Democrats will be looking to regroup while Republicans will be looking to grow their electoral advantages in 2025, when attention will turn to a handful of off-year races.

While the electoral landscape next year will be nothing like the battle for the White House and Congress that America just experienced, the offices up for grabs could give both parties a sense of where the country’s electorate is headed.

They also will almost certainly be interpreted as a litmus test of President-elect Trump’s popularity and standing.

Here are the key races to watch next year:

New Jersey governor

New Jersey has been seen as a heavily Democratic state, won by President Biden by 16 points in 2020.

But in 2024, Trump narrowed that gap to just 6 points, making inroads in the Democratic stronghold and giving the GOP new hope of retaking the governor’s mansion.

The GOP has already drawn a crowded field of candidates looking to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy (D).

Murphy last snagged reelection by just 3 points against Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli in 2021, a surprisingly tight margin after he first won the office by double digits.

New Jersey Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer, former state Senate President Steve Sweeney, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka are among the Democrats who have jumped into the race.

Across the aisle, Ciattarelli is trying again in the GOP primary, alongside state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former state Sen. Ed Durr and radio host Bill Spadea.

Trump is likely to hover over the race, and will inevitably be a factor in the outcome.

If a Republican wins, it will be seen as a sign of a rightward shift sparked by Trump. But if Democrats retain the........

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