Democrats will seek to rally, while Republicans will seek to extend their electoral advantage in 2025, when a handful of off-year races will be in the spotlight.
Next year's election landscape will bear no resemblance to the battles for the White House and Congress that the United States just experienced, but the positions up for grabs will give both parties the power to control the country's It may give voters an idea of where they are headed.
They will also almost certainly be interpreted as a litmus test of President-elect Trump's popularity and standing.
Here are the main races to watch next year:
governor of new jersey
President Biden won New Jersey by a 16-point margin in 2020, and it has been seen as a heavily Democratic state.
But in 2024, Trump narrowed that gap to just 6 points, making inroads into Democratic strongholds and giving Republicans new hope of retaking the governor's mansion.
The Republican Party is already crowded with candidates seeking to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy (Democratic).
Mr. Murphy lost re-election in the end. With a difference of only 3 points In 2021, he will face Republican challenger Jack Ciatarelli, but the margin was unexpectedly close. won first The office is in double digits.
New Jersey Representatives Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer, former State Senate President Steve Sweeney, Jersey City Mayor Stephen Fulop, former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller, and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. They are among the Democrats who have jumped into the election race.
Across the aisle, Ciattarelli is re-entering the Republican primary with state Sen. John Bramnick, former state Sen. Ed Dole and radio host Bill Spadea.
Mr. Trump is likely to be absent from the campaign, which will inevitably affect the outcome.
If the Republicans win, it will be seen as a sign of the shift to the right caused by Trump. However, if a Democrat retains the governorship, it will likely be seen as a sign of opposition to President Trump.
As a result, Trump's own success in Washington could be key to how the New Jersey battle unfolds.
governor of virginia
In Virginia, where Mr. Trump further improved on his 2020 performance this year, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is limited to a single term, and Mr. Trump's ally in the former state is no longer eligible for the governor's seat. opens.
When Youngkin first won the seat in 2021, he became the first Republican to win a statewide election in Virginia since 2009. And while the state has gone deep blue in every presidential election since 2008, Vice President Harris narrowly won this year over Biden. I enjoyed my last cycle.
Mr. Youngkin endorsed Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle Sears (R) to replace him, praising her last week as an “outspoken champion of common-sense conservative principles and policies.”
The state's attorney general, Jason Miyares (R), who was elected with Youngkin and Earl Sears, has decided to oppose the governor's race, which could potentially ease Earl Sears' path.
On the Democratic side, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia) began her campaign late last year. There's still time for other candidates to rally into the race, but the showdown between Spanberger and Earl Sears could be historic and pave the way for Virginia's first female governor. .
As with New Jersey, both parties will be watching the results in Virginia closely for evidence of how Trump is viewed.
A tumultuous year in Washington for President Trump will almost certainly spell bad news for Republicans hoping to hold the Virginia governor's mansion, especially given the importance of voters in the D.C. suburbs.
If Trump does well in the first year of his second term, the chances of a Republican victory could increase.
mayor of new york
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (Democratic) is defying political gravity as he seeks re-election, beset by federal corruption charges and low approval ratings.
prosecutor New York mayor claims “He used his prominent position in New York City government to obtain illegal campaign contributions and luxury travel,” the statement said, adding that he “solicited improper and valuable benefits from at least one Turkish government official and a foreign businessman.” I received it,” he said. Mr Adams denies wrongdoing and is scheduled to go to trial in April.
In the face of Adams' legal troubles, challengers are flooding into the race representing the nation's largest city.
Declared Democratic candidates include New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, New York State Representative Zoran Mamdani, state senators Zellner Miley and Jessica Ramos, and former New York City Comptroller Scott They include Mr. Stringer, former President Obama aide Michael Blake and Democratic donor Whitney Tilson.
Attorney Jim Walden, a political independent, is also running.
New Yorkers are keeping an eye on whether state Attorney General Letitia James (Democratic) and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Democratic) will also jump into the ring.
Virginia House of Delegates
Democrats flipped the majority in Virginia's House of Delegates two years ago, winning a narrow 51-49 majority. But Trump's performance in the state and elsewhere during the 2024 election raises questions about whether the favorable political environment for Republicans will carry over into the next election.
Biden led the state by 10 points in 2020, but Harris held a 5-point lead earlier this month.
No matter what happens in the Virginia gubernatorial race or in the state House of Representatives, Democrats will likely hold on to some power in the state Legislature. Democrats hold a narrow 21-19 lead in the state Senate.
But Republicans see the House of Representatives race as extremely important.
If he loses the gubernatorial election, he will need a majority in the House of Representatives as a bulwark against the Democratic governor's policies.
Wisconsin Supreme Court
The upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court election is dominated by partisanship.
The state's high court, currently 4-3 liberal-leaning, will become evenly split 3-3 with the retirement of Justice Ann Walsh Bradley.
So far, two candidates are running for Mr. Bradley: Dane County Judge Susan Crawford and former state Attorney General Brad Schimmel (Republican).
Crawford is joined by the Madison Teachers Union and Wisconsin Planned Parenthood in a lawsuit over Act 10, a policy passed under former Gov. Scott Walker (R) that limited the collective bargaining rights of many public employees. Acting as an agent for an organization.
Schimmel, currently a Waukesha County Circuit Court judge, has handled some of the most notable cases as Wisconsin attorney general, including an appeal of the state's legislative map after it was abolished in 2016 as an unconstitutional gerrymander. was. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court and was successfully appealed.
he also reinstated the 2013 law It stated that only doctors with admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the location where the abortion was performed could provide access to the abortion. The case escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case.
The last Wisconsin Supreme Court election in 2023, which also determined partisan control of the high court, broke spending records with groups pouring tens of millions of dollars into advertising. Experts say they wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens this cycle.
