3 hours agoShareSaveKayla EpsteinShareSaveEPA/ShutterstockIt’s election day in the US.Polls have opened in New York, Virginia and New Jersey, while California polling centres will open later.This so-called “off year” election doesn’t feature presidential or congressional races, but there are still several critical votes to watch tonight.New York City will choose its next mayor, in a battle that has pitted a younger, progressive Democrat against a member of the party’s old guard. The states of Virginia and New Jersey will elect new governors, and the outcome of these contests could be bellwethers for next year’s congressional midterm elections. Californians also will decide whether to redraw their US House district maps in a rare mid-decade redistricting, as Democrats try to counter Republicans’ efforts to give their party an advantage in next year’s midterm elections.Here are five things to watch.New York City mayoral raceAll eyes will be on the Big Apple as Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old state assemblyman, attempts a political upset in his bid to become New York City’s youngest mayor in over a century.Mamdani, a democratic socialist, shocked the political establishment when he bested former governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary this summer. Cuomo, undeterred, has continued to campaign as an independent. Meanwhile, Republican Curtis Sliwa has resisted pressure to drop out of the race to clear a path for Cuomo.If Mamdani wins, he will become the city’s first Muslim mayor. Democrats around the country will be watching to see if his laser-focus on cost-of-living issues like rent, groceries and wages could serve as effective messaging in future races. Though Mamdani heads into election night with a suggested polling lead, the gap between him and Cuomo has narrowed. In the final stretch of the campaign, Cuomo has hammered Mamdani on crime and public safety, and said the young politician lacks the experience to lead America’s biggest city.California redistrictingCalifornia’s Democratic leadership is asking voters for permission to redraw the state’s congressional districts in the middle of the decade. That’s unusual in California, which by law relies on a nonpartisan committee to draw its congressional maps once every decade, based on census data.However, as Republican-led states like Texas and Missouri seek to hastily redraw their congressional maps to give their party an advantage in the 2026 midterm elections, California Governor Gavin Newsom wants to counter the losses with redistricting in his own state.California’s Proposition 50 would allow the temporary use of new congressional district maps through 2030. The campaign has drawn $158 million in donations, according to the Los Angeles Times, with Democratic proponents vastly outraising the Republican opposition effort.Republicans in California, who hold only nine of the state’s 52 US House seats, staunchly oppose the plan.A University of California Berkeley/IGS poll suggests 60% of likely California voters support Proposition 50, while 38% oppose it. The breakdown was highly partisan, with 93% of Democrats saying they would choose “yes” and 91% of Republicans choosing “no”.New Jersey governor’s raceNew Jersey is considered a Democratic state, but polls indicate a close race between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli. It’s one of the two governor’s races this year that could indicate how Americans feel about the current political climate.Sherrill currently represents New Jersey’s 11th District in Congress, and Ciattarelli is a former state assemblyman.Despite leaning blue, the state has had Republican governors in the past. The last one, Chris Christie, served two terms between 2010 and 2018.Rhetoric in the race has been heated. Ciattarelli and his supporters have run political advertisements featuring clips of Sherrill giving halting answers in interviews about her policies.It also has drawn the attention of nationally known names from both parties. Democratic stars like former president Barack Obama and former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg have campaigned with Sherrill. President Donald Trump attended a virtual rally for Ciattarelli, and conservative activist Jack Posobiec has backed him.Virginia governor’s raceVirginia’s lea …
