America’s Political Landscape One Year into Trump’s Second Term

A year after Donald Trump’s return to the White House amid widespread national discontent, new election results reveal that the wave of frustration against him remains strong.
According to CNN exit polls conducted by SSRS, majorities of voters across several key states expressed dissatisfaction with Trump’s performance—a factor that proved decisive in driving Democratic victories in multiple high-profile races.

Four closely watched contests—the governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey, the New York City mayoral race, and California’s Proposition 50—all showed a notable shift toward the Democratic Party.

Anti-Trump Sentiment Powers Democratic Momentum

In Virginia, New Jersey, and California, more than half of voters said their ballots were meant to send a message to Trump—and most of those messages were negative.
This anti-incumbent mood helped Democrats secure victories for Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia.
In California, support for Governor Gavin Newsom’s Proposition 50, a Democratic-led effort to redraw congressional maps, was also fueled by opposition to Trump and Republican redistricting elsewhere.

In New York City, Democrat Zohran Mamdani captured the mayoral seat, marking a setback for former Governor Andrew Cuomo, whom Trump endorsed in the final days of the campaign.

Despite lukewarm ratings for the Democratic Party as a whole, Democratic candidates managed to attract 16% to 33% of voters who said they disliked the party, suggesting that many Americans voted against Trump, not necessarily for Democrats.

Economic Concerns Dominate Voter Priorities

Across all four major contests—New Jersey, Virginia, California, and New York City—voters cited economic issues, taxes, and the cost of living as their top concerns.
Only in Virginia did a majority describe the state’s economy as “good” or “excellent.”
Elsewhere, pessimism about local and state economies remained the dominant view.

A Closer Look at Each Key Race

Virginia: Abigail Spanberger Becomes the State’s First Female Governor

Abigail Spanberger’s historic win as Virginia’s first female governor was powered largely by disapproval of Trump’s leadership.
About nine in ten voters who disapproved of Trump supported her over Republican opponent Winsome Earle-Sears.

While outgoing Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin retained majority approval, his successor failed to keep enough of his base. Nearly one in four voters who viewed Youngkin positively still voted for Spanberger.

On policy issues, about half of voters believed that support for transgender rights has gone too far, but more than 20% of that group still backed Spanberger, even though Earle-Sears centered her campaign on opposing those rights.
Conversely, over half of voters said that Trump’s immigration enforcement policies went too far, and Spanberger won more than 90% of them.

She also led among independent voters, women, college-educated voters, and households with federal employees or contractors—a significant bloc near Washington, D.C.

New Jersey: Mikie Sherrill Overcomes Dual Disapproval

In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli, despite widespread disapproval of both Trump and outgoing Democratic Governor Phil Murphy.

Trump’s approval rating stood at around 42%, while Murphy’s was also slightly underwater.
Still, nine in ten voters who disapproved of Trump backed Sherrill, while eight in ten who disapproved of Murphy voted Republican.

Roughly 70% of voters said property taxes were a serious issue, 60% cited electricity costs, and more than half saw political corruption as a major problem.
Sherrill performed best among those focused on the economy and health care, while Ciattarelli drew strength from voters prioritizing taxes and immigration.

New York City: Zohran Mamdani and the Call for Change

New York City’s crowded mayoral race exposed deep generational and economic divides.
Zohran Mamdani, a young Democratic candidate, built a winning coalition of voters under 45, renters, first-time voters, and college graduates.
In contrast, Andrew Cuomo attracted older voters, non-college voters, and native-born New Yorkers.

Nearly 90% of Mamdani’s supporters said their vote was to support him, not to oppose others.
Cuomo’s voters, meanwhile, were evenly split between support for him and opposition to rivals.

Cost of living dominated the race: about 60% of voters called it the city’s most urgent issue, compared with only one-third who cited crime.
More than 70% said housing costs were “unaffordable.”
Among those voters, Mamdani won decisively, emphasizing his commitment to affordable housing policies.

California: Proposition 50 Passes as a Political Countermove

In California, voters approved Proposition 50, a ballot measure that temporarily enacts a Democratic-drawn congressional map—a response to Republican-led redistricting in other states.

About two-thirds of voters said party control of Congress was “very important,” rising to 76% among those voting ‘Yes’ on Proposition 50.
Even though 90% of Californians preferred nonpartisan commissions to draw district lines, a large majority supported the measure as a strategic counterbalance to GOP maneuvers elsewhere.

Roughly three-quarters of voters said they were dissatisfied or angry about the direction of the country, and half viewed their vote as a way to oppose Trump.
Over 60% believed Trump’s immigration enforcement had gone too far, and a majority opposed state cooperation with federal immigration policies.
Most also rejected the idea of deploying the National Guard to major cities.

More than 80% said the cost of living was unaffordable, with the economy overwhelmingly surpassing immigration, health care, crime, and climate change as the state’s top concern.

How CNN’s Exit Poll Was Conducted

The CNN Voter Poll, conducted by SSRS between October 22 and November 4, 2025, surveyed over 17,000 voters across four jurisdictions:

• 4,490 in California

• 4,336 in New Jersey

• 4,522 in Virginia

• 4,447 in New York City

The survey combined online and telephone interviews with in-person polling at 30 precincts in each area.
The margin of sampling error ranged from ±2.0% to ±2.2%, ensuring statistically reliable results.
Findings will be further weighted against final certified election outcomes.

Conclusion: A Warning Sign for Trump’s Second Term

The Democratic victories send a clear signal: voter fatigue with Trump remains strong.
Even though Democrats are far from universally popular, the results show that discontent—not party loyalty—drove voter behavior in these key races.

One year after his re-election, Donald Trump remains the central figure in American politics. Yet, instead of consolidating his power, these elections reveal that many Americans now see him as a symbol of national division and political exhaustion.