Alex Brandon / AP
Karina Smith holds her son Kyler Smith, 2, as she fills out her ballot at a polling place Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017, in Alexandria, Va. Republican candidate for Virginia governor Ed Gillespie faces Democrat Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam in Tuesday’s election.
Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017 | 8:17 a.m.
Voters are electing two governors, some big-city mayors and one member of Congress in an election dominated by local and state races.
A rundown of the top races on Tuesday's ballot:
TWO GOVERNORS
Voters in two states are choosing replacements for their term-limited governors — Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginia and Republican Chris Christie in New Jersey — in contests seen as an early referendum on the presidency of Donald Trump. In swing state Virginia, Republican Ed Gillespie is running against Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam. In New Jersey, Democrat Phil Murphy is up against Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno.
The stakes are high as both parties seek momentum ahead of next year's midterm elections. Democrats haven't won any special elections for Congress this year and the next Virginia governor will have a major say in the state's next round of redistricting, when Congressional lines are drawn. Republicans are looking for a boost as their party is beset by intraparty turmoil between Trump and key Republicans in Congress.
BIG-CITY MAYORS
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, made political missteps in his first term but is expected to easily defeat a younger Republican challenger from Staten Island, Nicole Malliotakis, and the private detective and TV commentator Bo Dietl.
In Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh asks voters to give him a second four-year term. Challenger Tito Jackson, a member of the City Council, would be the city's first black mayor.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is seeking a second four-year term against state Sen. Coleman Young II, whose father was the city's first black mayor. Duggan was first elected after a state-appointed manager filed for Detroit's historic bankruptcy.
Nearly a dozen candidates are competing to succeed term-limited Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. If the top vote-getter doesn't win more than 50 percent, the race would require a runoff on Dec. 5.
Two women — 54-year-old urban planner Cary Moon and 59-year-old former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan — are vying to lead Seattle, a city dealing with the benefits and problems of an economy booming for some more than others. Former Mayor Ed Murray dropped his re-election efforts — and then resigned — amid accusations of sexual abuse by multiple men.
Charlotte, North Carolina, will be getting its sixth mayor since 2009. Mayor Pro Tem Vi Lyles, a Democrat, and Republican City Councilman Kenny Smith are running to replace Mayor Jennifer Roberts, who lost in the Democratic primary.
MEDICAID
Maine residents vote in the nation's first statewide referendum on whether to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, a vote viewed as a referendum on "Obamacare." Thirty-one other states have joined the expansion, but this is the first time it has been put before voters. Maine's Republican governor has vetoed five attempts to expand the program.
UTAH'S CONGRESSIONAL SEAT
Utah voters are choosing a replacement for U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz after the Republican's surprise resignation earlier this year. Republicans outnumber Democrats 5-to-1 in the congressional district. John Curtis, the Republican mayor of the Mormon stronghold of Provo, is challenged by Democrat Kathryn Allen and third-party candidate Jim Bennett.
PHILADELPHIA DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Voters in Philadelphia are picking a new district attorney to replace Seth Williams, a Democrat who was sentenced to prison last month for accepting a bribe. Larry Krasner, a liberal Democrat who vows to end mass incarceration and the death penalty, is favored to win in the heavily Democratic city. His opponent, Republican Beth Grossman, has gotten a boost with the local police union's endorsement.
CONTROL OF WASHINGTON
Voters in the Seattle suburbs will determine whether the Washington state Senate will remain the only Republican-led legislative chamber on the West Coast. If the seat flips to Democrats in a special election, Washington will join Oregon and California with total Democratic rule in both legislative chambers and the governor's office.
