With Election Day officially being tomorrow, many voters are continuing their research on candidate stances in the final few hours as candidates continue campaigning to reel in additional voters. On the local level, tax allocations, education system shifts, and abortion rights are just some of the things at stake when it comes to the election.. For some states, this election will be the strongest determining factor on whether they stay Democratic or Republican in leadership. This is important because of the current political climate, as tensions rise, and many citizens’ concerns with the strong ties between the Republican Party and MAGA supporters in political positions of power. This article explores what to expect from the upcoming election cycle and how it’s shaping a larger conversation around national social change.
Since the presidential election earlier this year, there have been many candidates who have continued to push back on President Trump and his administration’s cuts to healthcare benefits, environmental policies, and, most recently, the government shutdown that has affected TSA staffing, SNAP benefits, among other things The public sentiment around these changes has been one of outrage and deeper trust in local officials to fight for the rights that U.S. citizens have previously been afforded constitutionally.
New York
One of the elections that’s been getting a lot of news coverage is the mayoral race in New York with Zohran Mamdani, Curtis Sliwa, and Andrew Cuomo. Now that longtime Mayor Eric Adams has decided to step down for the role and not participate in the race, city tensions have risen as a result of the direction the city might go in under new leadership. According to BBC, Cuomo has previously lost the primary elections to Mamdani already but neither candidate has received support for their party leaders. Though Cuomo has a family history in New York political leadership, voter sentiment has leaned more towards Mamdani as a result of gaining the firm support of young voters.
New Jersey
Meanwhile, in New Jersey, the state is voting on who will be its next governor between candidates Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli. According to NJ.com, each candidate has varying perspectives from the other. For example, Ciattarelli said he supports childhood vaccines, but his campaign website noted that he opposes a one-size-fits-all vaccination schedule and parents should have the right to have exemptions for reasons tied to religion, philosophy, or medical. Sherrill has expressed her support for childcare vaccination schedules. Ciattarelli’s ties to President Trump have been an area of concern for New Jersey voters who are actively opposed to the MAGA movement.
Virginia
Virginia’s race for the next governor involves former U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberg and Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears where both parties have discussed the Trump administration specifically for the One Big Beautiful Bill tax along with their stances of the furloughing of federal workers and their respective approaches to economic change. According to CNN, early voter data has shown more favor towards Republicans. However, mail-in ballots are making up a larger portion of pre-election voters which typically have higher rates of Democratic voting representation. Pennsylvania voters will also be casting a yes or no voting on whether or not to keep three Democratic justices for their state’s Supreme Court. According to AP News, Justices Kevin Dougherty, David Wecht, and Christine Donohue Democrats are what make up the state’s 5-2 ratio in their Supreme Court, but Republicans in the state are aiming to gain more representation in the court through heavily funded political campaigns.
Texas
The state of Texas is in limbo after awaiting the results of the proposed redistricting of the state’s congressional maps, which would provide the Republican Party with five additional U.S. House seats while not adding additional seats elsewhere or changing the allocation of seats across the board. Potential candidates are awaiting this judgment to have a better understanding of where they might be running their campaigns, but many have already been vocal about their beliefs on this being considered gerrymandering and lowering the voting power of Black and Latin voters. According to CBS News, Democratic leaders within the state have fought back against the redistricting by leaving the state for two weeks, but were soon after met with Republicans who had approved the maps.
California
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom leads the charge on Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, in response to President Trump’s redistricting attempts in the state for congressional seats. This came as a response to the redistricting efforts in Texas. This will help further determine if Democrats or Republicans will hold the U.S. House for 2026. This has impacted voting in the state of California for 2026 and beyond because of the allocated seats they’d be afforded for representation of each party on voting decisions on a higher level. California voters will be able to formally vote on the act in tomorrow’s election, but early polls released by the Public Policy Institute of California are showing over 50% favorability towards the movement, as reported by ABC 7 in Los Angeles.
Social media and the current political climate have been driving factors on voter behavior and decision making which has led many candidates to not only have a heavier hand in their social media presence, but leverage voter support both within and outside of their state for their political campaigns. As voters across the country anxiously await the results of their local elections, it is very clear that the act of voting still remains vital to the nation’s future.