• D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
  • Riyadh
  • Beijing
  • SG
  • D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
Semafor Logo
  • Riyadh
  • Beijing
  • SG


Principals newsletter icon
From Semafor Principals
In your inbox, every weekday morning
Sign up

Democrats win special elections, progressives gain in city races

Aug 6, 2025, 5:08am EDT
PostEmailWhatsapp
Mary Sheffield
Mary Sheffield in 2023. Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images.

Democrats fended off Republicans in two special elections, holding a state senate seat in Rhode Island and a state house seat in Delaware.

Stefano Famiglietti, a conservative Providence Democrat, won by 66 points in a district Kamala Harris had won by 11.

Democrats were in no danger of losing their majorities there or in Delaware, where Alonna Berry defeated GOP nominee Nikki Miller.

“We’re that much closer to getting a supermajority in the house,” said Rep. Kerri Evelyn Harris, Delaware’s state House majority leader.

In Detroit, City Council President Mary Sheffield won most of the primary vote and a spot in the November runoff. Solomon Kinloch, a progressive pastor, was on track to win the second spot.

In Seattle, progressives gained some ground; Mayor Bruce Harrell trailed Transit Riders Union founder Katie Wilson, and City Attorney Ann Davison trailed a more liberal candidate for her job.

AD