Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the big winners and losers of state and local U.S. elections, the European Union’s weakened emissions reduction target, and a devastating typhoon in the Philippines.

Several high-profile state and local elections on Tuesday marked the first major litmus test of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term—and Democrats won big. From gubernatorial races to mayoral elections, Democrats swept their Republican opponents by campaigning on an anti-Trump platform that prioritized lowering high costs of living, improving public schools, investing in local infrastructure, and hiking taxes on the ultra-wealthy.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the big winners and losers of state and local U.S. elections, the European Union’s weakened emissions reduction target, and a devastating typhoon in the Philippines.

Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.

By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.

✓ Signed Up

Several high-profile state and local elections on Tuesday marked the first major litmus test of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term—and Democrats won big. From gubernatorial races to mayoral elections, Democrats swept their Republican opponents by campaigning on an anti-Trump platform that prioritized lowering high costs of living, improving public schools, investing in local infrastructure, and hiking taxes on the ultra-wealthy.

“We got our asses handed to us,” Vivek Ramaswamy, a close Trump ally running for governor in Ohio, summarized in a video captioned “Lessons from tonight, no sugar coating.” (Ramaswamy wasn’t on the ballot on Tuesday, as Ohio’s gubernatorial race isn’t until 2026.)

The results were stark. In the first round of elections since Trump took office in January, Democrats won nearly all seats up for grabs. Most notably, Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani swept the New York City mayoral vote, becoming the Big Apple’s first Muslim mayor. His win delivers a major setback for Trump, who personally endorsed Mamdani’s main rival, independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, and had threatened to cut off federal funding to New York City if Mamdani won.

Among Democrats’ other

© Foreign Policy