When President-elect Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20, Republicans will officially control the White House and both houses of Congress.
And while the political spotlight in 2025 will remain fixed on the new administration and GOP congressional majorities, as they aim to rock the nation’s capital, some high-profile ballot box showdowns across the country will grab attention as they serve as a barometer of whether Trump and the Republicans’ electoral momentum can be sustained.
And for Democrats, who aim to rebuild after suffering setbacks in the 2024 elections, 2025’s off-year elections can’t come soon enough.
This Republican Woman May Become The Nation’s First Black Female Governor
New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states in the nation to hold gubernatorial contests in the year after a presidential election, and because of their spot on the calendar, they both garner plenty of national attention.
And Virginia is often seen as a bellwether of the national political climate and how Americans feel about the party in the White House. The party that wins the presidency has lost the ensuing Virginia gubernatorial election in recent decades, with only one exception.
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Gov. Glenn Youngkin, three years ago, became the first Republican in a dozen years to win a gubernatorial election in Virginia, a onetime key swing state that has shaded blue in recent cycles.
But Virginia is unique due to its state law preventing governors from serving two consecutive four-year terms, so Youngkin cannot run for re-election next year.
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia rallies on behalf of GOP legislative candidates ahead of the state’s closely watched elections, in Norfolk, Virginia on Nov. 2, 2023
Running to succeed Youngkin is Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, who would make history as the nation’s first elected Black female governor.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Sears emphasized that “I’m not really running to make history. I’m just trying to, as I’ve said before, leave it better than I found it, and I want everyone to have the same opportunities I had.”
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Sears, who was born in the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica and immigrated to the U.S. as a six-year-old, served in the Marines and is a former state lawmaker. She made history three years ago when she won election as Virginia’s first female lieutenant governor.
Three-term Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer who represents a conservative-leaning district, is her party’s candidate for governor.
One of them will likely make history as the first woman elected Virginia governor.
Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, the 2025 Republican candidate for governor, sits for an interview with Fox News Digital, on Dec. 19, 2024 in Virginia Beach, Va.
Democrats currently control both houses of the Virginia legislature, after flipping the House of Delegates in the 2023 elections. All 100 seats in the state House are up for grabs in 2025, as Republicans aim to win back majorities in both the House and state Senate, where there will be special elections for two members who recently won election to Congress.
With little electoral competition, expect outside groups to sink millions in outside money into Virginia’s statewide and legislative showdowns in 2025.
In blue-state New Jersey, Trump dramatically increased his support at the ballot box in the 2024 elections.
He came within six points of defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the state in November, a dramatic improvement from his 16-point loss to President Biden in New Jersey in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump’s showing is giving Republicans encouragement that they can win governor’s office in a state where Democrats control the government and enjoy a vast voter registration advantage over the GOP.
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who won the 2017 and 2021 gubernatorial elections, is term-limited, and a crowded field of Democrats and Republicans are lining up to try and succeed him.
New Jersey’s election for governor, like the contest in Virginia, is sure to grab the attention and resources of outside groups.
So will 2025 elections that will determine if Democrats hold onto their majorities on the state Supreme Courts in two key battleground states – Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Also garnering attention in the new year will be the mayoral election in the nation’s most populous city.
New York City’s embattled Democratic mayor, former police captain Eric Adams, has been indicted on federal corruption charges.
While he says he’ll seek a second term steering New York City, the race may attract numerous challengers, possibly including former New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who stepped down in 2021 amid scandals.
Original article source: These are the 2025 elections to watch as Trump returns to White House
