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It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. We think of it as a mini-magazine in your inbox.

3 THINGS TO WATCH IN TODAY’S ELECTIONS
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed])
Correspondent

In the club of off-year elections, 2025 has some swagger.

There are just two gubernatorial races, but the political gods have found a way to make things exciting and extra meaningful for control of Congress.

First, the key races:
* Virginia: Governor and attorney general are on tap, along with House districts 21 and 22, which could determine control of Virginia’s House of Delegates. ([link removed]) Live results here. ([link removed])
* Pennsylvania: Three state Supreme Court justices ([link removed]) are on the ballot, an opening for changing the balance of the court. Live results here. ([link removed])
* New Jersey: The bid for governor ([link removed]) could be a close race. Live results here. ([link removed])
* New York City: This mayor’s race has made national headlines ([link removed]) with New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (Democrat), former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (independent) and Republican Curtis Sliwa on the ballot. Live results here. ([link removed])
* Maine: Voters are weighing a statewide vote on a red flag gun measure. ([link removed])
* California: Proposition 50 ([link removed]) would redraw congressional district maps. Live results here. ([link removed])

Now, here are three more specific things we are watching in the results tonight.

1. Northern Virginia

Let me acknowledge my bias. I am a Northern Virginia girl. My current house is on my high school bus route. (I was actually horrified on behalf of my high school self when I pieced that together. Now I like it quite a lot.)

But setting that aside, as a political correspondent, I can tell you to watch the returns in Northern Virginia.

Many know the suburbs outside of Washington, D.C., as a blue spot in the state. That is true in many places, BUT Northern Virginia is also where President Donald Trump gained ground in 2024. I highly recommend this piece ([link removed]) by the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, which found the suburban and exurban counties in Northern Virginia swung 8 points to the right in 2024.

Back then, Trump was on the ballot. Now that he is in the White House, do the numbers swing again?

In addition, watch for any separation, especially in Northern Virginia, between Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger and Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones. ([link removed])

Jones has been enmeshed in a scandal surrounding text messages he sent in 2022 ([link removed]) in which he explicitly suggested a political rival should be shot.

This is a test for Democrats in Northern Virginia. Do they vote for the party, given that recent development of three-year-old texts? Or does the state closest to the Jan. 6 attack decide things have gone too far?

Live Results: Virginia 2025 gubernatorial election ([link removed])

2. California turnout
[link removed]

Photo by Mike Blake/Reuters
Of course, watch for the results of Proposition 50, which could allow Democrats to pick up as many as five congressional seats in the state via remapping of district lines.

But in that contest, pay close attention to turnout.

This ballot measure has attracted at least $100 million ([link removed]) — and perhaps $200 million ([link removed]) by San Francisco Examiner’s count — in campaign spending.

How motivated are Democrats in the state, not only to vote but to vote against their previous commitment to nonpartisan maps?

Live Results: California 2025 election on Proposition 50 ([link removed])

3. Hispanic areas in Virginia and New Jersey

This one is also relatively simple. Both parties understand that Hispanic voters are one of the fastest-growing parts of the population. Democrats and progressives want to regain their footing here. ([link removed])

Thus, watch for results from some of the areas with the largest Hispanic populations.

In Virginia: Prince William County. ([link removed])

In New Jersey: Passaic and Hudson Counties. ([link removed])

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

Liz Landers and I will be co-hosting a live conversation at 11 a.m. EST Wednesday to break down the election results and take viewer questions. Watch us here. ([link removed])
More on politics from our coverage:
* Watch: How a Mamdani win could change New York City ([link removed]) and the Democratic Party.
* One Big Question: Today marks the first major elections after the 2024 presidential election. What to expect from Tuesday’s big races? NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter discuss. ([link removed])
* A Closer Look: What the food benefit cuts mean for state aid systems. ([link removed])
* Perspectives: How SNAP reductions are affecting local food banks. ([link removed])

THIS WEEK’S TRIVIA QUESTION
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Watch the 2013 PBS News interview with former Vice President Dick Cheney in the player above. Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images
By Joshua Barajas
Senior Editor, Digital

Dick Cheney, the former vice president who strongly pushed for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, died Monday at age 84. ([link removed])

A Republican stalwart and Washington insider, Cheney served under two Bush administrations. He was defense secretary under President George H.W. Bush, but later made an indelible mark as George W. Bush’s vice president.

In that role, Cheney demonstrated how the vice presidential office could develop its own sphere of influence. ([link removed]) Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Cheney was a driving force behind several major administration policies and actions, including the invasion of Iraq, which he defended even after justifications for the attacks were disproven.

In a statement, George W. Bush called Cheney a “calm and steady presence” in the White House.

“I counted on him for his honest, forthright counsel, and he never failed to give his best,” the former president added.

Before working under the Bushes and being a Wyoming congressman for a decade, Cheney was a deputy assistant to President Gerald Ford. He then got a promotion in 1975.

Our question: Which position was Cheney appointed to in the Ford administration, making him the youngest person at the time to hold the job?

Send your answers to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shoutout next week.

Last week, we asked: According to the administration’s guidance for the new test for U.S. citizenship, what would be the second reason a U.S. president has a two-term limit?

The answer: To keep the president from becoming too powerful. ([link removed]) The exact question listed as No. 37 out of a possible 128 questions for the test is: “The President of the United States can serve only two terms. Why?” The 22nd Amendment ([link removed]) is listed as the first reason.

Congratulations to our winners: Carrie Rasmussen and Amber Crafton!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
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