Tara led the fight against the PennEast pipeline with our partner organization, Food & Water Watch, ten years ago. Now, as County Executive, she’ll be a trusted advocate on our issues. Moreover, our work to elect a strong Democratic majority in the County Council will be critical to her passing climate-forward policies.

This also has powerful implications for the 2026 midterms and beyond. Northampton County is part of one of the most important swing districts in the country, PA-07. It went for Trump in 2024 and has historically been a bellwether for national Presidential performance. Voters in Northampton County have voted for the winner of every Presidential election but three for the past 120+ years. 

Food & Water Action knocked on 20,000 doors, had 4,000 conversations with voters, and reminded 20,000 people to vote on election day in Northampton County. These get-out-the-vote efforts were also essential to defending the positions of three Democratic judges on the State Supreme Court, a key institution for protecting voters’ rights and the environment. 

We’ll continue to build our fieldwork ahead of the midterms next year. Our growing community of supporters and organizers is poised to make a huge difference in PA-07, as we work to defeat current Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.

Voters Reject Trump’s Tyranny Nationwide!

In other races across the country, we saw a tidal wave of enthusiasm for opposing Trump and his billionaire agenda. In New York City, Zohran Mamdani became the next mayor by campaigning on affordability and prioritizing people power, defeating his Trump- and billionaire-backed opponent Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani was a climate champion as a state assembly member and stood with us in fighting the gas-fired power plant proposed in his district.

Like New Jersey, Virginia voters also voted in a Democratic trifecta. Current Representative Abigail Spanberger flipped the Governorship from Republican control. The state’s Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General also went blue.

In California, voters overwhelmingly supported Prop 50, a ballot measure to counter Trump’s blatant power-grabbing, election-rigging efforts in Texas. There, Trump is encouraging state leaders to redraw election maps to favor Republican Congressional candidates. By passing Prop 50, Californians approved an important strategy to resist his authoritarianism. 

With Trump in office and Republicans in control of Congress, there is still a very long and tough road ahead. But this November’s elections offered a huge injection of hope.

We rejected kings, authoritarianism, and violence against our neighbors. And this was possible because of dedicated people who’ve joined our movement; who won’t sit back and watch Trump threaten all we hold dear.

We’re already building on this momentum as we prepare for the 2026 midterms. This is a critical opportunity to take back the House for Democrats and put a check on Trump’s power — and as our work this election season shows, we’re ready for it. Together, we’ll continue growing our movement and reining in Trump’s abuses to our planet and democracy!