It might not be a presidential cycle or even the midterm elections, but do not write off the 2025 political calendar. Several races across the nation could offer valuable hints about the movement of voters, messaging and momentum.
For Democrats, who have begun a sobering reassessment after losing the presidency and both chambers of Congress in 2024, the off-year elections, as they are known, cannot arrive soon enough.
For Republicans, next year’s contests will be the first opportunity to show that they can sustain the momentum that gave their party, led by President-elect Donald J. Trump, a power monopoly in Washington.
Here’s what’s on the horizon in 2025:
Virginia: Governor and Legislature
An open seat and control of the House
Virginia’s race for governor is often viewed as a bellwether nationally. The Democratic-leaning state is currently led by a term-limited Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, and it was won by Vice President Kamala Harris in November.
Mr. Youngkin’s surprising victory in 2021 propelled him to political stardom and fueled speculation that he could run for president in 2024. But Mr. Youngkin, a wealthy former private equity executive who is limited to one term in the governor’s office, put his national ambitions on hold and endorsed Mr. Trump.
Two prominent candidates have already entered the race to replace Mr. Youngkin: his lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican who is the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Virginia history, and Representative Abigail Spanberger, a prominent Democrat with a track record of success in a conservative-leaning district.
