Election Day 2025 is nearly right here, with intently watched races in New York Metropolis, New Jersey and Virginia, in addition to a redistricting poll measure in California — all of which may very well be seen as bellwethers for subsequent 12 months’s midterm elections.
Listed here are the races to observe Tuesday:
New York Metropolis
New York Metropolis’s highly watched mayoral election is a uncommon three-person race that has attracted the eye of a former New Yorker, President Trump.
Democrats selected Queens state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani as their nominee within the June main, a democratic socialist whose marketing campaign on affordability has been embraced by the grassroots. New York Metropolis is closely Democratic, so the winner of the social gathering’s main is mostly thought of the favourite to win in November. Mamdani defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who led polls early within the mayoral race.
Mayor Eric Adams, who was indicted on federal corruption charges in September 2024, which had been dropped within the early days of the Trump administration, skipped the June Democratic main, as an alternative opting to be on the poll as an impartial candidate. However going through an absence of funds and polling within the single digits, Adams dropped out in September and later threw his support behind Cuomo.
Cuomo has remained within the race, and though he lagged in elevating cash earlier within the race, his fundraising improved in October after Adams dropped out. Mamdani, in the meantime, has shattered fundraising expectations, along with his marketing campaign saying it reached the $8 million spending cap for New York Metropolis matching funds in early September.
A trio of polls launched on Oct. 30 confirmed Mamdani with a commanding lead, although others earlier within the week confirmed an uptick in assist for Cuomo. Early voting has considerably risen in comparison with 2021. Since Oct. 25, more than 730,000 New Yorkers have forged their ballots early, in comparison with the nearly 170,000 who forged their ballots early in 2021.
If Mamdani, 34, wins, he’ll turn out to be the second-youngest mayor in New York Metropolis historical past in addition to the primary Muslim mayor. He was first elected to the state Meeting in 2020 to signify Astoria, Queens — probably the most progressive elements of New York Metropolis. Mamdani mentioned he’ll ask New York Metropolis Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to remain on if he wins. She has not but mentioned whether or not she’s going to settle for.
Cuomo, who was elected New York governor thrice earlier than resigning amid sexual misconduct allegations, has tried to color Mamdani as an elitist, since his father is a Columbia College professor and his mom is a movie director. Cuomo’s father, Mario Cuomo, was a three-term governor of New York. Andrew Cuomo has additionally attacked Mamdani for residing in a rent-stabilized condo, whilst Cuomo himself moved to his daughter’s condo in New York Metropolis earlier than he ran for mayor.
Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee in 2021, is again on the poll on the GOP line, though some Republicans have known as on him to drop out to assist Cuomo’s candidacy. Mr. Trump has known as Sliwa “not precisely prime time” and urged Cuomo can be a greater mayor.
All 51 seats of the New York Metropolis Council are additionally on the poll. There may be additionally a voter initiative on transferring native elections to presidential election years.
New Jersey governor
Former GOP New Jersey state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli is making his third run for governor, after dropping to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021. He is going through off in opposition to Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who’s making an attempt to ship Democrats a 3rd consecutive time period within the governor’s mansion, a feat that has not been achieved by both social gathering because the Seventies.
Sherrill, who flipped a Republican congressional seat in 2018, is operating as a reasonable and making an attempt to tie Ciattarelli to Mr. Trump. However Ciattarelli is selling his ties to the president, and accused Sherrill in a September debate of blaming Mr. Trump for every thing.
Each Ciattarelli and Sherrill are interesting to voters’ issues in regards to the high cost of living: Ciattarelli is touting a “Make New Jersey Reasonably priced Once more” pitch, whereas Sherrill options an “Affordability Agenda” on her marketing campaign web site.
In September, CBS News reported {that a} department of the Nationwide Archives launched a principally unredacted model of Sherrill’s navy data to an ally of Ciattarelli in error. Republicans allied with Ciattarelli have been analyzing Sherrill’s report within the Navy, on the lookout for details about a Naval Academy dishonest scandal that implicated over 100 midshipmen. Sherrill was not accused of wrongdoing however didn’t stroll in her commencement, which she mentioned was as a result of she “did not flip in a few of my classmates.” Sherrill had an unblemished profession within the Navy and, as a midshipman, acquired a Navy Achievement Medal in 1991 for saving the lifetime of a classmate.
Virginia governor’s race
Virginia governors might not run for consecutive phrases below state regulation, so Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is just not on the poll.
Virginia’s gubernatorial election is commonly seen as a possible referendum on the incumbent president. The president’s social gathering usually loses the Virginia governor’s race, which at all times falls within the 12 months following a presidential election. In latest historical past, Terry McAuliffe bucked that pattern when he gained the election in 2013, a 12 months after President Barack Obama’s reelection.
The Trump administration’s broadsides in opposition to the federal workforce hit Virginia exhausting, because the state has tons of of hundreds of civilian federal workers and hundreds of presidency contractors and active-duty navy. Most are going with out pay in the course of the government shutdown that is now stretching into its second month.
Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is operating in opposition to former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger within the race. Both Spanberger or Earle-Sears will make historical past because the commonwealth’s first feminine governor, and if Earle-Sears wins, she’s going to turn out to be the primary feminine Black governor.
One in all Youngkin’s paths to victory in 2021 was tying McAuliffe, who was operating for a non-consecutive time period, to unpopular progressive social points, which Earle-Sears has tried to duplicate within the race in opposition to Spanberger. However Spanberger, a former CIA operations officer, has run as a centrist and has touted endorsements from the Virginia Police Benevolent Affiliation, which backed Youngkin in 2021, in addition to former Republican Reps. Barbara Comstock and Denver Riggleman.
Mr. Trump has not endorsed Earle-Sears.
Virginia lawyer normal
Democrat Jay Jones was main incumbent Jason Miyares in a Washington Post poll in early October within the Virginia lawyer normal’s race, however earlier than the ballot was launched, text messages Jones had sent in 2022 resurfaced involving fantasies of violence in opposition to Todd Gilbert, who was then the Republican speaker of the Home of Delegates.
In a press release to CBS Information when the messages resurfaced, Jones mentioned he took full accountability for his actions.
However Republicans, together with the president, have known as on Jones to drop out. Miyares has seized on the controversy, operating advertisements saying, “Are you able to belief Jay Jones to guard your youngsters?”
In a Washington Post poll carried out from Oct. 16-21 — after the textual content messages had been launched — Jones and Miyares had been statistically tied with 46% every.
California’s Proposition 50
Proposition 50 would permit California Democrats to briefly change the boundaries of U.S. Home districts and make them extra favorable to the social gathering. The initiative is their response to Mr. Trump’s push for Republican-controlled states, like Texas, to alter their congressional maps so the GOP has a greater probability at holding on to its slim Home majority subsequent 12 months.
California has 52 congressional districts, 43 represented by Democrats and 9 by Republicans. The 5 GOP-led districts focused below Proposition 50 are District 1, represented by Rep. Doug LaMalfa; District 3, represented by Rep. Kevin Kiley; District 22, represented by Rep. David Valadao; District 41, represented by Rep. Ken Calvert; and District 48, represented by Rep. Darrell Issa.
A latest CBS News poll discovered that amongst voters who plan to assist Proposition 50, one cause they’re doing so is to oppose the Trump administration — which additionally they really feel typically treats California worse than different states — and oppose nationwide Republicans.
Prop 50, in response to the ballot, has 62% assist amongst probably voters.
In whole, greater than $167.9 million has been raised in assist of Prop 50 as of Oct. 28, in response to the California Secretary of State’s workplace. In accordance with the Secretary of State’s workplace, High donors supporting Prop 50 embody the Home Majority PAC for Proposition 50, with $46 million in contributions, and billionaire investor George Soros’ Fund for Coverage Reform, with $10 million.
