Call it what you want to: a Democratic trifecta, a blue wave, a landslide. Whatever it is, Virginia voters spoke clearly this week in the 2025 elections and gave an affordability mandate to the three new statewide officials — Gov-elect Abigail Spanberger, Lt. Governor-elect Ghazala Hashmi, and Attorney General-elect Jay Jones — and the largest Virginia House Democratic majority since 1989 after they flipped 13 seats for a now incredible 64/100 seats.

And while we live in Virginia and care the most about our home state, it was incredibly exciting - and dare we say hopeful - to see a national trend of courageous voters opposing and fighting the Trump administration and its weird obsession with fascism over affordability. From New Jersey to New York City to Georgia, voters spoke loudly and clearly and delivered huge wins to folks including NJ Gov-elect Mikie Sherrill and NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. While the elite media might love to debate the path forward for Democrats, over here at the pod we would say it’s simpler than that: voters don’t care how you get there, they just want a relentless and bold focus on making life more affordable now.

We’ll be watching all of these newly elected Democrats to make sure they deliver on their promises and prioritize regular people, not corporate elites.