WASHINGTON — Today, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) hosted a press conference on state Democrats’ wave victories across Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Mississippi, and California last night. Across nearly every target race, voters decisively rebuked GOP chaos and backed state Democrats who are focused on lowering costs and helping working families.
These stunning victories boost Democrats ahead of 2026, when we have a historic opportunity to expand state power and win back majorities that will decide the trajectory of power, control over redistricting, and Democrats’ ability to win at all levels of the ballot.
Watch the press conference here.
DLCC President Heather Williams
- “The earthquake wins last night reaffirmed that voters rebuke GOP extremism and that the affordability crisis remains the issue that is on voters’ minds… The other thing that was reaffirmed last night is the backing of Dems in states […] this is where we’re getting things done, this is where Democrats are leading.”
- “We swept every target in [Virginia]. This is the largest majority in Virginia in 40 years. We flipped 13 seats, and we saw a Democratic shift in almost every county across the state… We spent over $2 million in these efforts. The caucus program as a whole raised more than $30 million – this was a do-not-take-anything-for-granted, very disciplined, very strategic campaign effort, and it is indicative of how we are running campaigns all across the country. We are excited about the trifecta that is being delivered in Virginia with now Governor-elect Spanberger, and we know that when they head into session in January, there’s going to be a lot of good things happening for Virginians.”
- “Republicans are not winning on the issues. They’re not paying attention to what voters or their communities care most about, and so the way that they are going to win is by ensuring that politicians are determining the future fate of Congress. We cannot stand idly by and watch Republicans manipulate their power in Congress, and so California is step one in countering these efforts that Republicans have started and that cannot go unanswered.”
- “All of our wins come on the heels of Democrats overperforming in special elections all year long, our candidates are going to continue to have meaningful conversations with voters, focusing on the affordability crisis as we head into the 2026 midterms.”
- “Before we get to November [2026], we have critical majority-deciding special elections on the horizon in states like Minnesota, Virginia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania… These races will set the stage for the midterms in November, where we’re going to have a stacked map of opportunities across our battleground states. I think it’s never been clearer that the center of gravity for meaningful governing that improves people’s lives has moved to the states, and the DLCC has the proven winning strategy to carry these campaigns to success.”
ELECTION RESULTS SUMMARY
- Virginia: Virginia House Democrats shattered expectations by flipping 13 seats – reaching at least a 64-seat majority, which marks the largest Democratic House majority in Virginia in four decades, thanks to over $2 million invested by the DLCC, the year-round work by staff, and the 16 Spotlight candidates who all won their races.
- New Jersey: Assembly Democrats flipped at least 3 seats, securing a historic supermajority as voters resoundingly elected Democrats up and down the ticket. The DLCC identified New Jersey as a priority early in 2025 by investing six figures and spotlighting 12 candidates who all won their races in some of the biggest electoral successes of the night.
- Pennsylvania: All three Democratic justices won their retention races, helping to secure the majority through the end of the decade, which is essential for redistricting. These races help set the tone for 2026, when Pennsylvania is a top target state as the DLCC will be defending Democrats’ one-seat majority in the House.
- California: California voters approved new maps to counter Republicans’ blatant power grabs, as the DLCC continues to lead the national effort to win more legislative majorities to even the odds in 2030 redistricting.
- Minnesota: In the fourth majority-deciding election in Minnesota this year, the DFL majority in the Minnesota Senate has once again been protected. This seat was a must-win for defending the majority ahead of 2026, when the full Minnesota Senate will be back on the ballot and the DLCC will fight to protect the majority again.
- Mississippi: Democrats broke the GOP Senate supermajority in Mississippi, marking the 6th GOP supermajority broken by the DLCC in two years, following wins in the Iowa Senate, North Carolina House, Montana House and Senate, and Wisconsin Senate.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is the campaign arm of Democratic state legislatures and leads the national strategy for building power and winning new majorities. Over the last three decades, we have strategized cycle over cycle to win majorities and lead the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level, winning nearly a dozen new chamber majorities over the last decade. Our work has ensured that nearly half of Americans are represented by at least one Democratic majority in their statehouse. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class and advancing opportunity, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
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