TL;DR
950+ NDTC-trained candidates won their races in 2025. If you’re ready to join them, register for our free So You Want to Run for Office training
Democrats swept VA, NJ, and NYC while winning critical down-ballot races nationwide
Major wins should only ramp up our momentum. It doesn’t matter what you did in 2025; the movement needs you in 2026.
We couldn’t resist sending you this newsletter a little early, because… WE DID IT! Democrats are celebrating, our democracy lives to see another cycle, and NDTC-trained candidates swept seats across the country. From city councils to statehouses to governors’ mansions in Virginia and New Jersey, our movement showed up in a big way.
“Tuesday proved what happens when people stop waiting for someone else to save democracy and start doing it themselves. Democracy isn’t something we win once and put on a shelf — it’s something we fight for, every single cycle, in every single community.
The 950 NDTC-trained candidates who won reminded us what’s possible when we show up. Now it’s time to make sure we never stop showing up and NDTC will be right there with you, every step of the way.” - NDTC CEO Kelly Dietrich
Candidates Won Big With NDTC
We’ve been counting winners around the clock, and we’re beyond excited to share that 950+ of our 1,400+ NDTC learners who ran for office this year WON their elections. Let that sink in.
These weren’t just any wins, either:
28 newly elected mayors learned their campaign skills with us
290+ city council and school board members across the country are NDTC learners who are now shaping their communities from the inside
Over 20% of the 64 delegates who kept Virginia’s House blue are NDTC-trained candidates
Democrats Had a REALLY Good Night
We won’t go too in the weeds on the headlines you’ve no doubt already seen, but the highlights are worth mentioning again:
Virginia went blue in a big way — Abigail Spanberger didn’t just win the governor’s race — she dominated by double digits. Democrats swept every statewide race, held the House of Delegates, and showed that Trump’s policies aren’t playing well in swing states.
New Jersey stayed blue, and then some — Mikie Sherrill won her governor’s race by over 12 points, significantly outperforming 2024 presidential margins in New Jersey.
New York City made history — Zohran Mamdani became NYC’s Mayor-elect, demonstrating the power of widespread organizing efforts, a clear message, and an authentic candidate.
California’s Prop 50 passed easily — Voters aren’t tolerating Trump’s attempts to rig elections, and they’re fighting back.
All of that adds up to some MAJOR cause for hope heading into 2026 — and reason to get back to work right away.
The Momentum Is Ours, If We Know What To Do With It
None of this happened by accident. It happened because a movement of people decided to stop waiting around for someone else to do something. They organized, volunteered, talked to voters, and staffed campaigns. And they ran for office.
However, one great election shouldn’t send anyone back to their comfortable sidelines. The whole point is that the work must be continued and consistent to have real impact. Things are back on track — and it’s not time to go back to “sitting it out for a while.” We must turn hope into action; otherwise, we’d reverse engineer a not-so-good election night next November.
Democrats have the wind at our backs, and we just need to know what to do with it. If Tuesday left you feeling energized, hopeful, or plain excited – we’re ready for you at NDTC.
We will train you to run for office.
We will train you to staff a campaign.
We will train you to organize, volunteer, and lead in your community.
You don’t need to be a political junkie to do it, or have any political experience for that matter. We believe that your passion is your only prerequisite.
Every training, course, and resource we offer is 100% free. So, are you ready to join our 950+ learners who won on Tuesday? Start at traindems.org and we’ll take it from there.
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