The first Tuesday in November is one of the most important days of the year in the United States, it’s Election Day. One of the most important civic duties that Americans hold is exercised on this day, the right to vote.
Normally, the country’s biggest and busiest elections are held in even-numbered years, with 2026 being the midterm elections and 2028 being the next presidential election. Many elections are not held in odd-numbered years, there are still plenty to watch for today, including some local to campus and others elsewhere in the country that have garnered national attention, such as governor and mayoral elections.
The West Haven mayoral election is one occurring today. Incumbent mayor Dorinda Keenan Borer is running for a second two-year term and hopes to continue her tenure as the 13th mayor of West Haven. She is running unopposed on the ballot as a Democrat after previously defeating Republican Barry Lee Cohen in 2023, all but guaranteeing a second term for the incumbent.
Down the road from West Haven is New Haven’s mayoral election, where incumbent Justin Elicker is seeking a fourth two-year term as New Haven’s 51st mayor. His challenger in the general election is Republican candidate Steve Orosco. If elected, Orosco would become New Haven’s first Republican mayor since William C. Celentano was re-elected to a fourth two-year term in 1951.
As part of Elicker’s re-election campaign, he has touted how the city’s crime rates have dropped, there’s been a rise in affordable housing, as well as the creation of a new service called Elm City COMPASS, which is meant to respond to 911 calls related to situations involving mental health crises amongst other situations. Orosco on the other hand has campaigned on issues such as addressing crime with a larger police presence, redeveloping New Haven’s Long Wharf and wanting Yale University to contribute towards the city.
On Sept. 30, a debate was held between Elicker and Orosco with other issues being debated such as ICE raids and possibility of National Guard deployment within New Haven County, funding of city police, New Haven’s school district, homelessness and drug use. Regardless of the winner, this will be New Haven’s last mayor elected to a two-year term, as a ballot initiative passed by voters overwhelmingly in 2023 will increase mayoral terms in the city to four-year terms starting with the 2027 election.
Outside of Connecticut, there are several other elections across the country getting national attention, such as the New York City mayoral election. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams withdrew from the race after running as an independent candidate, which dropped the race to three frontrunners.
Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, viewed as a rising star within the party after a come from behind victory in the primary held in June.Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, repeats as the nominee after losing to Adams in 2021.Independent former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who is staying in the race following a loss to Mamdani in the Democratic primary.
Mamdani, who has served as a member of the New York State Assembly since 2021, has gained notoriety for how he’s ran his campaign with promises such as freezing apartment rent, making city buses free, increasing taxes on the wealthiest residents and plenty of other policies, going as far as wanting to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city.
Despite calls from Cuomo’s campaign to drop out, Sliwa is remaining in the race and has implied he’d rather be hit by a truck or be impaled rather than dropping out to endorse Cuomo. Sliwa, who founded the Guardian Angels in 1979, has run on a heavy promise of cracking down on crime by hiring more police in areas such as subways and general streets.
Cuomo on the other hand has run on platforms such as reforming the education system, reforming healthcare, combating antisemitism and addressing issues both Mamdani and Sliwa have pledged as well. This mayoral race is expected to be the most watched nationwide today.
While most governor elections are held in midterm years, there are two being contested in New Jersey and Virginia, both with term-limited incumbents meaning a new governor will take office for four-year terms. In New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill who represents the state’s 11th congressional district is running as the Democratic nominee. Former state assemblyman Jack Ciatterelli is repeating as the Republican nominee after losing narrowly in 2021. The race is expected to be one of the closest nationwide, with most polls showing Sherrill winning by as little as one percentage point and few going above five percentage points.
If elected, Sherrill would become only the state’s second female governor, and Ciatterelli would become the first Republican elected governor since Chris Christie.. In Virginia, incumbent Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears is running as the Republican nominee and former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger is running as the Democratic nominee. Spanberger has led polls consistently in high single digits but on occasion has had some polls give double digit leads. Regardless of the winner, Virginia will elect a female governor for the first time in state history.
Other notable elections to watch nationwide include ballot initiatives such as California Proposition 50, other statewide Virginia elections such as for Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General, mayoral elections in large cities such as Minneapolis, Seattle, Miami, and plenty of others. Regardless of winners, the outcomes will show how Americans continue to exercise their important civic duties by deciding their leaders.
