WATCH: Key takeaways from the 2025 elections

In the first major Election Day of Trump’s second term in the White House, there were several big takeaways, including some big wins for Democrats.

• Virginia: Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger won the governor’s race — she’ll be the first woman to lead the state. Full results here.
• Pennsylvania: The state Supreme Court maintained its Democratic majority. Full results here.
• New Jersey: Rep. Mikie Sherrill won her bid for governor. Full results here.
• New York City: Democrat Zohran Mamdani won a mayor’s race that drew national attention. Full results here.
• California: Voters approved a new Democratic-backed congressional map. Full results here.

PBS News’ Lisa Desjardins and Liz Landers looked at a few takeaways from this year’s election results. 

PBS News’ Lisa Desjardins and Liz Landers break down three key takeaways from Election Day.

How Democrats won and why ‘alpha energy’ may be key to their success

Democrats who won on Election Day represented vastly different wings of the party. In New York City, Zohran Mamdani ran on an ambitious, progressive agenda that included free child care, free bus service and city-run grocery stores. In New Jersey and Virginia, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., represented a more moderate wing of the party.

Landers pointed to a conversation she had recently with Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., who leads the Majority Democrats, a political action committee that supports moderate Democratic candidates. She asked him whether Gov.-elect Spanberger is a template for Democrats moving forward. Auchincloss pointed out that each state or district is different, but “an outline of a template for Democrats is talking about affordability. Bringing alpha energy,” Landers said, adding that to Auchincloss said “there’s indication in polling that shows that voters think that Democrats don’t have a message that they stick to, that they don’t seem confident about what they’re talking about, and that Republicans, in contrast, do.”

Big support for California’s Prop 50, despite Trump unsubstantiated claims about voting process

In the Golden State, voters approved new congressional maps in response to red-state Texas’ move to redraw its districts.

Trump called the vote into question before the election was over, claiming the election was “rigged” and stating that all mail-in ballots were under “very serious legal and criminal review.” California allows any voter to vote-by-mail.

“He did not say by whom, or why, they were under investigation,” Landers said, echoing a question she posed to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Election Day. “Overall, I just think it’s important that people understand that American elections are more secure than they have ever been.”

The Department of Justice deployed election monitors to five California counties, along with other counties across the country for the general elections, part of an effort to “protect the integrity of the voting process.”

But these attacks on voting from Trump could set the stage for Americans to distrust the electoral process ahead of the 2026 midterms.

“I think there is fear from voting rights advocates that next year, there will be more efforts to undermine the public perception of the election,” Landers said.

A key election in Georgia with big implications

While Mamdani,Spanberger and Sherrill dominated the spotlight and headlines, a key race in Georgia drew outsized attention.

In the peach state, Democrats flipped two seats on the states’ Public Service Commission, which sets Georgia’s energy rates. This marks the first statewide election wins for Democrats in a state of Georgia office since 2006.

“They won by saying electricity rates are too high. And we need to deal with that,” said Desjardins, pointing to a potential effective message that resonated with voters. “And that comes back to what we saw with Mamdani in New York City. It’s all about affordability.”

But, how much should Democrats read into a utility board election in Georgia, ahead of a 2026 Senate race that could help determine control of the upper chamber of Congress?

“I’m going to say you can read a lot into this race,” Desjardins said. “Last night was so positive that I think Democrats are now looking more and more at the Senate, and Georgia is absolutely key in that”

The full conversation can be viewed in the player above.