Political prognosticators are always trying to find meaning in off-year elections. And while I think there are some indicators one can glean from Tuesday’s elections, it would be a mistake to read the tea leaves too closely.

Last Tuesday saw a person with links to Democratic Socialists of America – Zohran Mamdani – win election as mayor of New York City over former Democratic New York governor Andrew Cuomo. Former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, a known moderate and former CIA case officer, won her election for governor of Virginia.

There are other elections where Democratic Party candidates did well. And these elections are being seen nationwide as a sign of things to come for the 2026 midterm elections next year. I think most political experts already believe the U.S. House of Representatives will swing back to Democratic majority control.

Naturally, the West Virginia Democratic Party is happy about last week’s results nationwide, as they should be. There is a reason they call it a political party, not a political wake. They’re using the new energy to encourage West Virginians to run for office under the Democratic Party banner. That’s smart.

“If you’re a Democrat and thinking of running for office in West Virginia, now is the time,” said Del. Mike Pushkin, chairman of the state Democratic Party, in a statement last week following Election Day. “What we saw last night is that when Democrats make it about people — about wages, health care, schools, and protecting freedoms — we can win in places Republicans have taken for granted. Voters are tired of being divided and distracted while their costs go up. They’re ready for candidates who will fight for them.”

Now, that doesn’t mean Democrats in West Virginia won’t have an uphill battle. They will, with Republican Party voter registration going up month after month and the Democratic Party losing registration every month. That means nationwide money for Democratic candidates in West Virginia will be even harder to obtain. But there could also be key legislative races where Democrats can increase their numbers, even if only slightly.

One thing learned from exit polling in some of the races across the nation was voters were driven by concerns about the economy and the federal government shutdown. That was certainly true in Virginia, known as a purple state that tends to swing back and forth between Republican and Democratic control. Virginia is also a state with a lot of federal employees.

Like our neighbors to the east, West Virginia is also a state with a couple of constituencies: federal employees either furloughed or working without pay; and those who receive government benefits such as SNAP who are having to rely on food banks right now. West Virginia might be a red state, but the economic uncertainty right now could push voters into the arms of the Democratic Party.

However, Democrats could take some wrong lessons from last week’s elections and see the election of New York City’s Mamdani as a sign to support more populist progressive candidates for president in 2028. I think Democratic pundits and activists would be wrong to push candidates like Mamdani or New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

People voted for former president Joe Biden in 2020 because he promised a return to political normalcy. But when he took office, he embraced the more far-left constituency and trumpeted those issues, alienating voters. It didn’t help that the Democratic Party didn’t try to pick a new nominee for 2024 and went with former vice president Kamala Harris. Voters in the center ended up going to Trump as a result.

Democrats need to strongly consider candidates that can appeal to the middle, such as Spanberger, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, etc. Because giving us a leftist populist version of President Donald Trump is not going to help cool down this overly political environment we’re in right now.

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I’m a believer that freshmen state lawmakers are better seen and not heard during their first year in office. They should use their first year and first legislative session to learn the process versus try to make waves. In the case of members of the House of Delegates, they have a two-year term and there is more turnover there.

In the state Senate, they at least have four-year terms, so once they get through their first year then they have three more years to really make a name for themselves. The problem right now in the state Senate, however, is there are so many freshmen senators that some of them are committee chairs right out of the gate, so you can’t just ignore them.

Yet, I’ve tried to keep to my rule, focusing more on major committee chairs and members of the Senate with more seniority and tenure. I’ve seen some freshman senators wage war with other members of the media recently for daring to use logic and facts to explain why whatever hairbrained proposal for legislation won’t work.

Once upon a time, it was the state Senate that operated as the adults in the room, with the House of Delegates representing the unruly children. But just like last legislative session, it will be the House that attempts to tamp down the ambitions of the Senate and be the adults in the room. Heading into an election year, that will make the 2026 regular 60-day session of the Legislature something to behold.

(Adams is the state government reporter for Ogden Newspapers. He can be contacted at sadams@newsandsentinel.com)