Voters across the country are heading to the polls today in a slate of closely watched elections that offer early hints about where the national political mood may be heading.
With major positions up for grabs, including governor, mayor, and congressional map control, this year’s Election Day could shape the landscape heading into the 2026 midterms and even the 2028 presidential contest.
Below are the races drawing the most attention:
Virginia: A Governor’s Race with National Weight
Virginia once again finds itself at the center of political forecasting. Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) is facing Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) in a governor’s race defined by contrasting visions of the state’s economic and cultural future. Current Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is term-limited, putting the seat firmly in play.
Polling has consistently shown Spanberger ahead, but the final stretch brought late-breaking attacks tying her to a controversy surrounding the Democratic challenger for attorney general.
Meanwhile, control of the House of Delegates hangs in the balance, with Republicans trying to flip Democrats’ narrow 51–48 majority.
New York City: A Mayoral Race with Big Stakes and Bigger Personalities
New York City is set to elect a new mayor, and the field has been anything but dull. Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and current Assembly member, is the frontrunner and could make history as the city’s first Muslim and first millennial mayor.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, has mounted a late effort to regain political relevance, while Republican Curtis Sliwa complicates the race further. Mamdani’s messaging has focused squarely on affordability and safety — two issues dominating voter concerns.
Also in NYC: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) faces GOP challenger Maud Moran in a race shadowed by Bragg’s prosecution of former President Trump.
New Jersey: A State Testing Its Political Pulse
New Jersey’s governor’s race is shaping up as one of the clearest markers of the state’s changing political identity. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D) and former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R) are battling for the governorship — and the political narrative.
Ciattarelli has leaned heavily into messaging around frustration with the cost of living and has earned outspoken support from Donald Trump. Sherrill, who has rallied with former President Obama in recent weeks, maintains that New Jersey remains firmly blue — if voters turn out.
The result could signal whether New Jersey’s recent rightward shift is temporary or something more lasting.
California: Proposition 50 and the Future of Congressional Power
In California, voters are weighing Proposition 50, a ballot measure that would temporarily replace the state’s current congressional map with new district lines that favor Democrats.
The move is widely seen as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s response to President Trump’s push for Texas and other GOP-led states to redraw their own maps to strengthen Republican control of the House.
If approved, and polling suggests it likely will be, Prop 50 could net Democrats as many as five additional U.S. House seats across the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections. The measure would then automatically expire, returning redistricting power to California’s independent citizens’ redistricting commission after the 2030 cycle.
Visit your state’s official election site for polling locations and voting information.
Polls close throughout the evening. The watch begins.
