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when President-elect Trump is inaugurated on January 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 seek to shake up the nation’s capital, some high-profile ballot showdowns across the country will draw attention, as they serve as a barometer of whether Trump. and the electoral momentum of the Republicans can be maintained.
And for Democrats, who are trying to rebuild after suffering setbacks in the 2024 election, Elections outside the year 2025 it can’t come soon enough.
THIS REPUBLICAN WOMAN MAY BE THE NATION’S FIRST BLACK GOVERNOR
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP/Evan Vucci)
New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states in the nation to hold gubernatorial contests the year after a presidential election, and because of their place on the calendar, both get a lot of national attention.
And Virginia It is often seen as an indicator of the national political climate and how Americans feel about the party in the White House. The party that wins the presidency has lost every gubernatorial election in Virginia in recent decades, with only one exception.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin, Three years ago, he became the first Republican in a dozen years to win a gubernatorial election in Virginia, a historically key state that has turned blue in recent cycles.
But Virginia is unique because of its state law that prevents 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 Republican legislative candidates ahead of the state’s closely watched election, in Norfolk, Virginia, on November 2, 2023 (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Running to succeed Youngkin is a Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Searswho would make history as the country’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, like I said before, to leave it better than I found it, and I want everybody to do that. I have the same opportunities as me.”
WHAT IS THIS POPULAR REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR ASSURED WHEN HE LEAVES THE CHARACTER THIS YEAR?
Sears, who was born in the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica and immigrated to the US when he was six, served in the Marines and is a former state legislator. She made history three years ago when she won election as Virginia’s first lieutenant governor.
Three-term Democrat Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer who represents a conservative-leaning district, is her party’s candidate for governor.
One of them will probably make history as the first woman elected governor of Virginia.
Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, the 2025 Republican candidate for governor, sits down for an interview with Fox News Digital on December 19, 2024 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Democrats currently control both houses of the Virginia legislature, after flipping the House of Delegates in the 2023 election. All 100 state House seats are up for grabs in 2025 as Republicans seek to regain majorities in both House as in the state Senate, where there will be a special election for two members who recently won election to Congress.
With little electoral competition, outside groups are expected to pour millions of outside money into Virginia’s 2025 state and legislative contests.
In blue state New JerseyTrump dramatically increased his support at the polls in the 2024 election.
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 encouraging Republicans to win the governor’s office in a state where Democrats control the government and enjoy a large voter registration lead 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 is lining up to try to succeed him.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks during a news conference in Newark in August. The Garden State’s Democratic governor is term-limited and cannot seek re-election in 2025. (AP/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
The New Jersey gubernatorial race, like the Virginia contest, is sure to draw attention and resources from outside groups.
So will the 2025 election that will determine whether Democrats retain their state supreme court majorities in two key battleground states: Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The mayoral elections in the country’s most populous city will also attract attention in the new year.
FILE – New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks to reporters after a news conference in New York, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
New York City’s Democratic mayor, former police captain Eric Adams, has been indicted on federal corruption charges.
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Although he says he will seek a second term leading New York City, the race could attract numerous challengers, possibly including former New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is stepping down in 2021 amid scandals.
