India Walton (left) and Michelle Wu.Photo: Joshua Bessex/AP/Shutterstock; Allison Dinner/Getty
It’s Election Day once again.
Though the country will have to wait one more year to see if the Democrats can hold onto theirslim majoritiesin the House of Representatives and Senate and three years for the results of the next presidential race, there are consequential decisions and history-making moments unfolding inside the nation’s polling places on Tuesday.
The outcome in a handful of competitive races will also provide plenty of tea leaves to read for those seeking insight into the more sweeping elections in 2022 and 2024.
Here’s what to watch on Election Day 2021.
Major Races
All eyes are on Virginia. Old Dominion’s race to elect a new governor is getting the most buzz because of what it might foretell for next year’s midterms as well as how voters' are grading PresidentJoe Bidensince his term started in January and their feelings about former PresidentDonald Trump, who has strongly hinted at another run for the White House.
Trump has been repeatedly invoked in the state, in different ways: McAuliffe has sought to tie Youngkin to the divisive former president, who is unpopular in Virginia; though Youngkin has tried to chart a different kind of conservative campaign that might appeal to the independent voters and suburbanites key to Republicans' possible midterm success.
The highest office in New Jersey is also up for grabs. Gov. Phil Murphy hopes to become the first Democrat to be re-elected in 40 years in a state that tends to vote for whichever party doesn’t currently occupy the White House in its off-year gubernatorial races. That should give Republican Jack Ciattarelli some hope, thoughpolls have him trailingthe incumbent.
New York City should, at last, officially know who its new mayor will be on Tuesday night, months after the Democratic primary produced the presumptive winner with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
The city has an enormous Democratic voting base and Adams holds ahuge polling lead.
Eric Adams (left) and Curtis Sliwa.Noam Galai/Getty; Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty
Making History
In New York state’s second-biggest city, Buffalo, India Walton could become its first woman and first Black woman mayor. A registered nurse and activist, Walton made huge waves this summer when she defeated the 16-year incumbent Mayor Byron Brown. Walton, who has never held office, identifies as a democratic socialist and would become the first socialist to lead a major American city in half a century.
Walton’s name will be the only one on the ballot but she’s still got competition from Mayor Brown, who isrunning a write-in campaign, encouraging voters to"write down Brown"while also reportedly distributing $100,000 worth of rubber stamps to voters to minimize mistakes adding his name to ballots.
Back in Virginia, history will be made Tuesday in the commonwealth’s election of itsfirst woman lieutenant governor. Democrat Hala Ayala would also be the first Afro-Latina to hold the office while Republican Winsome Sears would be the first Black woman to take on the second most powerful political position in Virginia.
In Boston, voters will also elect a woman of color to lead the city after200 years of white men mayors.City Councilors Michelle Wu, whose parents are Taiwanese immigrants, and Annissa Essaibi George, a first generation Arab Polish-American, are both hoping to make history.
Notable Ballot Initiatives
On Tuesday, Minneapolis voters will decide whether toreplace its police departmentwith a new Department of Public Safety to focus on mental health, civilian well-being and social services.
George Floyd memorial in Minneapolis.Tim Evans/Bloomberg via Getty
Detroit voters will also consider racial justice on Election Day with one of the first ballot initiatives to address reparations to compensate Black Americans for the country’s history of systemic racism, from slavery to segregation to unfair housing policies.Proposal Rwould create a city reparations committee “tasked with making recommendations for housing and economic development programs for Black Detroit residents.”
Voters in Colorado will decide whether to raise taxes on legal marijuana sales and how to spend the additional revenue, depending on the success of two measures on the ballot. If passed, ordinance 300 woulddirect money to pandemic preparednesswhile a statewide measure dubbed LEAP (Learning Enrichment and Academic Progress) wouldfund private tutoring, training and other out-of-school educational programs for eligible students.
More Races to Watch
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms surprisingly decided not to run for re-election but there are14 candidates on the ballotto replace her, including a previous mayor, Kasim Reed.
If none of the candidates more than 50 percent of the vote on Tuesday, the top two will compete in a runoff scheduled for Nov. 30.
Tinton Falls, New Jersey, Mayor Vito Perillo.Vito Perillo Family
Meanwhile the politician thought to be the oldest mayor in Americais up for reelection. Vito Perillo, 97, won his first ever election four years ago in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, and hopes to serve a second term, which would end when he’s 101 years old.
Three other candidates are challenging him in Tuesday’s race.
source: people.com
