By James Oliphant
(Reuters) -Democratic candidates Zohran Mamdani of New York City and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey are separated by a river, but the gulf between them would appear to be larger than that.
Mamdani, favored to become New York’s mayor, is a self-described democratic socialist. Sherrill, who aspires to be her state’s next governor, is a former Navy helicopter pilot and centrist trying to woo moderates back to her party.
Sherrill, along with another centrist candidate, Abigail Spanberger,
who is running for Virginia governor, are pitching themselves as the Democrats’ best hope in the November elections for flipping the page after President Donald Trump's victory. While they are advocating pragmatism and consensus-driven solutions, Mamdani is pushing for a set of left-wing policies that would take the party in a new direction.
Despite their differences, all three have zeroed in on what Democrats hope will be a winning strategy that carries over to the 2026 midterm elections: the high cost of living for everyday Americans. Each campaign is channeling the same voter frustration – that everything from energy to healthcare to groceries feels increasingly unaffordable.
“That is the pain point right now with voters,” said Mark Riddle, president of Future Majority, a Democratic firm that conducts voter research. “And they’re blaming Trump.”
DEMOCRATS SEEK TO USE TRUMP'S ECONOMY AGAINST HIM
Since Democrats lost both the White House and Congress last year, the party has been searching for a policy framework and fresh voices. Success in the key Nov. 4 mayoral and gubernatorial elections could help translate into victories next year, when control of both chambers of Congress will be up for grabs, strategists say.
One reason Trump won last year was that same economic anxiety. But Democrats argue that Trump slapping high tariffs on imports and his "Big Beautiful" tax bill have only made things worse.
While inflation overall has cooled during Trump’s presidency, staples such as food, housing and power remain significantly more expensive than just a few years ago. Grocery prices are up 2.7% over a year ago, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, while home electricity costs have jumped 6.2% and home gas prices have shot up 13.8% over a year ago.
After record-breaking price increases in 2021 and 2022, home values have continued to rise, though at a slower pace — now closer to 3% annually. But rent and shelter costs, which factor heavily into the Consumer Price Index, haven’t meaningfully cooled. The cost of medical services excluding prescription drugs has increased 4.2% in the last year.
About half of Americans polled in a June Reuters/Ipsos poll said they were "very concerned" about the cost of living. The issue is something of a thorn in Trump's side: In another Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted this month, just 27% of respondents said they approved of his performance on the cost of living.
Meanwhile, the price of imported goods has shot up 4% during Trump's time in office, with the cost of domestic goods increasing 2%, according to a Reuters' analysis this month.
But while polls show voters are increasingly unhappy with Trump's handling of the economy, they continue to trust Republicans more than Democrats to fix it. A Reuters/Ipsos poll in September found Americans were more likely to trust the Republican Party over the Democratic Party (34% to 24%) on managing economic policy.
Trump has repeatedly boasted about his economic record, arguing he's lowered prices and inflation and that his tariffs regime is a success.
"We've had the best economy we've ever had," he said at a Cabinet meeting this month.
SEARCHING FOR A WAY FORWARD
The Democratic Party has spent much of 2025 trying to figure out what went wrong last year. Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ vice-presidential nominee, has toured states speaking to party officials about his ticket's failure to reassure voters about their everyday concerns.
Mamdani, Sherrill and Spanberger, the three most high-profile candidates running this year, have responded by promoting affordability as a central campaign theme.
Spanberger’s “Affordable Virginia” plan focuses on lowering healthcare, housing, and energy costs. Part of the plan would seek to force tech data centers to pay “their fair share” of electricity costs. A former CIA officer, she has also emphasized how federal job cuts and the U.S. government shutdown is damaging her state, which is reliant on federal jobs.
Sherrill’s “Affordability Agenda” targets similar cost-of-living concerns. She has pledged to declare a statewide energy emergency and freeze rates.
“Housing, healthcare, and utility costs — I’ll tackle them immediately,” Sherrill said during a debate with Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli this month.
Ciattarelli is also promoting his "affordability agenda" - one that cuts taxes and regulations and argues that Sherrill's plans are anti-growth.
Recent polls show that Sherrill's lead over Ciattarelli is hovering around 6 percentage points. Spanberger's lead over her opponent, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, has fluctuated between 3 and 10 points, depending on the poll.
Mamdani’s agenda includes a rent freeze, free bus service, universal childcare, and city-run grocery stores. He has drawn fire from Republicans, who cast him as a radical, and from some Democrats, including his rival for mayor, Andrew Cuomo, who argues that Mamdani’s policies are unworkable and would lead to large tax increases.
A Quinnipiac University poll released last week showed Mamdani with a 13-point lead over Cuomo.
Rebecca Katz, a New York Democratic operative whose firm, Fight, has produced ads on behalf of Mamdani's campaign, warned that Democrats would be imprudent to dismiss his success.
“If and when he wins in November, Democrats shouldn’t write him off,” Katz said. “They should look at why his message resonated.”
(Additional reporting by Jason Lange. Editing by Paul Thomasch and Deepa Babington)
