AP -Ground Game by Meg Kinnard - November 3, 2025 - ...The results of those contests — the first general election of Trump's second term — will be heralded by the victors as either a major repudiation or a resounding stamp of approval of his second-term agenda.

 

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By Meg Kinnard November 03, 2025

One year after Donald Trump retook the White House and set into motion a dramatic expansion of executive power, the Republican president figures prominently in state and local elections being held Tuesday. The results of those contests — the first general election of Trump's second term — will be heralded by the victors as either a major repudiation or a resounding stamp of approval of his second-term agenda.  Welcome to this week’s edition of AP Ground Game.  Policy changes, but facts endure. AP delivers accurate, fact-based journalism to keep the world informed in every administration. Support independent reporting today. Donate. THE HEADLINES A video advertising truck for New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is parked adjacent to The Islamic Cultural Center of New York, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)   Election 2025: What to watch on Nov. 4  In New York City, the nation’s largest metropolis, Tuesday’s mayoral race features Democratic state legislator Zohran Mamdani, independent candidate and former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani’s comfortable victory over Cuomo in June’s New York City primary generated excitement from the party’s more progressive wing and apprehension among the establishment – although party leaders eventually endorsed the self-described democratic socialist months after he won the nomination.    The winner will replace outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, who initially sought renomination as a Democrat, then opted to run as an independent but dropped out in September and endorsed Cuomo. Trump – whose Justice Department in February asked a court to drop corruption charges against Adams – later said he’d like to see both Adams and Sliwa drop out in an effort to defeat Mamdani.    As the only gubernatorial races held in the year following a presidential election, contests in Virginia and New Jersey have long served as the first major test of voter sentiment toward the party holding the White House. In every gubernatorial race since 1973, one or both states have elected a governor from a party different than that of the sitting president. Read more.

Of note: California voters will also decide a statewide ballot measure that would enact a new congressional map that could flip as many as five Republican-held U.S. House seats to Democratic control. Proposition 50 is a response to a Texas plan pushed by Trump that could help Republicans flip five Democratic-held seats – a move that’s sparked an escalating gerrymandering arms race among states to pass new maps of their own.

Related reads ➤  AP has declared winners in elections for nearly 180 years. This is why and how race calls are made  Obama blasts Trump ahead of Election Day in Virginia and New Jersey. Republicans keep it local ADVERTISEMENT Head Start centers facing closure as government shutdown continues The ongoing shutdown is triggering a wave of closures of Head Start centers, leaving working parents scrambling for child care and shutting some of the nation's neediest children out of preschool.    Dozens of centers are missing out on federal grant payments that were due to arrive Nov. 1. Some say they'll close indefinitely, while others are staying afloat with emergency funding from local governments and school districts.     The closures mean Head Start students — who come from low-income households, are homeless or in foster care — are missing out on preschool, where they are fed two meals a day and receive therapy vital to their development. Read more.

Of note: A half-dozen Head Start programs never received grants that were anticipated in October, but there are now 140 programs that have not received their annual infusion of federal funding. All told, the programs have capacity to assist 65,000 preschoolers and expectant parents.

Related reads ➤  Shutdown stalemate set to drag into sixth week as Trump pushes Republicans to change Senate rules  Government shutdown threatens to delay home heating aid for millions of low-income families Supreme Court hears case over Trump tariffs A major question hangs over the Supreme Court's closely watched case on Trump’s far-reaching tariffs: Will the conservative majority hold the Republican president to the same exacting standards it used to limit his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden?      Key legal principles at the heart of conservative challenges to major initiatives in the Biden years are driving the arguments in the fight against Trump’s tariffs, which is set for arguments at the high court on Wednesday. The businesses and states that sued over the tariffs are even name-checking the three Trump-appointed conservative justices whose votes they hope to attract to stop a centerpiece of Trump’s economic agenda in a key test of presidential power.    During Biden’s presidency, conservative majorities made it harder to fight climate change under existing law and also blocked several actions related to the coronavirus pandemic. In each case, the court held that Congress had not clearly authorized an action of economic and political significance, a legal principle known as the major questions doctrine. Read more.

Of note: The Trump administration argues that the doctrine does not apply to the tariffs case, citing a lengthy dissenting appellate opinion. Presidents have wide latitude when it comes to foreign affairs and national security, and it would be odd for the emergency powers law to be as limited as the challengers say it is, Judge Richard Taranto wrote in his dissent that was joined by three other judges.

Related reads ➤  Tariffs are Trump’s favorite foreign policy tool. The Supreme Court could change how he uses them A Vermont cycling apparel company is trying to survive Trump’s tariffs. Will the Supreme Court help? ADVERTISEMENT IN PHOTOS President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach Fla., on his way back to the White House following a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)  ON THE CALENDAR Trump is scheduled to join telephone rallies for candidates in New Jersey and Virginia on Monday night. Tuesday is Election Day in more than half the states across the country. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court hears a case concerning Trump’s tariffs. 2025 COUNTDOWN OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON North Carolina: Lawmaker accused of sex crimes resigns from state House  Florida: Campaign to legalize recreational marijuana takes DeSantis administration to court  ADVERTISEMENT

That’s all from me for the day, thanks for reading Ground Game. Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. - Meg