Americans will learn quite a bit about the direction of national politics on Nov. 4. Both Californians and residents of New York City will cast their ballots in what could be important bellwethers for where we are headed.
Californians, of course, are casting their ballots already on Proposition 50, which will set aside the congressional maps drawn by the Citizens Redistricting Commission in favor of a gerrymandered map drawn up by Democratic political operatives for the advantage of the Democrats.
The proposal is in response to the Texas Legislature rigging its own maps in favor of Republicans after an explicit appeal by President Donald Trump to do so.
If Proposition 50, the intended result will be fewer Republicans among California’s congressional delegation. It will no doubt signal that Democrats are not only willing to roll in the mud with Republicans but can find political success in doing so. In turn, this will boost Gov. Gavin Newsom’s presidential prospects and help boost his stance as one of the early Democratic frontrunners for the 2028 election.
If it fails, however, it will likely be because just enough Californians resist the pull by the state’s Democratic leadership to play dirty and corrupt our elections to somehow get back at Donald Trump. It would also be a stinging blow to Newsom, who has spent increasing amounts of time over the past year trying to position himself as a presidential candidate withour explicitly acknowledging that’s what he’s doing. But we all see it.
This editorial board, as a reminder, has recommended a No on Prop. 50 for the simple reason that two wrongs don’t make a right. And even if one believed it did, the fact is it’s totally possible for Democrats to retake the House next year, as would be historically expected, without going down a path of self-corruption.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, New Yorkers are on the brink of electing a socialist to lead the Big Apple.
While New York City is very much its own place, a win by state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani will amplify those voices in the Democratic Party who argue the party needs to veer further to the left to be politically successful. Mamdani currently holds a comfortable lead in the race over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Guardian Angels leader Curtis Sliwa.
Of course, one major qualifier for this is the fact there are plenty of reasons for even moderate Democrats to be repulsed at the idea of electing Cuomo. Once a political giant in New York with a significant national profile, Cuomo was brought down after a series of sexual harassment allegations. Meanwhile, others have rightly been angry with him about his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the many deaths in nursing homes resulting from his policies effectively requiring nursing homes to admit patients regardless of their COVID status.
Moderate Democrats will also probably blame the presence of Sliwa in the race as a spoiler. Perhaps it’s a case of a flawed candidate, perhaps it’s a case of a race with a spoiler. But it’s not a good sign when the best the New York moderates could do was field Andrew Cuomo.
Bottom line is that if Mamdani wins, what he does in New York City will be watched all over the country and indeed all over the world.
Taken together, what comes of the elections on Nov. 4 will be very revealing about where our politics are headed. Are Democrats ready to play dirty? Will the Democratic Party veer left? It remains to be seen.