Record-breaking early voting could reshape New York City’s election outcome
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Virginia has elected its first female governor after former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger was named the projected winner.
Spanberger beat Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, whom President Donald Trump never endorsed by name.
Meanwhile, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee in New York City’s mayoral race, is facing off against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent.
Voters will also pick a new governor in New Jersey and decide on a ballot measure in California to redraw its congressional district maps.
Over 1.7 million people had cast their ballots in New York City by 6 p.m. Tuesday – with hours more to go before the polls close – but already far outstripping the 1.1 million who voted in the 2021 election.
New Yorkers can continue to vote until 9 p.m. ET when polls close. In other states where elections were taking place, polls close in California at 8 p.m. PT and in Texas at 7 p.m. local time.
President Donald Trump has baselessly claimed voting in California was “rigged.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom dismissed Trump’s claims as “the ramblings of an old man that knows he’s about to LOSE.”
What races to watch this Election Day
There are several high-profile races to look out for as we head into election day.
New York City’s mayoral race
- Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is facing off against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
- Mamdani is leading in the polls with 43.9 percent of voter support in a new Atlas Intel poll. Cuomo is trailing with 39.4 percent, followed by Sliwa with 15.5 percent.
- Polls will close at 9 p.m. ET. Voters who are in line when the polls close will be allowed to cast a ballot. Election results could be released by 10 p.m. ET, Fox 5 NY reports.
Virginia’s gubernatorial race
- Former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger is the projected winner over Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, in the governor’s race.
- Spanberger currently has 55.2 percent of the vote, as Sears trails with 44.6 percent, per NBC News.
New Jersey’s gubernatorial race
- Former state legislator Jack Ciattarelli is the Republican choice in New Jersey, up against Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill.
- New Jersey’s gubernatorial race is much closer than Virginia’s. In the same Research Co. poll, Sherrill leads Ciattarelli by just three percentage points, 51 to 48 percent.
- Polls closed at 8 p.m. ET. Election results could be released by 10 p.m. ET, per Fox 5 NY.
California’s ballot measure
- Californians will be voting on whether to approve new congressional maps as Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom pushes for redistricting in response to Texas’ own redistricting efforts in favor of Republicans.
- Polls will close at 8 p.m. PT. Voters who are in line when the polls close will be allowed to cast a ballot. Election results could be released by the end of the night, MSNBC reports.
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Rachel Dobkin5 November 2025 01:06
In pictures: Abigail Spanberger celebrates her election win
Former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger embraces her husband Adam after being declared the winner of the Virginia Governor race before her election night watch party at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Tuesday in Richmond, Virginia (Getty Images)A supporter becomes emotional during the election night watch party for Spanberger (Getty Images)Spanberger gets ready before her election night watch party (Getty Images)Supporters celebrate during Spanberger’s election night watch party (Getty Images)
Rachel Dobkin5 November 2025 01:50
Spanberger calls for Virginians to unite after election victory
Former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger has called for Virginians to unite after her election victory Tuesday night.
“I know in my heart that we can unite,” she said, adding that the state can “set an example for the rest of the nation.”
Rachel Dobkin5 November 2025 01:43
Spanberger gives victory speech
Former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger gave a victory speech Tuesday night after being named the projected winner of Virginia’s gubernatorial race.
“I thank you for the trust that you have placed in me,” Spanberger told her supporters, calling her election, “The honor of my lifetime.”
She also wished her opponent, Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, and her family well.
Rachel Dobkin5 November 2025 01:41
Hashmi named projected winner in Virginia lieutenant governor race
Democrat Ghazala Hashmi has been named the projected winner in Virginia’s lieutenant governor race.
Hashmi is currently leading Republican John Reid 53.2 to 46.5 percent, according to NBC News.
Rachel Dobkin5 November 2025 01:36
Elizabeth Warren tells The Independent that Mamdani has lessons for the rest of the party
It’s pretty rare for someone from Massachusetts to compliment someone from New York City. But Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the populist Democratic vanguard and former presidential candidate, said Zohran Mamdani’s campaign had lessons for the rest of the Democratic Party.
Warren ran for president in 2020, but unlike her fellow progressive, she failed to win any states largely thanks to her limited reach and the inability to convince voters of color to back her. Nonetheless, enthusiastically backed Mamdani’s candidacy given its focus on taking on the wealthy and powerful interests.
“I think it’s looking good,” she told The Independent.
Warren praised Mamdani’s focus on affordability. For much of 2024, worries about inflation and the cost of living plagued Democrats. Mamdani has focused heavily on housing affordability, freezing rent, free buses and childcare.
Warren told The Independent that the party could learn “that Americans care about what living costs them every day.”
“Zohran put together an entire campaign around bringing down the cost of child care, groceries and transportation, and he’s going to win on it,” she told The Independent.
Eric’s takeaway: Mamdani’s coalition is in many ways the perfect blend of Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential coalition of non-college-educated voters, Latino voters and men alongside Warren’s coalition of college-educated white voters.
In the end, those disparate factions failed to beat the normal vote that catapults a Democrat to the nomination: majority support from the African American community. That bolstered Joe Biden in 2020. But a fusion of these disparate coalitions might give progressives a foot in the door and–more importantly–convince Black voters they can win.
Eric Garcia 5 November 2025 01:30
Democrats win reelection in Cincinnati and Atlanta
Democrat Aftab Pureval has won reelection as mayor of Cincinnati over Republican Cory Bowman, the half-brother of Vice President JD Vance, the Associated Press reports.
Democrat Andre Dickens also won reelection, per AP.
Rachel Dobkin5 November 2025 01:25
Sherrill currently beating Ciattarelli after New Jersey polls close
Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill is currently beating former Republican state legislator Jack Ciattarelli 64.4 to 35.1 percent after the polls in New Jersey closed, per NBC News.
Rachel Dobkin5 November 2025 01:19
Polls closed in New Jersey
The polls have closed in New Jersey, but anyone in line at 8 p.m. ET will be allowed to cast a ballot.
Democrats in Passaic County had sued to keep New Jersey polls open for an extra hour on Election Day after non-credible bomb threats were made earlier in the day.
Passaic County received three threats early Tuesday, county spokesperson Lindsay Reed told the Associated Press.
Reed said some voters were redirected to other polling locations in the swing county with about 340,000 registered voters.
Rachel Dobkin5 November 2025 01:12
Spanberger is named projected winner in Virginia governor race
Former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger is named the projected winner over Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, according to multiple outlets.
Spanberger will be the first female governor in Virginia.
Rachel Dobkin5 November 2025 00:58
