🔥 Virginia: The Commonwealth of Chaos

Virginia’s political scene this year is like a reality show with too many spin-offs. Voters are choosing a new governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and House of Delegates members. And yes, every race has its own subplot.

• Abigail Spanberger (D) is leading the gubernatorial race against Winsome Earle-Sears (R), despite GOP efforts to tie her to Jay Jones, the Democratic AG candidate who apparently thought texting threats about shooting Republicans was just edgy campaign strategy.
• Jones apologized, which in politics is code for “please forget this by Wednesday.” Meanwhile, Jason Miyares (R) is clinging to a 2-point lead and a MAGA endorsement like it’s a lifeboat on the Titanic.
• Over in the lieutenant governor’s race, John Reid (R) is denying ownership of a spicy social media account, while Ghazala Hashmi (D) is quietly praying Reid keeps talking.

Polls show Spanberger ahead 53% to 43%, but Virginia voters have a history of flipping the script faster than a Netflix cancellation.

🗽 NYC: The Mayoral Hunger Games

New York City’s mayoral race is a three-way brawl between:

• Zohran Mamdani (D), a progressive who probably thinks Bloomberg was a Bond villain.
• Andrew Cuomo (D), who’s back like a reboot nobody asked for.
• Curtis Sliwa (R), who still wears a red beret and talks like he’s auditioning for a Scorsese film.

If Mamdani wins, expect bike lanes on every sidewalk. If Cuomo wins, expect lawsuits. If Sliwa wins, expect ferrets to be legalized and subway fights to be livestreamed.

🌴 California: Gavin’s Map Quest

Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is pushing new congressional maps that look like they were drawn by a caffeinated intern with a broken compass. Voters are expected to approve them because, well, it’s California—where voting is mostly a vibe.

Critics say the maps favor Democrats. Supporters say, “Have you seen the coastline? It’s already shaped like a gerrymander.”

📊 What It All Means for 2026

These races are being watched closely for clues about the national mood heading into next year’s midterms. Will Democrats hold their ground? Will Republicans rebound? Will voters finally read past the first paragraph of a candidate’s website?

In the DMV, where politics is a sport and scandals are just warm-ups, today’s elections are less about who wins and more about who survives the news cycle.