Olson In-Studio on CNN: Post-2025 Election Coverage
Byline: Olson Strategies Staff
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Dustin Olson, Managing Partner at Olson Strategies, joined CNN This Morning to break down the results of the 2025 off-year elections in New York City, New Jersey, and Virginia—and what the results mean for both parties heading into 2026.
New York City Mayoral Race
The discussion opened by looking at New York City, where Zohran Mamdani’s victory represents both a win and a warning for Democrats. While his speech was ambitious, his policies—like defunding the police and refusing to denounce “Globalize the Intifada”—remain deeply unpopular with many New Yorkers.
“I would call it a mixed bag for Democrats. Obviously, it's a huge win. I think Mamdani's speech was ambitious, and I think if he does half the things he said it'll be transformative. And probably, for some Democrats within the party, they're not going to be excited about that. We're watching the transformation of that party.” – Dustin Olson
New Jersey Gubernatorial Race
Next, the conversation moved to New Jersey, where off-year dynamics typically favor the party out of power. Although those trends did end up holding with Democrat Mikie Sherrill coming to a decisive victory over Jack Ciattarelli, Olson explained the reason some Republicans thought New Jersey could legitimately be in play this year.
“In ’21, we saw a similar coalition—more affluent voters who have moved away from Trump Republicans, and higher-education folks moving away from Trump Republicans. They voted for Ciattarelli last time as well. So there’s been a bit of a demographic difference between these different elections.”
The Shutdown: Media Narratives and Public Impact
Next, Olson covered the ongoing government shutdown. Both sides are assigning blame, but at the end of the day, most Americans just want the government functioning again.
“In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs—eating is pretty high on that list. So when it gets to that level, then people… they’re not going to care. They just want something to get done.” – Dustin Olson
Virginia’s Gubernatorial Race
After that, the conversation moved to Virginia, where the pattern continues—which has now seen 12 of the last 13 governor’s races go against the party in the White House. The intensity was clear, and Olson noted how the assassination of Charlie Kirk had a real-world impact on the GOP GOTV operations.
“A year ago, Republicans did something that was kind of unheard of—they outsourced the Get Out The Vote operations to Turning Point USA, and the guy who was in charge of that was assassinated two months ago. That had an operational, actual impact on these elections.”
Tariffs and Executive Power
Finally, Olson weighed in on the Supreme Court’s upcoming review of Trump’s tariff policy, saying that while the Court may see it as a constitutional test, he sees it as a foreign policy issue.
“I imagine the Supreme Court is looking at it as a test of executive power. I think for a lot of people, they view it as foreign policy. In our polling, a plurality of Americans actually told us—47%—that they support his use of the tariffs strategically in negotiation.”
📊 For more polling insights, visit: PollingClub.com