Key Races Tighten Across the East Coast, Mamdani Poised to Become New York's Next Mayor

Elections in several states on Tuesday are attracting national attention. A record number of New Yorkers have already cast their vote for the city's next mayor, and other heated political battles are playing out nationwide.

Until just the last few months, nobody knew much about Zohran Mamdani. By next week, though, he most likely will be New York's next mayor. GOP strategist Vanessa Simon understands New York's political terrain. The socialist Mamdani is up against Andrew Cuomo, the state's former governor, who comes with plenty of baggage. A third candidate, Republican Curtis Sliwa, has limited support in liberal New York, which leaves Mamdani and his agenda as the one poised to win. 

"The writing's on the wall. Mamdani will secure the victory," said Simon. "He's shiny, well-spoken, has great social media presence and he's promising everything, including free ice cream and lollipops."

WATCH: Verge of Victory? Zohran Mamdani’s Strange Bedfellows

Next door, in New Jersey, it's a different story for the GOP, as Jack Ciattarelli has a real shot to become New Jersey's first Republican governor since Chris Christie almost a decade ago. It won't be easy, as Democrats significantly outnumber Republicans among registered voters. Still, Democrat Mikie Sherrill hasn't been able to pull away in polls.

Further south in Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger has a pretty comfortable lead over Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in the race for governor. One of the main strategies for Spanberger's team is to tie Sears to President Trump, thinking that will be the winning ticket. 

"They're hyper-focused on telling everybody about Trump," says Walter Curt, who covers Virginia politics for the W.C. Dispatch. "That's all they're talking about. I mean, if you go look at their campaigns, they're not campaigning on Virginia issues. They're campaigning against Trump."

The national media likes to run stories about how Virginia could be a bellwether state for how the nation views Trump, and how that may translate into what next year's midterm elections may be like. But Curt doesn't buy that narrative. "I don't think that's true. I think Virginia voters make their own decisions. And I think it's much more localized than that. It's more about what the Virginia voters actually think is going on in their state."

The other state to watch next week is California, where Proposition 50 would essentially allow the blue state's legislature to implement redistricting. If that happens, Democrats would most likely be able to flip five congressional seats from red to blue, improving their chances to control the U.S. House next year.