2025 elections in NYC, New Jersey, Virginia to test Democrats, Trump in year before midterms
Election Day 2025 is here, with closely watched local races in New York City, New Jersey and Virginia, as well as the Proposition 50 redistricting ballot measure in California — all of which may be viewed as early bellwethers for next year’s midterm elections.
Here are the races to watch Tuesday:
New York City mayor’s race
New York City’s highly watched mayoral election is a rare three-person race that has attracted the attention of a former New Yorker, President Trump.
Democrats chose Queens state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani as their nominee in the June primary, a democratic socialist whose campaign on affordability has been embraced by the grassroots. New York City is heavily Democratic, so the winner of the party’s primary is generally considered the favorite to win in November. Mamdani defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who led polls early in the mayoral race.
Mayor Eric Adams, who was indicted on federal corruption charges in September 2024, which were dropped in the early days of the Trump administration, skipped the June Democratic primary, instead opting to be on the ballot as an independent candidate. But facing a lack of funds and polling in the single digits, Adams dropped out in September and later threw his support behind Cuomo.
New Jersey governor’s race
Former GOP New Jersey state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli is making his third run for governor, after losing to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021. He’s facing off against Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who’s trying to deliver Democrats a third consecutive term in the governor’s mansion, a feat that has not been accomplished by either party since the 1970s.
Sherrill, who flipped a Republican congressional seat in 2018, is running as a moderate and trying to tie Ciattarelli to Mr. Trump. But Ciattarelli has accused Sherrill in a September debate of blaming Mr. Trump for everything.