In 1776, the United States was founded on the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all. Throughout centuries since that promise was declared, there have been notable strides towards it, though it has never been fulfilled.
Through tireless efforts for equality and justice there has been progress, but Donald Trump has painfully dragged this country back in time. One year ago, Trump won the 2024 Presidential Election and 10 months ago he began his second term.
As president, he has failed to decrease the cost of living–a premise he ran on, targeted marginalized groups, cut funding for the Department of Education along with healthcare, intensified the climate crisis, increased division throughout the nation, and the list goes on.
Due to the country’s gloomy state, the stakes were extremely high for the elections on Nov. 4 and the results brought a sense of hope back to many Americans–something that had almost become unfamiliar. The elections were held in several states and ballots contained the options for who will take on positions of power on several levels, as well as new legislation.
The mayoral race in the biggest city in the United States gained the attention of those all over the country and around the world. Against the odds of the ultra-wealthy, a scornful president and constant Islamophobia, the democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani achieved a historic win in the New York City mayoral election.
This was achieved with the determined support of enthusiastic New Yorkers desperate for a more affordable, safer and better life. Mamdani is an optimistic democratic-socialist who has vowed to improve the quality of life in the city, and will be the first Muslim mayor of New York City, as well as the first to be born in Africa and of South Asian descent.
In a society built on patriarchy, men held all or most of the power in government for much of history, and over time women have fought for well-deserved seats at the table. Although the scale has moved closer to balanced, men still hold the majority of positions in government.
On Nov. 4, multiple women made history as the first to win in their respective positions which brought pride and inspiration for girls and women around the country. Virginia elected the first female governor in the state’s history, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, who will succeed the current governor, Republican Glenn Youngkin.
In New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill became the first female Democrat to win governor’s office in the state, winning against the Trump-endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli. In Michigan, Democrat Mary Sheffield was elected mayor of Detroit and will be the first woman to lead the city. This has created more victories for the Democratic party, achievements for women and losses for Donald Trump and his regime.
Over on the West Coast, California held a special election for Proposition 50, a redistricting measure for congressional maps in anticipation of next year’s midterm elections. The proposition passed with 63.8% of votes in support and 36.2% voting no, which is a major victory for democrats in California.
Just three days after tens of millions of Americans had their SNAP benefits cut, these democratic triumphs were achieved and will set the stage for the continued fight for all. Even for people who do not live in the states that held an election, these wins shine a ray of hope for democracy, for the people and the future of this country.
As Mamdani said in his victory speech on Tuesday night, “If we embrace this brave new course rather than fleeing from it, we can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves.”
America was never great. It has always been a country of oppression and has never met its founding ideals: equality, rights, liberty, opportunity and democracy. It certainly isn’t great right now, but people deserve a better future, and they were given a glimpse of that through these results.
