4 Key Races to Watch in Tuesday's Vote

Another Election Day has arrived in America, the first major one in President Trump's second term. Some of the big races that readers of political tea leaves will be watching:

• New York City mayor: Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, the front-runner, is trying to fend off former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent. Trump dislikes Mamdani so much he has endorsed Cuomo over Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, How Mamdani fares—including his margin of victory, should he win—could have big repercussions for other progressive politicians in the US, reports the New York Times.
• New Jersey governor: Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill has a narrow lead in the polls over former GOP state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli. A CNN analysis sees this as perhaps the night's most telling race in regard to Trump because Sherrill has put him front and center. "He'll do whatever Trump tells him to do," she says of her opponent, "and I will fight anybody to work for you." Ciattarelli, meanwhile, is a strong backer of Trump's policies and has the president's endorsement.

• Virginia governor: Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former congresswoman, leads the GOP candidate, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. Trump has not specifically endorsed Earle-Sears, notes NBC News. Spanberger is seen as a moderate, and a win could help refute the notion that Democrats need to move aggressively to the left to be successful, per the Deseret News. (The state's attorney general race is also interesting, after violent texts sent years ago by Democratic candidate Jay Jones surfaced.)
• California redistricting: Californians will vote on Proposition 50 to determine if the state will adopt a new congressional map seen as more favorable to Democrats, per ABC News. It's a key battle in the ongoing redistricting wars in multiple states. "Prop 50 will have a big impact on the midterms," says Christian Grose, a professor of political science at the University of Southern California. "The US House margin right now is so narrow that every seat in every state could make a difference for which party controls Congress."