Washington, Nov. 5 - Democrats swept key elections in the United States for the mayoralty of New York City, as well as the governorships of New Jersey and Virginia, while the federal government shutdown breaks records today on its 36th day.
Bad news for President Donald Trump. The elections held this Tuesday could be considered an early test for the Republican, who, just 10 months before arriving at the White House, is experiencing the lowest approval ratings of his presidency.
In New York City, voters chose Zohran Mamdani, who, with more than 80 percent of the ballots counted, was capturing 50.1 percent of the votes, defeating his closest rival, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing the Democratic primary in June.
Mamdani, 34, attracted voters with progressive demands for change in the Democratic primaries and on Tuesday surpassed a Cuomo who has been an icon of the Democratic Party but is mired in scandals.
The election for the governorship of New Jersey was also a win for the Democrats. Representative Mikie Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
Meanwhile, Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears fell to former Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger, who secured a convincing victory. Spanberger will be the first woman governor in Virginia's history.
In both Virginia and New Jersey, former President Barack Obama campaigned over the weekend to mobilize Democratic voters.
In California, voters approved Proposition 50 in a statewide referendum for the redistricting of electoral districts in favor of Democrats, a victory for Governor Gavin Newsom, who promoted the initiative.
Meanwhile, in the United States Senate, Democrats and Republicans continue to be at an impasse, and reports about the impact of the shutdown are increasing.
The Department of Transportation may be forced to close airspace in certain parts of the country if the government stalemate extends into next week, Secretary Sean Duffy stated yesterday.
He said there would be “massive delays in flights, massive cancellations, and we may have to close certain areas of airspace because we simply cannot manage it due to a lack of air traffic controllers.”
The Federal Aviation Administration warned that around 13,000 air traffic controllers are currently working without pay, and according to agency reports, on Friday nearly 80 percent of staff in the New York area were absent from work.
The previous shutdown lasted 35 days, making it the longest in history. It occurred between December 2018 and January 2019 during Trump's first term
