{"text":[[{"start":5.98,"text":"The most striking quality to Democrats’ blowout victories in state and local elections this week was how varied they were. From the blue-collar counties of rural Virginia to the working class neighbourhoods of outer borough New York, the direction went uniformly against Donald Trump’s Republicans. Whether the candidate was a Democratic centrist, such as Virginia’s new governor, Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer, or a “Democratic socialist”, such as New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, the results were the same."}],[{"start":46.08,"text":"Most of the media’s focus has been on Mamdani, 34, the first Muslim to take that job and New York’s youngest mayor in generations. Enthusiasm for him drove the city’s highest turnout in decades. But Spanberger’s 15-point margin of victory in Virginia was no less dramatic. So was Mikie Sherrill’s thumping win in New Jersey and the clean sweep for Democratic supreme court judges in Pennsylvania."}],[{"start":72.22999999999999,"text":"The same applies to Proposition 50’s victory in California, which authorises its governor, Gavin Newsom, to gerrymander five new Democratic seats to blunt a similar Republican manoeuvre in Texas. That will count in next year’s midterm elections. Each campaign was skilful enough to appeal to local conditions while reaping the anti-Trump backlash. "}],[{"start":98.55999999999999,"text":"Now the governing begins. Perhaps the biggest challenge will be to Mamdani. He campaigned with a populist economic message that promises free bus fares for New Yorkers, state-run grocery stores, a citywide rent freeze and higher taxes on the wealthy. Most of these are impractical and could quickly boomerang on New York’s inexperienced new mayor. But he was right to focus on the general crisis of affordability facing New Yorkers, particularly the cost of housing."}],[{"start":132.14999999999998,"text":"That alone is enough to explain the massive turnout of under-30s and their resounding endorsement of Mamdani. In electoral terms, he captured lightning in a bottle. Translating that into material improvements for New Yorkers will be far harder. As the saying goes, you campaign in poetry and govern in prose."}],[{"start":155.34999999999997,"text":"Having been demonised as a Hamas supporter — one advertisement depicted him against the backdrop of the collapsing Twin Towers on 9/11 — Mamdani must go out of his way to reassure Jewish New Yorkers that he will govern as everybody’s mayor. Senior Democrats, notably Chuck Schumer, the New York senator and Democratic Senate minority leader, would also be wise to co-opt him. Schumer refused to endorse Mamdani’s candidacy. "}],[{"start":186.27999999999997,"text":"Though they come from different wings of the party, Mamdani, Spanberger, Sherrill and the many victorious down-ballot Democrats all focused on the general cost of living crisis facing Americans. Voters have not forgotten that Trump campaigned on a pledge to bring down inflation and raise incomes. But US economic growth since then has been driven by the AI boom, which bypasses most Americans (apart from those with big exposure to the equity markets). Though their remedies differ, the winning Democrats all focused on the same problem. "}],[{"start":225.71999999999997,"text":"Therein lies the biggest lesson for their party ahead of next year’s congressional elections. The former speaker, Nancy Pelosi, recently said that “Democracy is saved at the kitchen table”. Tuesday’s results backed her up. While the Democrats’ wins were propelled by high levels of liberal enthusiasm, they were cemented by the votes of independents and non-Maga Republicans. The former respond to the alarm bell over Trump’s threat to US democracy and the rule of law. The latter are motivated by affordability."}],[{"start":262.76,"text":"Most of the winning Democratic candidates this week were also young and fresh faces. With the party’s leadership still dominated by ageing time-servers, this week’s results should accelerate an overdue passing of the torch."}],[{"start":278.96,"text":"This article has been amended to reflect that Chuck Schumer is the Democratic Senate minority leader, not majority leader"}],[{"start":293.92999999999995,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1762399941_1794.mp3"}