Voters are heading to the polls Tuesday to weigh in on critical races electing governors, mayors and more as observers look for clues about the national mood heading into next year\u2019s midterms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
New Jersey and Virginia are holding high-stakes elections for governor, among other top posts. In New York City, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is running against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and Republican Curtis Sliwa to succeed outgoing Mayor Eric Adams (D).\u00a0<\/p>\n
California voters, meanwhile, will weigh in on a new set of congressional maps pushed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).<\/p>\n
Here are the key races to watch in Tuesday\u2019s critical 2025 elections:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Virginia\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Old Dominion is holding elections for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and the House of Delegates.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) is running against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) since Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is term-limited. Polling has shown Spanberger with a comfortable lead over Earle-Sears, with\u00a0a Decision Desk HQ polling average of the race<\/a>\u00a0showing the Democrat ahead at 53 percent to Earle-Sears\u2019s 43 percent.\u00a0<\/p>\n But the GOP Virginia lieutenant governor and her party have sought to tie Spanberger to a scandal that has swirled around Jay Jones, the Democratic challenger to Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), in the final stretch of the race. \u00a0<\/p>\n Jones has faced blowback over resurfaced text messages from 2022 in which he talked about shooting former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R) and suggested Gilbert and his wife were \u201cbreeding little fascists.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Jones has since apologized for the text messages. He\u2019s also looked to nationalize the race, tying Miyares to President Trump. A\u00a0Decision HQ polling average<\/a>\u00a0of the race shows Miyares just ahead of Jones, 47 percent to 45 percent.\u00a0<\/p>\n Controversy has also rocked Republicans in Virginia lieutenant governor\u2019s race.<\/p>\n Republican John Reid refused to end his candidacy earlier this year when Republicans found a\u00a0social media account that has been linked to Reid shared sexually explicit content of men. Reid, who is gay, has said the account isn\u2019t his and that he\u2019s being discriminated against due to his sexuality. Reid is running against Democrat Ghazala Hashmi\u00a0in a race polls also suggest is close<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Control of the House of Delegates is also at play Tuesday, as Republicans look to flip Democrats\u2019 51-48 majority.\u00a0<\/p>\n New Jersey\u00a0<\/p>\n Republican Jack Ciattarelli is hoping to change his party\u2019s fortunes in the Garden State and defeat Democrat Mikie Sherrill to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy (D). \u00a0<\/p>\n Recent elections have shown Democrats can\u2019t take the state for granted: Murphy beat Ciattarelli for reelection by just 3 points in 2021, and former Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019s winning margin in November was only about 6 points.<\/p>\n Republicans are hoping to make the governor\u2019s race a referendum on continued Democratic governance, as voters there grapple with rising utilities costs and affordability concerns.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Democrats have sought to nationalize the race and tie Ciattarelli to Trump. Democrats have slammed the Trump administration for freezing funds for the Hudson River Tunnel Project, known as the Gateway tunnel, and suggested the Republican former Assembly member wouldn\u2019t be able to stand up to the president when needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Democrats are\u00a0feeling cautiously optimistic<\/a>\u00a0about their chances Tuesday, though concerns\u00a0over Black and Latino\/Hispanic voter turnout<\/a> have rocked the Sherrill campaign. A Decision Desk HQ\u00a0polling average<\/a>\u00a0shows Sherrill at 50 percent and Ciattarelli at nearly 46 percent.\u00a0<\/p>\n New York City\u00a0<\/p>\n Independents, moderate Democrats and even Republicans are racing to give Cuomo a boost over the front-runner Mamdani in the final stretch of the New York City mayoral election to succeed Adams.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ever since Mamdani trounced the former New York governor in the Democratic mayoral primary, polling has shown steady momentum for the New York state Assembly member, who would become the city\u2019s first millennial and first Muslim mayor if elected.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mamdani has been buoyed by several different dynamics: a campaign focused on affordability that\u2019s resonated with voters, offering a vision when much of the party has been stuck in largely anti-Trump messaging, the Republican Sliwa playing spoiler to Cuomo, and recent endorsements from longtime holdouts such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).<\/p>\n Politicians such as Adams, moderate Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi (N.Y.) and President Trump have offered nods to Cuomo in the last few weeks, though it may not be enough to overcome his deficit against Mamdani. A Decision Desk HQ\u00a0polling average<\/a>\u00a0has Mamdani leading double digits over Cuomo at 45 percent to 32 percent.\u00a0<\/p>\n One other race to watch in the city is the Manhattan district attorney\u2019s race. Incumbent Alvin Bragg (D), who\u00a0secured a conviction<\/a>\u00a0against Trump over a 2016 hush money probe, is running against Republican Maud Moran.\u00a0<\/p>\n California\u00a0<\/p>\n California voters are weighing in on a key ballot measure that could give Democrats four or five pickup opportunities in the House next year, as both parties race to redraw maps in states they control ahead of the 2026 midterms.\u00a0<\/p>\n Californians will vote on Proposition 50, which would allow lawmakers to temporarily bypass the state\u2019s independent redistricting commission and\u00a0pass a new Democratic-friendly congressional map before 2026. The measure stipulates that the commission would reassume its role overseeing the drawing of California\u2019s House map after the 2030 U.S. Census. <\/p>\n Proposition 50 was borne out of a broader redistricting battle that began in Texas and has stretched across the country. The White House and national Republicans have pushed Texas, Missouri, Indiana and more to redraw their congressional maps before next year\u2019s elections as the GOP braces for a challenging midterm environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Republican redistricting push turned into a national tit for tat as Democrats have looked to California and elsewhere to try to neutralize the gains Republicans are expected to make.\u00a0<\/p>\n What was initially seen as a big gamble for California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has turned into what is lining up to be a clear win,\u00a0as polling has shown<\/a>\u00a0the ballot initiative projected to pass Tuesday \u2014 particularly in the absence of a competitive opposition campaign against the ballot measure.\u00a0<\/p>\n A Tuesday win\u00a0would bode well<\/a> for Newsom, who\u2019s long been viewed as a key 2028 contender and who has recently left the door open to a White House run.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pennsylvania\u00a0<\/p>\n Voters will be weighing in on retention races on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, with Justices David Wecht, Christine Donohue and Kevin Dougherty, all Democrats,\u00a0running for 10-year terms.<\/p>\n The state Supreme Court has a 5-2 Democratic edge, meaning the balance of power is on the line Tuesday. The retention races have attracted millions of dollars, though it\u2019s usually difficult to oust incumbents during retention elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n