Reactions to the elections in the US

 Victory in California strengthens Newsom: “It’s backfiring”

California voters voted to redraw the state’s electoral districts in the Democrats’ favor, a decision praised by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, writes TT.

– We stood tall and unwavering in the face of Donald Trump’s recklessness, says Newsom.

The proposal was a response to a similar maneuver that Republicans pushed through in Texas.

The fact that the proposal was voted through means that Newsom appears as an increasingly strong contender for the presidency in the next election, says Democratic political strategist Celinda Lake to the AP. She points out that he now has a concrete victory to point to.

– Democrats think that someone is finally standing up and being creative, thinking outside the box and fighting back. It gives him a very strong profile, she says.

Analysis: Mamdani is Donald Trump's dream opponent

Donald Trump will use socialist Zohran Mamdani's victory in the New York mayoral election as a trump card against the Democrats, writes Sky News USA correspondent James Matthews in an analysis.

Matthews believes that the election is welcome for the president, since parts of Mamdani's policies are not received as well in other parts of the country as in New York.

"Mamdani is the typical product of a liberal New York - but he may be difficult to sell further west".

SVT's Carl Fridh Kleberg writes that a number of heavyweight Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance and Speaker Mike Johnson, have been quick to draw attention to Mamdani's victory for their followers.

Mamdani has been called Trump's worst nightmare but he can repel important centrist voters, according to Fridh Kleberg.

“In fact, he could be a dream enemy for a president whose worst political pain point has been the Jeffrey Epstein affair and not what the Democrats are up to.”

According to Josefin Flemmich on Yle, there is an internal conflict going on within the Democrats, with some warning that a leftward turn would scare away centrist voters.

“With a year to go until the midterm elections, the Democrats are facing an important strategic decision: What kind of party do they want to be – and for whom?”

Analysis: “Heavy victories – but without clear direction”

The night’s heavy victories in several elections show that the hard-tested Democrats still have the upper hand in the most important things in politics, writes the New York Times’ Lisa Lerer in an analysis.

“They can win. And they can win big,” she writes.

She writes that the party and its voters are now showing a determination and energy that were missing in last year’s presidential election. At the same time, she points out that the party at the national level lacks a clear line and that internal battles can be expected.

The Hills' Caroline Vakil writes that the Democratic victories are a clear warning signal for Republicans. But she also points out that the picture is not clear. In Virginia and New Jersey, more traditionally centrist Democrats won, while left-wing Democrat Zohran Mamdani took home the New York mayoral election.

"It raises questions about what line the party should now take," she writes.

SvD's Göran Eriksson is on the same track.

"It is of course a triumph for the badly damaged Democratic Party, but it does not point to any clear direction forward," he writes.