Voters in Virginia and New Jersey are going to the polls Tuesday to choose governors while there are also contests in New York City, Buffalo and Minneapolis.
In Virginia, former Governor Terry McAuliffe is hoping to reclaim the governor’s mansion. Historically, the party that wins the White House usually loses the governor’s race the following year, a trend that McAuliffe bucked in 2013. Governors in Virginia are barred from more than one consecutive term, and Democratic Governor Ralph Northam kept the statehouse blue in 2017.
A Republican hasn’t won statewide in Virginia since 2009, and early polls had McAuliffe with a single-digit lead. But in the closing weeks of the campaign, Republican Glenn Youngkin has focused on local issues like education and the economy, gaining momentum.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is looking to buck history. Although the state is reliably blue in presidential and Senate elections, a Democrat hasn’t won reelection to the statehouse since 1977. A Rutgers poll released Tuesday had Murphy leading by 8 points.
New York City will be choosing a new mayor after two terms of Democratic mayor Bill de Blasio. Eric Adams won the ranked-choice Democratic primary in June and is expected to win the heavily blue city.
Voters in Boston will be choosing between two women of color, which will be the first time the city will be represented by someone other than a White man.
In Buffalo, New York’s second-largest city,India Walton defeated Mayor Byron Brown, who was seeking a fifth term, in the Democratic primary this summer. But Brown has launched a write-in campaign in the heavily Democratic city, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Democratic party chair have declined to endorse in the race. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer endorsed Walton, as did Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Voters in Minneapolis will not only go to the polls to elect a mayor, but also face a controversial ballot question on policing. The question, known as Question 2, asks Minneapolis voters to amend the city’s charter by replacing the existing police with a public safety department that would prioritize a “comprehensive public health approach.”
If passed, the department would shift from its current model to prioritizing the expertise of public safety professionals, including social workers, mental health specialists, and experts in de-escalation to respond to incidents. In violent situations, armed police officers would still be called to respond.
Minneapolis has been roiled by protests since the police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd, a Black man, by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes, which was filmed, in May 2020. In April 2021, Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
