How the economy flipped from a red to blue issue, according to exit polls

A Navy veteran, an ex-member of Congress and a self-avowed democratic socialist won resounding victories successful high-profile races connected Tuesday – each carrying the banner of the Democratic enactment and each addressing wide interest astir affordability.

Despite varied biographies, top-of-the-ballot Democrats crossed New Jersey, Virginia and New York City each prevailed successful contests earlier electorates who ranked the system oregon outgo of surviving arsenic a apical issue, according to exit polls conducted by ABC News.

The bread-and-butter vantage among Democratic nominees marked a crisp turnabout from the statesmanlike predetermination a twelvemonth ago, erstwhile wide discontent implicit ostentation helped fuel the occurrence of President Donald Trump and the Republican power of Congress.

Roughly fractional of Virginia voters connected Tuesday said that the system was the astir important contented facing the commonwealth, and they supported Democrat Abigail Spanberger by much than 24 percent points, according to ABC News exit polling.

Meanwhile, much than fractional of New York City voters said outgo of surviving was the astir important contented facing the city, dwarfing the different issues measured successful ABC News exit polling – and astir two-thirds of those voters formed ballots for Democrat Zohran Mamdani.

Taxes and the system tallied arsenic the 2 apical issues among voters successful New Jersey, and akin shares of tax-focused voters supported Republican Jack Ciattarelli portion economy-focused voters supported Democrat Mikie Sherrill, ABC News exit polling showed.

Although each campaigner has antithetic proposals to little costs -- with Mamdani being the astir vocal astir raising the taxation complaint connected the wealthiest to wage for services specified arsenic kid attraction -- voters successful immense numbers were attracted to their messages.

A idiosyncratic shops astatine a market store, Oct. 31, 2025, successful Nashville, Tenn.

George Walker IV/AP

Speaking to ABC News’s "Good Morning America" connected Wednesday, Mamdani said helium saw his predetermination triumph arsenic a "mandate" to prosecute the "most ambitious" affordability docket for New Yorkers successful decades.

He described the archetypal steps toward backing that docket arsenic pushing to rise taxes connected the wealthiest New Yorkers -- on with raising firm taxes to 11.5% from its existent level astatine astir 7.25%.

"These things unneurotic rise astir $9 billion," Mamdani, a 34-year-old subordinate of the authorities assembly who identifies arsenic a antiauthoritarian socialist, told ABC News, noting specified gross “more than pays for the economical docket and besides starts to Trump-proof our city."

The results connected Tuesday opposition sharply with the result of nationwide elections a twelvemonth agone this November, erstwhile Trump swept each 7 plaything states en way to a decisive electoral-vote triumph implicit Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

Back then, astir two-thirds of voters said the system was successful atrocious shape, according to the results of the ABC News exit poll. Forty-seven percent of voters said their ain fiscal concern was worse than it had been 4 years earlier, which exceeded the stock who held that presumption successful the contiguous aftermath of the Great Recession successful 2008.

Inflation and the system consistently ranked arsenic a apical interest among voters successful polls conducted up of past year’s statesmanlike election.

Price increases slowed earlier this twelvemonth but they person picked up successful caller months, arriving astatine the aforesaid level registered successful January astatine the clip Trump took office. Meanwhile, hiring has slowed successful caller months, posing a hazard of an economical double-whammy known arsenic "stagflation."

In a station connected X connected Wednesday, Vice President J.D. Vance downplayed the value of the elections a time earlier, but helium besides acknowledged the value of voters’ fiscal worries.

"I deliberation it's idiotic to overreact to a mates of elections successful bluish states," Vance said.

He added: "The president has done a batch that has already paid disconnected successful little involvement rates and little inflation, but we inherited a catastrophe from Joe Biden and Rome wasn't built successful a day."

"We're going to support connected moving to marque a decent beingness affordable successful this country, and that's the metric by which we'll yet beryllium judged successful 2026 and beyond," Vance said.

ABC News' Ivan Pereira and David Brennan contributed to this report.