By Joseph Ax

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democrats took a victory lap on Wednesday after sweeping the first major elections since Donald Trump returned to the White House, a much-needed balm for a wounded party that had spent much of the last year desperately trying to find its footing.

A new generation of Democrats, including the 34-year-old New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, won closely watched contests in New Jersey, New York and Virginia, while California voters resoundingly approved a new congressional map aimed at improving Democratic odds of winning the U.S. House next year.

Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House, boasted that Republicans got “wiped out” in a post on X on Wednesday.

The impressive performance – including lower-profile victories in swing states Penn

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