What’s on the ballot in the first general election since Donald Trump became president
WASHINGTON– A year after Donald Trump took over the White House and set in motion a dramatic expansion of executive power, the Republican president figures prominently in state and local elections set for Tuesday.
The results of this election – the first general election of Trump’s second term – will be hailed by the victors as either a major rejection or a resounding seal of approval of his second-term agenda. This is especially true amid high-profile races for governor of Virginia and New Jersey, mayor of New York, and a California proposal to redraw congressional district boundaries.
More than half of the states will hold contests on Tuesday. Here’s a look at some of the key state and local races on the ballot:
In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli are the candidates to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. Sherrill is a four-term U.S. Representative and former Navy helicopter pilot. Ciattarelli is a former state lawmaker supported by Trump. In 2021, Ciattarelli was about 3 percentage points away from toppling Murphy.
In Virginia, Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and former Democratic U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger are seeking to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Although Spanberger has made efforts to focus on topics other than Trump in his stump speeches, the president has remained a major topic of conversation throughout the campaign, from Earle-Sears’ comments about him in 2022 to some of his most polarizing policies, such as the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill tax and spending cut measure and the widespread layoff of federal workers, many of whom live in northern Virginia.
Trump was scheduled to participate in telephone meetings for candidates Monday evening.
As the only gubernatorial elections held within a year of a presidential election, these elections have long served as the first major test of voters’ opinions of which party holds the White House. In every gubernatorial race since 1973, one or both states have elected a governor from a different party than the sitting president.
The race to lead the nation’s largest city is between Democratic lawmaker Zohran Mamdani, independent candidate and former Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani’s comfortable victory over Cuomo in the June primary sparked enthusiasm among the party’s more progressive wing and apprehension among the party establishment. Party leaders like Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries ultimately endorsed the self-described democratic socialist months after he won the nomination.
The winner will replace outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, who initially sought the Democratic nomination. After losing the primary, Adams chose to run as an independent, but dropped out of the race in September and ultimately supported Cuomo. In February, Trump’s Justice Department asked a court to drop corruption charges against Adams because the case interfered with Trump’s “immigration goals.” Trump later said he would like to see Adams and Sliwa withdraw from the race in an effort to defeat Mamdani.
California voters will decide on a statewide ballot measure that would pass a new congressional map that could shift up to five Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives to Democratic control.
Proposition 50, championed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, is a response to a new Texas map that state Republicans adopted in August as part of Trump’s effort to keep the House of Representatives under Republican control in the 2026 midterms. The Texas plan, which could help Republicans flip five Democratic-held seats in the House of Representatives, has sparked an escalating arms race among states to pass new maps outside of the usual schedule once a decade.
Control of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will be at stake when voters vote yes or no on whether to retain three justices from the high court’s 5-2 Democratic majority.
Partisan control of the court could have major implications for the 2028 presidential race, as justices could be asked to rule on election disputes, as they did in 2020. Spending for Tuesday’s election is on track to exceed $15 million as Republicans campaigned to end the majority and Democrats responded.
If all three justices are ousted, an impasse in the confirmation process to replace them could result in a court tied 2-2. An election to fill vacant seats for full 10-year terms would be held in 2027.
VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Incumbent Republican Jason Miyares is seeking a second term against Democrat Jay Jones. Much of the fall campaign focused on text messages suggesting violence against political rivals that Jones sent in 2022.
TEXAS-18: Sixteen candidates hope to fill a vacant congressional seat previously held by the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner.
STATE LEGISLATURE: Control of the Minnesota Senate and Virginia House of Delegates hangs in the balance, while New Jersey Democrats defend their 52-28 majority in the General Assembly.
VOTING MEASURES: Maine voters will decide statewide ballot questions and a ‘scare’ law aimed at preventing gun violence. Texas’ 17 ballot measures include constitutional amendments on parental rights and limiting voting to U.S. citizens. Colorado and Washington also have statewide measures on the ballot.
MAYORS: Detroit, Pittsburgh, Jersey City and Buffalo will elect new mayors, while incumbents in Atlanta, Minneapolis and Cincinnati seek another term.
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Follow AP coverage of the 2025 elections at https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2025/.
