Elections in multiple states on Tuesday are set to gauge how voters feel in the first year of Donald Trump’s second presidency — and whether Democrats have improved their standing with the midterm elections just one year away.

Voters will choose new governors in Virginia, where the ongoing shutdown and Trump’s efforts to remake the government have affected hundreds of thousands of federal workers, and New Jersey, where increasing taxes and utility costs have placed affordability at the center of a competitive race.

In New York City, the Democratic primary winner, Zohran Mamdani, faces former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is attempting a political comeback as an independent, and Republican Curtis Silwa in a mayoral race with significant implications for the future of the city and the Democratic Party.

And in California, the race to redraw congressional district boundaries ahead of next year’s battle for majority control of the US House of Representatives faces a critical moment.

A special election in Texas caps an important set of odd-year elections. Here are the races and issues to watch Tuesday:

Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participate in a mayoral debate in New York on October 16. Angelina Katsanis/Pool/Reuters

New York City mayor

Mamdani and Cuomo are facing off a second time in the New York City mayoral election, after Mamdani — a democratic socialist who has energized young voters and progressives with his go-anywhere, do-anything campaign tactics and a message centered on affordability — handily defeated the former governor in the Democratic primary.

The mayor’s race is a sign