It may be an off-year, but the elections being held in Virginia, New Jersey, California, and various cities and localities will significantly impact life, freedom, safety, and the American dream. Here’s why every evangelical Christian has a biblical and constitutional duty to go out and vote.
Given last year’s historic Presidential election, an off-year election doesn’t seem very exciting. However, this year’s choices include governor races in Virginia and New Jersey, a retention question that could decide which party controls Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court over the next decade; and a major redistricting ballot measure in California that could impact the balance of Congress in 2026.
Tomorrow’s election also features polarizing candidates, including two Democrat-Socialists running for mayor in New York City and Minneapolis.
In New York, Democrat Zohran Mamdani has a double-digit lead over fellow Democrat and former governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Silwa.
Mamdani has voiced support for communist policies, such as “abolition of private property,” “defunding the police,” and the government “seizing the means of production.” Mamdani was mocked by conservatives for his supported policy of government-run grocery stores and taxing the rich.
Mamdani, a Muslim, has also supported “globalizing the intifada” and expressed support for Hamas.
In Minneapolis, Democratic Socialist Omar Fateh has been dubbed the “Mamdani of Minneapolis” due to similar policies. Fateh, who was born in the U.S. to parents who immigrated from Somalia, has drawn backlash after video emerged of him waving the Somalian flag and speaking Somali.
As Americans head to the polls tomorrow, these elections will have far-reaching impacts on not just local and state residents but the country as a whole. For this reason, all Christians and conservatives must do their duty by voting in their election and also pray for wisdom for voters.
Here are more details on some of the most consequential elections this year.
Virginia
The most watched race in Virginia is that of attorney general. This is due to the revelation that Jay Jones, 36, a Virginia state legislator, had sent texts fantasizing about shooting former Virginia Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert, a Republican, and watching his children die in their mother’s arms. He referred to the two Gilbert children, then just two and five years old, as “evil” and “little fascists.” He also said he would urinate on the graves of dead Republicans.
Jones is also currently under investigation by a special prosecutor for allegedly failing to complete the 1,000 hours of community service to which he was sentenced after being convicted of driving 116 mph on a Virginia interstate; the hours he did complete were in service to his own political action committee, which may also be a violation.
His opponent, Republican incumbent attorney general Jason Miyares, has repeatedly said Jones’ texts and actions are disqualifying and called on Jones to drop out of the race. However, although Jones apologized for his texts, he never disputed the content and has remained in the race.
The attorney general is responsible for ensuring that laws are enforced equally, regardless of political party or background.
New polling suggests that Miyares is leading Jones, but the results remain within the margin of error.
In the governor’s race, Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears has asked Democrat candidate Abigail Spanberger to condemn Jones’ violent rhetoric and call on him to drop out, but Spanberger’s only response was to call the texts “disgusting” and to point out that they had been written in 2022. She has since been out campaigning with Jones.
Spanberger, a former CIA officer and U.S. congresswoman representing Virginia’s 7th District, claims to be a moderate, but a recent analysis by the Institute of Legislative Analysis characterized her voting record as a “Democratic Socialist” on par with the far-left Squad headed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), D-N.Y. The group says that Spanberger has voted for more government regulations than AOC. She also has a pro-criminal record that includes voting to strip police officers of certain rights and reducing mandatory sentences for carjacking, robbery, and murder in D.C. On abortion, she supports the right of women to obtain an abortion at any time and has routinely voted for pro-illegal immigration policies.
Sears, who legally immigrated to the U.S. as a child from Jamaica, is a former Marine. She is a pro-life conservative who has campaigned on a platform of “no nonsense, just common sense.” Her issues include lower taxes, pro-law enforcement policies, banning men from women’s sports and private spaces, supporting parental rights in school, and lowering energy costs. If she wins, she will be the first black woman to serve as governor of not just Virginia but any U.S. state.
Spanberger is seen as the favorite, but in the last few weeks, many say that Sears is surging and the outcome could be very close.
Tuesday’s election in Virginia will also decide control of the House of Delegates. All 100 seats are up for election. Currently Democrats control both the House and the Senate. If the Democrats win, they will complete the process necessary to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2026 that would not only make abortion legal up until the moment of birth but also loosen medical standards and override a parental consent law for a minor to obtain an abortion. If elected, the Democrats are expected to pass gun control measures; green energy policies; a shield law hiding the identity of doctors engaged in abortion and gender-affirming care for minors; and sanctuary state laws.
The Democrat-run General Assembly also recently kicked off a special legislative session designed to redistrict Virginia in favor of Democrats.
New Jersey
The key election in New Jersey is the race for governor between Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill.
Ciattarelli is a business owner and former member of the New Jersey General Assembly. He ran for governor in 2017, losing in the Republican primary, and again in 2021, when he lost by six points to current Gov. Phil Murphy, D.
Sherrill is the current congresswoman for New Jersey’s 11th district, a former prosecutor, and a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot.
Ciattarelli says that his priorities are reducing the cost of living by cutting taxes, reducing the cost of energy by removing New Jersey from various climate agreements, improving the education system, and reducing crime.
Sherrill gives several priorities, such as reducing utility costs, improving mental health services for children, expanding STEM in education, defending abortion rights, and caring for illegal immigrants in New Jersey.
Sherrill largely portrays herself as someone fighting against President Donald Trump and paints her opponent as the “Trump of Trenton,” citing Trump’s endorsement of Ciattarelli.
On the issue of abortion, Ciattarelli says he believes people can find “common ground.” He supports a woman’s right to decide whether to abort her child but favors a ban on elective abortions after 20 weeks’ gestation and a parental consent requirement for minors to receive abortions, while also opposing taxpayer funded abortion and the “Reproductive Freedom Act,” which allows women to get an abortion up to birth.
Sherrill wants to enshrine abortion as a right in New Jersey and opposes any attempts to limit abortion, such as bans on chemical abortions. She says she also supports paying for servicewomen to get abortions no matter what state they are stationed in and wants to require insurance companies to cover the cost of abortions.
In a recent interview, she said that while she supports parental rights in education, she said that she would push an LGBTQ education in schools, stating that “parents have a right to opt out of a lot of things, but this is not an area where they should be opting out.”
New Jersey has shown a drift to the right over the last several years while still being a blue state.
Current polling indicates that the governor’s race is very tight, with most polls showing Sherrill has a small lead.
Pennsylvania
The key election in the Keystone State involves a simple question: Do three Supreme Court justices deserve to remain in their roles for another decade? Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht were all elected as Democrats in 2015, flipping the state’s highest court from a 4-3 conservative majority to a 5-2 liberal majority.
Voters can vote “yes” or “no” on what is known as the “retention question.” If the answer is yes, the justice stays on for another 10-year term; if the answer is no, the governor will name a temporary replacement to fill the seat, subject to approval by the Pennsylvania Senate, until a permanent justice is chosen during the next odd-year election, in this case, 2027.
In normal times, retention elections get almost no attention, and in the past, only one justice has been kicked off the bench.
This year has been different, thanks to the current political climate.
During its liberal tenure, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has made a number of significant decisions, many along party lines. These involved changes to state voting laws, such as upholding no-excuse absentee voting; greenlighting the use of drop boxes for collecting ballots; and allowing any mail-in votes that arrived up to three days late to still be counted. The court was also largely in favor of the governor’s emergency powers during the COVID lockdown and has upheld the right to abortion.
California
California’s ballot measure known as “Prop 50” is another episode in the ongoing soap opera between California on one side and President Trump and red states on the other.
The election comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, pushed for Prop 50 as a response to what he claims to be unfair redistricting in the state of Texas.
Newsom claims Prop 50 would allow California to play “by the same rules.”
What Prop 50 would do is allow the overwhelming Democratic majority in California to politically redistrict the state to erase most Republican districts in Congress.
California’s districts are drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, which is made up of five Democrats, five Republicans, and four people of neither party.
Prop 50 would remove that power from the Commission and redraw the districts to aid Democrats through 2030.
According to the Washington Examiner, if Prop 50 is approved, Democrats would likely shift five of the nine seats in Congress currently held by Republicans, enveloping the districts into Democrat-controlled areas.
Newsom says this would allow California to counterbalance the added Republican districts in Texas.
As has been par for the course for California’s politicians, the language surrounding the effort has been apocalyptic.
Newsom warned that if Prop 50 doesn’t pass, “We’ll lose this republic, we’ll lose this democracy. It is not an overstatement. This is Code Red. We all need to wake up to what’s going on.”
Supporters of the proposal have far outspent opponents, raising four times as much money. Newsom even went so far as to tell supporters that they could stop donating, since the effort has already met its fundraising goals.
No matter how they feel about the current political environment, Christians must engage and take part in tomorrow’s election.
America’s republic was built on the assumption that a self-governing people would be a virtuous one. For Christians, voting isn’t optional — it’s obedience. We are commanded to seek the welfare of our cities (Jer. 29:7), pray for those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1–2), and render honor where it’s due (Rom. 13:1–7). When we stay home, we abandon our calling to be salt and light.
The stakes are never small. These elections will also determine school board members who shape what your children are taught, local judges who decide religious liberty cases, state legislators who protect or destroy parental rights, and governors and mayors who keep (or don’t) keep residents safe.
Off-year races also set the stage for the 2026 and 2028 cycles. Today’s city councilman becomes tomorrow’s Congressman. Today’s state representative becomes tomorrow’s senator.
Evangelical Christians comprise roughly 25 percent of the electorate. When we show up, we shape outcomes. Virginia’s 2021 gubernatorial race was decided by 63,480 votes. Pennsylvania in 2016 turned on 44,292 votes. These margins represent the moral direction of a generation.
Voting is an extension of loving your neighbor (Luke 10:27). It’s how we protect the unborn, defend the vulnerable, and preserve freedom for those who cannot defend themselves. This isn’t about winning culture wars. It’s about faithful stewardship of the influence God has entrusted to us. We don’t vote to build an earthly kingdom, but to “occupy until He comes” (Luke 19:13).
Some will say, “Both parties disappoint me.” True. But abstaining isn’t neutrality, it’s surrender. We’re not called to wait for perfect candidates; we’re called to choose the better path available and trust God with the rest.
The call is clear. Christians in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Minnesota, California, and other states must vote as those who will give an account. The ballot is not a weapon of vengeance but a tool of stewardship. Use it to defend life, uphold truth, and protect freedom. When the righteous stand, nations are strengthened. When we stay home, the wicked rejoice.
Show up to defend the proclamation of the Gospel — for the next generation and for the glory of God.
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