By Cliff Maloney
Most voters don’t realize we just had several local elections over the last few weeks, and those elections were critical in securing the America First agenda.
The New York City mayoral race, which was won by Zohran Mamdani, was the most prominent, but there were many other, less prominent but equally important elections across the country.
Unfortunately, we lost all but the smallest of those elections.
On one hand, this was a gut punch.
We charged into enemy territory, knowing the odds were against us, going into states such as New Jersey to support gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli. I was optimistic that Trump's blowout victory in 2024 would drag Republicans to the polls. His administration’s wins, such as securing the border with millions deported, criminals locked up instead of coddled, DOGE slashing $175 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse, that's the America First rocket fuel we promised. Yet, too many patriots stayed home, complacent or convinced "easy wins" would fall in our lap.
READ MORE: NYC Falls to Communism, Elects Mamdani Mayor
Democrat Mikie Sherrill Wins the Race for New Jersey Governor
In New Jersey, losses hit harder than expected, with Democrat E-Day turnout exploding (Sherrill roughly +440k over Murphy's 2021 haul) while our side ghosted. Pennsylvania's "vote no to retain" on COVID-era judges? Tanked, leaving the same lockdown-loving benchwarmers to sabotage liberty. We didn't show up — we got crushed.
This isn't just a blip; it's a preview of the Democrats' endgame if we snooze.
Look, our chances of winning were small to begin with because these were all in historically deep blue districts, but I was still optimistic. I had hoped that Republicans would show up in force, motivated by the massive progress made so far by President Trump.
But instead of showing up to help secure this progress and ensure we get more of it, Republicans got complacent and stayed home. Maybe they figured these elections would be easy wins because of the social shift we’ve seen since the last presidential election, or maybe it was something else. I don’t know. What I do know is that we didn’t show up, and when we don’t, we lose, and when we do, we win. Plain and simple.
And when we don’t show up, the outcome is disastrous.
Take NYC: Mamdani's crew isn't hiding their socialist blueprint. Defund the police while crime ravages streets? Check. Rent control that chokes housing supply and jacks prices? Double check. Government-run grocery stores to "fight capitalism"? That's the fever dream.
Josh Shapiro's upcoming Pennsylvania "reelection" is Exhibit B, and it's got 2028 White House written all over it. He's not saying it yet, but his union slush funds, special interest war chest, and phony 60 percent favorability scream ambition. The "moderate" mask hides a lockdown zealot who sued Trump over minor protections and pushed PLAs to rig contracts for his cronies. If Shapiro’s reelection is shot down by the voters in 2026, he's off the board for a presidential run. But flip that mansion red, and we neuter him — permanently. The PA Chase is all in: 750,000 doors in 2026, 1 million in 2028, to make Pennsylvania Ohio or Florida 2.0. Democrats can't win the presidency without PA.
The truth is that Democrats have a well-oiled machine when it comes to elections. They’ve spent decades building powerful networks of activists — in many cases, using taxpayer funds to do so, but that’s a topic for another day. They have massive email lists, and they leverage social media like a passionate insurgent group. They vote early and use mail-in ballots to maximize their votes. And most of all, they show up consistently and move in lockstep.
In short, they do everything that we need to be doing, but are not.
And if we don’t change that, they will eat our lunch and destroy America in the process.
While presidential and congressional elections tend to get most of the attention, there are thousands of smaller local elections in between that can have just as much, if not more, impact.
That’s why these elections are so critical.
We can’t just match the Democrats’ efforts — we need to surpass them.
The energy, discipline, and focus that carried us through the presidential campaign must now be directed toward state and local battles.
This is now an every-single-election fight.
Local elections play a key role in what happens locally, but they also have a national impact.
When we win here, it sends shockwaves through the political world. It shows that America First policies — standing up for working families, enforcing the law, and protecting American values — are winning over voters even in traditionally blue territories.
We failed this time, and the margins weren’t even close. This was devastating, but there’s a silver lining here, and it’s that this could be the wake-up call that Republicans need to see that we absolutely need to be all in.
We’re about to see the impact of this failure play out in New York in a big way.
As a result of the socialist policies Mamdani championed on the campaign trail, some New York residents are already starting to flee, with many more preparing to follow suit. Especially wealthy residents. And major companies like JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs are relocating workers and operations from New York, with Texas and Florida being primary destinations due to lower taxes and a more business-friendly climate. Other financial firms such as Citadel and Elliott Management have also moved, and Adirondack Insurance Exchange is leaving the state entirely.
SEE ALSO: New Report: NY, NJ Lose $690B As Residents Flee High Taxes
This leaves the state with a significantly reduced tax base while its spending remains the same, and those who remain will be forced to make up the difference through new, higher taxes. Ironically, the people most affected are those who can afford it the least and don’t have the option to move.
Mark my words — Mamdani will blame capitalism, and a large percentage of New York voters will blindly accept his claim.
New York City was once the financial capital of the world, and it’s now turning into yet another socialist hellscape where it’s nearly impossible to do business or for the average resident to even afford a modest lifestyle. The long-running exodus from New York City highlights the failures of socialism, and yet the left keeps doubling down on this ideology that has failed literally everywhere it’s ever been implemented. In fact, Mamdani recently cited Eugene Debs, the Socialist Party founder, during an interview, attempting to justify his policies. New York's exodus is already in motion, and it’s going to get a lot worse.
And we see many of the same policies being pushed by Pennsylvania’s governor, Josh Shapiro.
While the state may not have the same financial significance as New York, it’s still filled with millions of good, hardworking Americans who are being harmed by his policies, and we need to fight just as hard to protect them.
The reality we have to accept is that what's happening in these local elections isn’t just a reflection of local politics — it’s a preview of 2026 and beyond.
The Democrats are testing their ground game, and so must we. They’re using every tool at their disposal: paid ballot chasers, early voting drives, and celebrity endorsements.
These upcoming midterms are absolutely ours to lose. If Republicans sleepwalk and hand Congress back, mark my words, the impeachment circus restarts. Trump on trial, us scrambling from a position of defense in 2028. The unleashed Democrats crave retaliation: more witch hunts, open borders, $36.2 trillion debt bombs.
We've got low-propensity voter turnout as our Achilles' heel, but it's fixable. Democrats' machine— taxpayer-funded activists, endless mail-in chases, lockstep obedience — built their electoral cartel over decades.
We need to respond with people power. Groups like Citizens Alliance, Turning Point Action, America First Works, Heritage Action, Early Vote Action, and many more have already proven what can happen when we invest in grassroots organizing.
When Republicans knock on doors and collect ballots, we win.
It’s that simple.
Cliff Maloney is the CEO of Citizens Alliance and the Founder of the PA CHASE program. He can be found @Maloney on X.
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