Election Day live updates: Mamdani wins NYC mayoral race, Sherrill and Spanberger eleted governor, NBC News projects

Voters in Maine today approved a ballot measure that will impose a "red flag law," or extreme risk protection law, across the state, allowing people to petition a court to temporarily confiscate their family members' firearms in certain cases.

The ballot measure was politically contentious, with Democratic Gov. Janet Mills opposing the measure, pointing to the effectiveness of the state's existing "yellow flag law."

Following the success of this ballot measure, Maine will be the 22nd state to pass a "red flag law."

Earle-Sears thanked supporters in her concession speech and said that she called Spanberger.

"I left her a voicemail, and I asked her to please consider all of us Virginians, that she will represent all of us, and not just some of us," Earle-Sears said.

Earle-Sears added that she "wished her success."

She said in her speech, which drew heavily on religious themes, that if Spanberger governs as a moderate, "then she will unite us, and she'll heal our divide and win our support."

"I hope and pray she does," she said.

In her victory speech, Spanberger addressed voters who supported Earle-Sears, saying it's "my goal and my intent to serve all Virginians."

Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, who served as a Republican, told NBC News' Kristen Welker that Sherrill's election win is "terrific" for the state.

"It’s been a great night for women across the board in Virginia, as well, and several other races. But this is terrific for New Jersey. It really is," said Whitman, who was elected as New Jersey's first female governor in 1994.

"It means we’re going to have a governor who’s going to care about New Jersey, not care about what the president wants, and that’s what people want," she added.

Todd Whitman left the Republican Party in 2022 and co-founded the Forward Party.

The National Republican Congressional Committee telegraphed its plans to tie Mamdani to “every” House Democrat as NBC News called the mayoral race for him.

“The Democrat Party has surrendered to radical socialist Zohran Mamdani and the far-left mob who are now running the show. They’ve proudly embraced defunding the police, abolishing ICE, taxing hard-working Americans to death, and replacing common sense with chaos. Every House Democrat is foolishly complicit in their party’s collapse, and voters will make them pay in 2026,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement.

Spanberger’s victory in the Virginia governor's race had little to do with “a weak Republican gubernatorial candidate,” Democratic Sen. Mark Warner told NBC News this evening.

Warner’s comments came shortly after Chris LaCivita, Trump’s 2024 co-campaign manager, blamed GOP nominee Earle-Sears for the loss in the governor’s race. On the eve of the election, Trump encouraged Virginia voters to cast ballots favoring Republican candidates but did not mention Earle-Sears by name. Trump did not endorse her in the race.

Asked whether Spanberger’s win on issues of affordability means the topic will be more potent for Democrats than anti-Trump messaging in the 2026 midterm election cycles, Warner said, “Well, I don’t know how you can separate” the two.

“Donald Trump has had this chaos theory that as long as he keeps throwing stuff at the wall, he can avoid issues that got him elected, like affordability,” Warner said. “He’s done nothing on that.”

In a post on X just after she became the projected winner in New Jersey's governor's race, Sherrill wrote: "New Jersey, it is the honor of my life to earn your trust to become this great state’s 57th Governor. I promise to listen, lead with courage, and never forget who I serve."

Mikie Sherrill wins the New Jersey governor's race, NBC News projects

04:14

Mary Sheffield has won the nonpartisan Detroit mayoral race, The Associated Press projects.

Sheffield, who is the City Council president, will be the first woman to serve as mayor of Detroit.

With Democrats projected to win the governors' races in New Jersey and Virginia, there are no regrets among Trump’s political inner circle over his arms-length (or farther) approach to the Republican nominees in those races.

“The demographics on New Jersey are what they are,” a top outside Trump adviser told NBC News, noting that the Trump political machine spent more than a million dollars on Ciattarelli’s behalf and sent donors toward the New Jersey Republican as well. “They [Democrats] have a larger pool of voters to draw from.”

A second source, familiar with the White House’s strategy and granted anonymity to speak candidly about it before the races were called, said of Ciattarelli that Trump “endorsed to give him a shot, because he got close last time,” but that Trump “did not go all-in.”

“Don’t try to fix what you can’t,” this person continued. “Play for the team but be realistic and ruthless when it comes to resource deployment. Just like the [2024 presidential] campaign."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement as the results were coming in: “Tonight’s results are a repudiation of the Trump agenda. The cruelty, chaos, and greed that define MAGA radicalism and are skyrocketing costs were firmly rejected by the American people.”

He called it “a good night for Democrats and our fight to lower costs, improve healthcare, and reach a better future for American families” and added: “If Republicans want to keep blindly following Donald Trump into the abyss of chaos, let them. The rest of America is moving forward.”

NBC News Exit Poll data suggests that Sliwa voters would not have necessarily jumped to Cuomo if the New York mayoral election was a two-candidate race. Asked whom they would have supported in a contest between just Cuomo and Mamdani, 52% of Sliwa voters said they would have supported Cuomo, while 41% said they would not have voted.

A hypothetical two-way race for mayor would have been close: Exit poll results suggest Mamdani would have won by only a few percentage points. NBC News has not yet projected a winner in the race.

As for Mamdani, 53% of New York City voters said his policies are unrealistic, while 42% said they were realistic, according to exit poll results. By comparison, 57% said Cuomo’s policies were realistic, compared with 36% who said they were unrealistic.

Three polling sites in Passaic County, New Jersey, stayed open one extra hour tonight following bomb threats.

The sites received bomb threats this morning, prompting a judge to order them to stay open until 9 p.m., past the scheduled closing time of 8 p.m., Passaic County spokesperson Lindsay Reed said.

Two of the locations are schools in Paterson, and one is a school in Passaic. Paterson and Passaic are both heavily Hispanic areas.

Passaic City’s mayor said in a statement earlier today that several polling sites across New Jersey got bomb threats overnight, forcing some sites to close.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., joins NBC News’ Kristen Welker and Hallie Jackson to discuss the New York mayoral race, his support for Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, other key races and the government shutdown. 

Jeffries says election results ‘will be replicated’ in midterms

05:55

Virginia state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi became the first Muslim American woman elected to statewide office in the U.S. with her victory in the state’s lieutenant governor’s race, NBC News projects.

Her historic victory comes the same night that former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, whom NBC News projects as the winner in the governor’s race, became the first woman elected governor in the state.

Ghazala Hashmi, center, at Raj Khalsa Gurdwara, a house of worship in Sterling, Va., on Oct. 19.  Caroline Gutman for The Washington Post via Getty Images

It is the second time Hashmi has made history in an election; in 2019 she was the first Muslim American woman elected to Virginia’s Legislature. Since then, she has served in the statehouse representing a district southwest of Washington, D.C.

Read the full story here.

The New York City Board of Elections announced tonight that 2 million people have cast ballots.

The last time that happened in a mayoral race was in 1969, according to the post. About 1.15 million voters cast ballots in the 2021 mayoral race. The highest turnout this century was in 2021, when 1.5 million New Yorkers cast ballots.

Before that, about 1.9 million people voted in the 1989 election. In 1969, nearly 2.5 million people voted in the mayoral election.

New York City's population was nearly 8.5 million people last year, according to city statistics.

Texas voters tonight voted in favor of a ballot question that authorizes a amendment adding parental rights to the state's constitution, NBC News projects.

The state's constitution will be amended to include language that gives parents “fundamental right to exercise care, custody, and control of the parent’s child, including the right to make decisions concerning the child’s upbringing.”

Voters in Texas today approved a ballot question that amends the state constitution to include language requiring voters in the state to be U.S. citizens.

It was already illegal in the state for noncitizens to vote in federal and statewide elections, but sponsors of the ballot measure sought to prevent municipalities in Texas from potentially allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections in the future.

More polls closed at 9 p.m. ET.

Colorado, Minnesota and New York City polls closed moments ago.

Polls closed in several states earlier tonight, including Maine, Michigan and Virginia.

The Associated Press projected that Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has won re-election.

He was elected in 2021, succeeding Keisha Lance Bottoms.

As Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Trump spar over the presence of federal immigration agents in California, the state’s voters largely do not support the administration’s actions.

According to early results from the NBC News Exit Poll, 64% of voters who voted on Proposition 50 say the Trump administration’s actions on immigration enforcement have gone too far. Twelve percent said the administration hasn’t gone far enough, while 24% said its immigration approach has been about right.

And most voters in the state said Newsom should not cooperate with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement (59%) while about 4-in-10 say they should.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., spoke with NBC News' Kristen Welker on election night.

Mamdani’s ideas are 'not radical,' Sen. Sanders says

04:01

Spanberger is projected to win the Virginia governor's race and Mikie Sherrill is vying to become the next governor of New Jersey. But here's a fun fact: Spanberger was born in New Jersey, and Sherrill was born in Virginia.

Spanberger was born in Monmouth County, New Jersey, but her family moved to Henrico, Virginia, where she graduated from high school. She stayed in-state for college, graduating from the University of Virginia.

Sherrill, on the other hand, was born in Alexandria, Virginia, and graduated from high school in Reston. She took a longer road to her adopted state than her former roommate did, but eventually she began working in the U.S. attorney's office in New Jersey and later became a member of Congress there.

Trump's 2024 co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita heaped blame onto Republican nominee Earle-Sears for losing the Virginia governor's race.

"A Bad candidate and Bad campaign have consequences — the Virginia Governors race is example number 1," he said on X shortly after the race was called for Spanberger.

In a tele-rally ahead of Election Day, Trump urged voters to support Republicans, while not explicitly naming Earle-Sears. He never endorsed her.

Speaking to supporters after she was projected to win the Virginia governor's race, Spanberger said she would seek to build unity over deepening political divisions.

"My fellow Virginians: Tonight, we sent a message," Spanberger said in a victory speech at an election night watch party in Richmond.

"We sent a message to the whole world that in 2025, Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship. We chose our commonwealth over chaos. You all chose leadership that will focus relentlessly on what matters most, lowering costs, keeping our communities safe and strengthening our economy, for every Virginian," she added.

Full speech: Abigail Spanberger projected winner in Virginia governor's race

24:50

Pointing to growing divisions across the country, Spanberger suggested that by electing her, voters had opted for "leadership that will focus on problem-solving, not stoking division" and that her "intent is to serve all Virginians," including those who supported her Republican opponent, Lt. Gov Winsome Earle-Sears.

"I know in my heart that we can unite for Virginia’s future, and we can set an example for the rest of the nation," she said.

Democrat Aftab Pureval has won re-election as Cincinnati's mayor, beating JD Vance's half brother, Cory Bowman, AP projects.

Pureval, Bowman and another candidate, Brian Frank, faced off in an initial race in May. Frank came in third and was eliminated ahead of November's race.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, Cory Bowman.  AP

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht all won their retention elections tonight, NBC News projects.

The three Democrats were elected in 2015, shifting the majority of the court at the time from Republican to Democrat.

Following tonight's election, Dougherty and Wecht will remain on the court for 10 more years, while Donohue will serve until 2027, when she's set to hit the mandatory retirement age for justices of 75.

Democrats, including Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin and Gov. Josh Shapiro, barnstormed Pennsylvania on the justices' behalf leading up to Election Day.

California voters are divided over whether Republicans or Democrats are handling redrawing congressional district lines fairly, according to early results from the NBC News Exit Poll.

The poll found that 53% of California voters said neither party is handling redistricting fairly, while 28% said only Democrats are and 12% said only Republicans are. Another 8% said both parties are handling the issue fairly. 

Trump was a factor for many California voters on both sides of the issue on Prop 50, which calls for a new congressional map in the state that would further boost Democrats. Overall, 52% said Trump was a reason for their votes in support of the ballot measure, while 8% said he was a reason they opposed it. Another 40% said Trump was not a factor.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander tonight slammed Trump's social media post that said Jewish people who support Mamdani for mayor are "stupid."

"I'm the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in New York City government," Lander told NBC News’ Tom Llamas. "He [Trump] said any Jew that supports Zohran Mamdani is stupid. He doesn't get to decide how Jews make up their mind in this race. New Yorkers don't want Donald Trump telling us who to vote for."

Lander, who lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, endorsed his onetime opponent and has campaigned for him.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, celebrated Spanberger's projected win in Virginia, saying she won because "she stayed relentlessly focused on her positive plans to lower costs and her commitment to putting service ahead of politics."

Kelly framed the Democratic victory as a warning sign for Republicans next year.

"Tonight’s results are also a resounding rejection of Donald Trump’s chaos and a warning sign to all Republican politicians running in 2026 who continue to rubber stamp his failed economic policies," she said.

Abigail Spanberger wins Virginia governor's race, NBC News projects

01:45

As of 8 p.m. ET, polls closed in Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas.

However, polls in Pennsylvania's Chester County will remain open until 10 p.m. ET after a court ordered them to stay open an additional two hours over an error that required some voters to cast provisional ballots.

In New Jersey, 45% of voters today said they approve of the way outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy is handling his job, while 51% disapprove, according to the NBC News Exit Poll.

Murphy, who is term-limited, endorsed Sherrill to succeed him.

An overwhelming majority of Sherrill’s voters today (77%) said they approve of how Murphy is handling his job as governor, compared with only 9% of Ciattarelli voters who approve of Murphy. Ciattarelli made change in Trenton a major theme of his campaign.

Exit polls show Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin sporting a 55% favorable rating, and 58% of respondents say the economy is excellent or good. The problem for the Republicans is he's not on the ballot. His 2021 running mate is, but she has struggled to inherit the coalition that won them the previous race.

Spanberger is winning almost all those who disapprove of Youngkin, perhaps unsurprisingly. But she's also winning about a quarter of voters who approve of him, too.

The top three issues for New Jersey voters boil down to affordability, according to exit polls. Taxes, economy and health care were the top three issues voters raised in the state with just 20 minutes until polls closed.

New Jersey boasts the highest property tax rate in the country. The affordability issues driving New Jersey's governor's race mirror the race for mayor in New York, where early results from an NBC News exit poll indicated 72% of mayoral voters said the cost of housing was a major problem.

With under two hours to go before the polls close, the New York City Board of Elections has reported that about 1.75 million people have already cast votes.

That's a significant jump in turnout compared with 2021, when an estimated 1.15 million New Yorkers cast their votes for mayor. NYC's highest voter turnout in a mayoral election this century was in 2001, with 1.5 million people voting.

This year’s mayoral election could top 1989’s record turnout of 1.9 million, the highest in the modern political era.

The Virginia attorney general's race between Democrat Jay Jones and Republican incumbent Jason Miyares is the most expensive state attorney general race of all time, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

The two campaigns spent $39,931,935 on ads, eclipsing the 2024 North Carolina attorney general’s race by more than $4 million.

Polls closed in Virginia at 7 p.m. ET.

They're the first statewide polls to close this Election Day.

Recent trends in voter registration data has suggested a drop-off in registrations for the Democratic Party. And polling data over the last several months indicates a sharp decline in the share of adults who have a favorable view of the Democratic Party — mostly due to lagging views among Democrats.

In a deeply polarized country, most voters hold favorable views of only one party. In Virginia, the same share held favorable views of only the Democratic Party (41%) or the Republican Party (41%). Only 3% said they had favorable views of both. And 10% said they held favorable views of neither party.

In the race for governor, many of those with favorable views of only one party cast a ballot for that party’s candidate. But among those who had favorable views of neither party, 72% supported Spanberger over Earle-Sears, with a similar pattern emerging in other races.

The New Jersey gubernatorial race between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli became increasingly contentious in recent weeks, but voters said both candidates have run mostly fair campaigns, according to early results from the NBC News Exit Poll.

Fifty-six percent of New Jersey voters said that Sherrill’s campaign has been mostly fair, while 40% said it’s been mostly unfair. Voters were more split on Ciattarelli: Just under half said that he ran a mostly fair campaign, compared to 47% who said he ran an unfair campaign.

Still, New Jersey voters said political corruption in the state is a problem. All told, 9-in-10 voters said political corruption is a problem, including 54% who said it’s a major problem in the state.

Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee in New York City’s mayoral race, criticized his opponents’ ties to billionaire donors as candidates made a final push on Election Day. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, has received substantial support from wealthy donors in a bid to slow Democrat Zohran Mamdani’s political momentum in the race.

New York City GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa criticizes opponents' ties to billionaires

01:00

As the first exit polls come in, NBC News’ Steve Kornacki details President Donald Trump’s job approval ratings in Virginia, New Jersey, New York City and California. 

Breaking down Trump's job approval percentage by state in first exit polls

02:38

Independent and unaffiliated voters in Chester County, Pennsylvania, who voted this morning were forced to cast provisional ballots after poll books listing only Republicans and Democrats were delivered to polling sites.

Under court order, the polls in Chester County will stay open an additional two hours — until 10 p.m. — on Tuesday evening.

Provisional ballots are used when a voter doesn't appear as a registered voter at the polling site; election officials count the ballot after they've confirmed the voter's eligibility.

The county said on social media that by 3:45 p.m. ET, “supplemental poll books” were sent out to the county’s 230 polling sites, allowing voters to vote normally throughout the afternoon and evening.

The county vowed to investigate the error.

The Grok chatbot, made by Elon Musk’s xAI, is drawing complaints from some prominent conservatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, after it repeatedly told users to vote for Democratic candidates in several high-profile races. 

When some users, including the conservative influencer account Libs of TikTok, prompted Grok for its advice, the chatbot urged them to support Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral race, Sherrill in New Jersey’s gubernatorial race, and Spanberger in Virginia’s gubernatorial race. 

In Virginia, Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones spent the final weeks of the campaign under intense criticism for texts he sent in 2022 that suggested a Republican in the state House of Delegates should face "bullets to the head" in 2022.

Earle-Sears used the messages to attack Spanberger during a heated gubernatorial debate. Jones has apologized for his remarks.

Virginia voters were somewhat divided over whether his remarks should be disqualifying: 46% said they were, 25% said they were concerning but not disqualifying, while the remainder said they were not concerning (10%) or they had not heard enough (17%), according to early NBC News Exit Poll results.

Spanberger voters were far more likely to say they were concerning, but not disqualifying. Earle-Sears voters largely viewed the messages as disqualifying.

In today’s race for mayor in New York City, 56% of voters said the cost of living was the most important issue facing the city. Another 2 in 10 said crime was an important issue, while 10% said immigration.

Mamdani — who won a shocking victory in the Democratic primary earlier this year — has emphasized affordability issues and quality of life concerns for New Yorkers of all backgrounds. Many of these concerns are resonating with voters.

According to early results from the NBC News Exit Poll, 72% of mayoral voters said the cost of housing was a major problem — including majorities of those who supported Mamdani, Sliwa or Cuomo in the race. 

Just 16% of voters said they were "getting ahead" financially. About 6 in 10 say their family’s financial situation is holding steady, and nearly a quarter say they are falling behind.

In New Jersey’s race for governor, 36% of voters said the most important issue facing the state is taxes, while 34% said the economy.

That was followed by health care (16%), immigration (7%) and crime (3%).

According to early NBC News Exit Poll results, 91% of New Jersey voters said property taxes are a problem, including 71% who said they are a major problem where they live.

Voters held a grim view of the condition of the economy in New Jersey as well. Sixty percent said the state’s economy is not so good or poor, compared with 38% who said it’s excellent or good.

Only 11% of voters said their family’s finances are getting ahead. A majority (62%) said their finances are holding steady and another 25% said they’re falling behind.

About 9 in 10 voters said the cost of electricity is a problem, including a majority (57%) who said it’s a major problem where they live. Majorities of both Sherrill and Ciattarelli voters agree that electricity costs are a problem.

Exit polls in New Jersey reveal cost of electricity is key issue

06:48

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a Democrat, said voters in her state "will not be deceived" by Trump's claims earlier today that California's elections are rigged.

“If there are irregularities, what are they? Why won’t they identify them? Where exactly is this fraud? Ramblings don’t equate with fact,” Weber said in a statement.

“The bottom line is California elections have been validated by the courts. California voters will not be deceived by someone who consistently makes desperate, unsubstantiated attempts to dissuade Americans from participating in our democracy," she added.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that a ballot measure to allow redistricting in California "is a GIANT SCAM in that the entire process, in particular the Voting itself, is RIGGED."

Voters in key races across the country sent a message to Trump: Their vote today was more to oppose him than to support him.

In New Jersey and Virginia, about 4 in 10 voters said one reason for their vote for governor today was to oppose Trump. Only 13% in New Jersey and 15% in Virginia said their vote was in support of the president. About half in each state said Trump wasn’t a factor.

A majority of voters in the New York City mayoral race said Trump was not a factor, even after his late endorsement of Andrew Cuomo. Another 3 in 10 said their vote was to oppose him, and only 8% said they voted to support Trump.

In California, half of voters on the redistricting ballot measure said their vote was to oppose Trump, and 42% said he wasn’t a factor at all. Only 8% said their vote was to support the president.

New Jersey voters from Sherrill's hometown of Montclair turned out for the Democratic candidate, telling NBC News that they were motivated by issues like the economy and education.

"She's a far better candidate and a big believer in a time for change in our government, and she's going to fight," voter Maryanne Moore said.

She acknowledged that part of her motivation comes from concerns about the Trump administration, noting, "I do not agree with any of his policies."

As Earle-Sears and Spanberger battle for the governorship in Virginia, recent cuts to the federal government — and a record-long government shutdown — have put financial concerns front and center in the state.

According to early results from the NBC News Exit Poll, just 12% of Virginia voters say their families are getting ahead financially. Twice as many say they are falling behind, while 6 in 10 say they are holding steady.

The state is home to thousands of federal workers — and residents in the D.C. suburbs in particular have faced significant job loss and uncertainty as the Trump administration has made cuts to government departments and agencies. 

According to early exit poll results, about 2 in 10 gubernatorial voters say they are currently or previously have been federal government workers and contractors. A majority of Virginia voters say federal cuts have affected their finances a lot (20%) or a little (39%).

NBC News spoke to voters in New Jersey about the race for governor. One voter said that she believes that Republicans are "just bad people." 

"I always felt like, you know what, we differ in our approach and, you know, stuff like that," voter Sandra Palleja said. "But I never felt they were bad people. Now I feel like they’re just bad people." 

U.S. Capitol Police said they arrested a man today before he tried to enter the Russell Senate Office Building.

The suspect was identified as 43-year-old Richard Griffin of Pennsylvania. Griffin has a history of emailing a congressional office, as well as various government officials and law enforcement agencies, police said. He was arrested and accused of making threats to do bodily harm, according to the news release.

Police said they had issued a “Be on the Lookout” bulletin out for the man on Oct. 28.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., declined to say who he voted for in the New York City mayoral race.

At a news conference with Democratic leaders at the Capitol, Schumer was asked whether he had cast a ballot for Cuomo or Mamdani.

"Look, I voted and I look forward to working with the next mayor to help New York City," Schumer told reporters.

Schumer has remained largely silent on the mayoral race, declining to endorse a candidate. His counterpart in the House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., endorsed Mamdani last month. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also endorsed Mamdani in September.

In New York City, 13.8% of those who voted early were under 30 years old, according to data late Monday night. Another 19.1% of early votes were cast by people ages 30 to 39.

New Yorkers wait in line Sunday at a polling station in Queens on the final day of early voting. Christian Monterrosa / Bloomberg via Getty Images

In the 2021 mayoral race, 10.8% of votes were cast by voters under 30 and another 15.7% came from voters ages 30 to 39.

By late Monday night, nearly 675,000 registered Democrats had already voted in New Jersey, compared with around 386,000 registered Republicans who voted early.

That means nearly 290,000 more registered Democrats cast ballots ahead of Election Day — a slightly larger margin heading into this race than the 270,000-vote edge registered Democrats built in the early vote ahead of the 2024 election in New Jersey, which saw high presidential-year turnout. Then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried the state by 6 points.

It's very difficult to draw strong conclusions about an election from the early vote, and a lot depends on how the approximately 367,000 independents who voted early made their candidate choices, too.

But the numbers suggest Republicans likely will need to outperform their 2024 Election Day voting by a significant margin in order to emerge victorious in the state.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is running for re-election, encouraged voters in the commonwealth to split their tickets as the Republican is looking to outperform Earle-Sears.

Earle-Sears has been trailing Spanberger in recent polling, while the attorney general race between Miyares and Democrat Jay Jones is hotly contested. That race has been rocked by the recent revelation of Jones' 2022 texts saying a GOP legislative leader should be shot (Jones has since apologized).

Miyares posted a video on X of a conversation with a voter named Dave who split his ticket between Spanberger for governor and Miyares for attorney general.

"Dave’s splitting his ticket — you can too," Miyares wrote in the X post.

Dave told Miyares in the video, "I think you'll continue to be a good representative for us in the state."

Sherrill expressed confidence after casting her ballot today and weighed in on the fight for the future of the Democratic Party that is playing out today.

Asked if she, a moderate Democrat, or Mamdani, a democratic socialist, better represents the Democratic Party, Sherrill said, "I certainly am not a socialist. I run on those key issues that I hear about from voters, and kind of relentlessly focus on making people’s lives better."

Sherrill arrives to cast her vote in Montclair, N.J., today. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / Getty Images

"I think what’s really interesting is in our party, we have a lot of different ideas going on on how best to serve people, and I think bringing a lot of those ideas to the table, having them tested in the marketplace of ideas and in office, is going to be very important," she added.

Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, has landed a key labor endorsement in his bid to return to Congress.

The Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents nearly 100,000 workers, announced today that it is backing Brown in next year’s special election to serve the remainder of Vice President JD Vance’s Senate term.

“The delegates of the Building Trades of Ohio are proud to endorse Sherrod Brown for U.S. Senate,” the organization’s president, Mark Douglas, said in a statement shared first with NBC News. “Sherrod Brown is a man of conviction who has always stood on the side of workers — even when that means standing up to the people in his own party. From standing on picket lines with us to fighting for our workers, veterans, and seniors, the Building Trades know we can count on Sherrod.”

Zohran Mamdani responds to Trump's endorsement of Andrew Cuomo

01:32

NBC News chatted with Mamdani in Brooklyn today, asking him about the broader takeaways from Trump's endorsement of Cuomo for New York City mayor.

"I think it makes explicit what has been implicit for many months. ... Throughout the course of the primary, there were many of us who raised concerns about the fact that the former governor was running a campaign funded in large part by the same billionaire donors who had funded Donald Trump’s campaign," Mamdani said. "He told us again that we were wrong to be fearful of that influence … that we were wrong to compare him with the president."

"And yet what we’ve seen in the final days of this campaign is that he has enthusiastically accepted the endorsement of President Trump, the endorsement of Elon Musk, the endorsement of Stephen Miller — these are the endorsements of the architects of the crisis that New Yorkers are struggling to survive," he added.

Mamdani also said the endorsement makes the case that Cuomo would not be able to stand up to Trump because he'd be "too busy cashing checks for his donors and picking up the phone for the president."

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said today that he won't enter the governor's race in California next year and will focus on serving in the Senate.

"I received an outpouring of encouragement and offers of support for the idea of me running for governor of the state of California," Padilla said during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol this afternoon.

"It is with a full heart, and even more commitment than ever, that I am choosing to not run for governor of California next year. I choose not just to stay in the Senate — I choose to stay in this fight because the Constitution is worth fighting for," Padilla added.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic nominee, was also rumored to be considering a run for governor in her home state, but she decided against it in June.

Padilla emerged as a prominent critic of the Trump administration's immigration policies in June when he was forcibly removed from a news conference in Los Angeles while attempting to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams has a message for constituents who are concerned about polls already being closed: There are no elections going on in the state today.

"We’re getting calls about polls being closed. They are closed because we do not have elections today. Kentucky votes next year. You cannot vote today in Kentucky for the mayor of New York City or the Governor of Virginia," the Republican secretary of state wrote in a post on X.

"Sorry," he added.

In a follow-up post, Adams wrote, "Have I mentioned my repeated call for civic education?"

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has not announced any plans to host calls with the news media today about potential threats to the elections, breaking from a tradition under the two previous administrations to hold repeated scheduled calls with the media during elections.

Marci McCarthy, CISA’s spokesperson, said in an email to NBC News that the agency "will steadfastly operate within its statutory mission to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure from cyber and physical threats, even as the Democrat-led shutdown extends into its second month."

The Trump administration has provided "our partners with the most capable and timely threat intelligence, expertise, and resources needed to defend against risks," McCarthy said. "CISA will not operate as it did during the Biden Administration, when it inappropriately focused on electioneering and censorship.”

The agency's Election Day operations "encompass the systems and services essential to elections, such as communications, power, networks, and technology platforms, but does not include the administration of the elections themselves," as those are managed by state and local governments, she said.

White House assures they are 'fully complying' with court order on SNAP benefits

01:37

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a daily briefing this afternoon that the administration is "fully complying" with a court order to pay out SNAP benefits, but "it's going to take some time" for recipients to see their money.

Leavitt said the contingency fund for the payments can afford to send only partial payments, and it will take time for the payments to be made because Democrats have left the administration in "an untenable position."

The best way for the payments to be made quickly "is for Democrats to reopen the country," she said.

Earlier today, Trump seemed to contradict his administration's stated plan to use contingency funds to cover about half of SNAP benefits this month. 

The president wrote on Truth Social that the benefits “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!” 

Cagey, coy — choose your term. Voters we have spoken to today didn’t want to openly admit they voted for Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones.

“Well, if you threaten to kill your opponent, then I don’t think that you deserve to run in an election,” voter Kimberly Richardson told NBC News in Virginia Beach. “You’re not for the people.”

“No, no,” voter Robert Fatovic said when asked if he finds the text messages sent by Jones acceptable. “But there’s a lot of people who’ve said a lot of other things too that are offensive.”

Democrat Jay Jones participates in the Virginia attorney general debate in Richmond on Oct. 16. Mike Kropf / Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP

“I don’t think any hateful rhetoric is OK,” said Staci Katsias, who declined to share how she voted in the attorney general race. “I think it’s perfectly acceptable to disagree on issues, but it’s not acceptable to demean other people or wish harm on anybody.”

Jones will be rallying with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger tonight in Richmond, with polls closing at 7 p.m. across the state.

As the 35-day government shutdown ties for the longest in American history today, senators predicted that the impasse could end this week.

“I’m pretty confident,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said.

After weeks without any movement, bipartisan talks among rank-and-file members have been picking up, leading to the first public signs of optimism that the shutdown could soon end.

Mullin said that some Democrats had privately indicated last week that they were willing to vote for the short-term Republican spending bill that would reopen the government through Nov. 21. But, Mullin said, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had instructed them to wait until after today’s elections so they wouldn’t depress turnout from the liberal base that has been urging the party to hold the line. Schumer’s office had no immediate comment.

Read the full story here.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said today that the U.S. might be forced to close parts of its airspace if staffing shortages amid the government shutdown continue.

The shutdown, which is dragging into its second month, has meant essential workers, including air traffic controllers, have been working without pay. This has led to a shortage of anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 controllers, according to Duffy.

“So if you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos,” Duffy said during a news briefing with the SEPTA rail system on Tuesday. “You will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it, because we don’t have the air traffic controllers.”

Read the full story here.

Former NBC News correspondent Pete Williams reflects on the death of former Vice President Dick Cheney and what he believed were his most outstanding qualities when they worked together. Williams assessed how the Sept. 11 attacks shaped Cheney’s decision-making through the invasion of Iraq.

Looking at Dick Cheney's lasting impact on the Middle East

04:05

Eric Trump, the president's second-eldest son, suggested in a post on X that the bomb threats to several New Jersey polling sites are a Democratic ploy to stifle voter turnout.

Trump did not provide any evidence for his claim, which came in response to a separate post from Elon Musk criticizing New York City's ballots.

"I hope everybody starts to understand the games that they play… no different than bomb threats called into NJ voting locations on Election Day — a day which vastly favors Republican turnout," Trump wrote.

The coalition of nonprofit organizations that successfully sued the Trump administration over Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in Rhode Island is asking U.S. District Judge John McConnell to enforce his ruling because it believes the government is not complying with the terms.

McConnell had ordered the administration to pay either full benefits by yesterday or partial benefits by tomorrow while resolving any delays that could be caused by states having to calculate the amounts of the partial payments.

The government said in a filing yesterday there was not enough cash available to make full payments, and that it was sending information to the states on the partial payment amounts.

The nonprofits argue the partial payment plan does not “expeditiously resolve the administrative and clerical burdens” that the judge had ordered the government to help with and "will cause devastating delay."

The Senate voted this afternoon for the 14th time to reject the House-passed short-term government funding bill, assuring the spending impasse will slide into tomorrow and make the shutdown the longest in U.S. history.

The House bill, which is supported by Republicans, would keep government spending at current levels through Nov. 21. The procedural motion to take up the measure, which needed 60 votes for approval, failed 54-44.

As in past votes, Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Angus King, I-Maine, supported taking up the bill, while Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted against it. Two senators, Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., missed the vote.

Dick Cheney, who became one of the most powerful vice presidents in U.S. history serving under George W. Bush, died overnight. He was 84.

After his administration promised yesterday to partially fund SNAP benefits in November, Trump sang a different tune this morning on Truth Social.

Trump wrote that the benefits “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!” 

A federal judge last week ordered the Trump administration to reinstate SNAP benefits, in part or in full, while the government shutdown persists. The administration responded yesterday by saying it would use contingency funds to cover about half of eligible households’ SNAP benefits this month. However, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said it would take several weeks to deliver those payments, meaning most people’s benefits would still be delayed. 

The White House did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment on Trump's contradictory Truth Social post this morning.

Democracy Forward, a progressive legal advocacy group that brought the lawsuit against the Trump administration, filed an emergency request today asking the court to order the Trump administration to act more quickly or grant additional relief.

Skye Perryman, the president of Democracy Forward, responded to Trump’s post minutes after he posted it: “This is immoral. See you in court.”

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo cast his ballot at a school in Manhattan today. Cuomo is running as an independent in the mayoral race after losing his party's primary contest to Zohran Mamdani.

Mariah Kennedy Cuomo looks on as her father speaks to reporters at the High School of Art and Design after voting. Timothy A. Clary / AFP - Getty Images

The Donald Trump era has changed American politics for a decade. Tonight, two contentious races for governor will define what the next steps for Republicans and Democrats might look like — not only who will lead Virginia and New Jersey for four years, but also how the two parties are appealing to different types of voters and building coalitions for future elections.

Republicans have gained ground in those two blue-leaning states since Trump’s heavy losses there in 2020. Today’s elections will show just how durable those advances were, hinging in part on the progress the Republican Party under Trump made with groups that once voted more strongly against the GOP. That especially includes Latino voters, who banked heavily toward Trump in 2024.

But Democrats have spent the last year focused on how to reverse those trends, nominating candidates without baggage from the party’s 2024 election loss. And, of course, Trump is now in the White House, which led to voter backlash against him as the incumbent during his first term.

Read the full story here.

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani cast his ballot with his wife and spoke to reporters afterward to thank supporters and send a closing election message.

Mamdani casts his ballot in New York alongside his wife

01:00

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced a new redistricting commission today, an apparent attempt to nudge reluctant state lawmakers toward redrawing the state’s congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections

“My commitment has been clear from day one—we will explore every avenue possible to make sure Maryland has fair and representative maps,” Moore, a Democrat, said in a statement. “This commission will ensure the people are heard.”

Moore’s party is split on the issue: State Senate President Bill Ferguson said last week that there wasn’t the support in his chamber to move forward with a mid-decade redistricting effort. Moore, who is viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., continued to insist it was on the table.

Read the full story here.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters that lawmakers should consider a short-term government funding measure that extends into January whenever they finally advance a measure to reopen the federal agencies.

"I'm not a fan of extending it into December," Johnson said at his daily news briefing. The current version of the bill would only fund the government through later this month, and Johnson said the deadline should be pushed back into the new year.

"Let’s be frank. A lot of people around here have PTSD about Christmas omnibus spending bills. We don’t want to do that," he said. "We’re not doing that."

"I think putting it into January makes sense, but we have got to obviously build consensus around that. There's some discussion about it," Johnson added. "We'll see where it lands."

House Speaker Mike Johnson takes questions at the Capitol today. J. Scott Applewhite / AP

As voting gets underway in local and state elections across the country, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have no plans to conduct arrests in or near polling places, an ICE spokeswoman said. The U.S. Border Patrol, however, made no such assurances. 

The ICE spokeswoman said officers could pursue a targeted person who might run to a polling location, but had no plans to begin making arrests specifically targeted at places where people might go to vote. A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection did not respond to NBC News’ question on whether Border Patrol agents may conduct arrests around voting places. 

With more than 1,500 agents taken from U.S. international borders and now deployed in cities inside the United States to arrest undocumented immigrants, the Border Patrol has been the agency behind some of the more aggressive tactics used in recent immigration arrests. 

Undocumented immigrants are prohibited from voting in federal elections and in most state and local elections. There are some jurisdictions, such as in California, Washington, D.C., and parts of Maryland, that do allow undocumented immigrants to vote in elections for those jurisdictions. It is also against the law for the federal government to deploy “troops or armed men” to polling places, which would include armed immigration agents. 

While most of the big contests today are on the coasts, voters in numerous states are casting ballots for mayoral races, ballot initiatives and a special congressional election.

Here is when polls close today (all times are ET).

• Florida — 7 p.m.
• Virginia — 7 p.m.
• Maine — 8 p.m.
• Michigan — 8 p.m.
• New Jersey — 8 p.m.
• Pennsylvania — 8 p.m.
• Texas — 8 p.m.
• Colorado — 9 p.m.
• Minnesota — 9 p.m.
• New York City — 9 p.m.
• California — 11 p.m.

Statement

Verdict

The thrust of Trump's post and the specific price quote are inaccurate.

Analysis

Trump incorrectly claimed that gas prices are “getting close to 2 Dollar a gallon.” The current national average price of a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.053, according to AAA.

And while Trump claimed that energy costs are “plummeting,” the average retail price of electricity in the U.S. is up from last year for both residential and commercial users, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Frey fills out his ballot with his daughter Freida. Stephen Maturen / Getty Images

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey arrived to vote with his wife, Sarah Clarke, and children, Frida and Estelle, today in Minneapolis. Frey is opposed by three other Democrats as he seeks his third term.

The president again weighed in on the New York mayoral race with an inflammatory social media post, saying, "Any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self professed JEW HATER, is a stupid person!!!"

Mamdani, a vocal critic of the Israeli government, has repeatedly pushed back on allegations that he's antisemitic, a charge he said in June "pains me."

“I’ve said at every opportunity that there is no room for antisemitism in this city, in this country. I’ve said that because that is something I personally believe,” he said.

Rival candidates Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa have pointed to his failure earlier in his campaign to denounce the phrase “globalize the intifada.” Mamdani has said he doesn't use the phrase, but that mayors shouldn’t “police speech.”

A few other notable names will be on election ballots today.

In Cincinnati, Vice President JD Vance’s half-brother, Cory Bowman, is running as a Republican in the mayoral race, hoping to unseat Mayor Aftab Pureval, who is favored to win re-election.

Meanwhile, former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey is running for Jersey City mayor, and Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney who prosecuted Trump, is seeking re-election.

New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, cast their ballots today at The Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Queens.

Both candidates for the contentious New Jersey governor's race condemned bomb threats made against several polling sites across the state.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic candidate, described the threats in a post on X as "a clear attempt to undermine our democratic system and intimidate New Jerseyans from going to the polls to exercise their right to vote."

A campaign spokesperson for the Republican candidate for governor, former New Jersey state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli, said in statement that "there’s no place in politics for nonsense like this."

Sherrill poses with a supporter after voting. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / Getty Images

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic candidate for New Jersey governor, cast her ballot today at an elementary school in Montclair. Sherrill is facing off against former state lawmaker Jack Ciattarelli, pitting a moderate Democrat against a Trump-endorsed Republican in one of the first two gubernatorial elections since last year’s presidential race. The other governor's race is in Virginia.

The key races today are the gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia. In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger is going up against Republican Winsome Earle-Sears. In New Jersey, Trump’s ally Jack Ciattarelli will go head-to-head with Democrat Mikie Sherrill.

New York City will pick its next mayor today. Democrat Zohran Mamdani faces independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

California’s Democrats are hoping voters will support a ballot measure in favor of redistricting, helping them draw a new electoral map that would give them a chance to gain up to five House seats in next year’s midterms.

In Texas’ deep-blue 18th Congressional District, voters will choose a successor to Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died in office this year. And Pennsylvania will vote on whether to retain three of its Supreme Court justices, who help make up part of the court’s Democratic majority.

Minneapolis, Detroit, Miami and Charlotte, North Carolina, all have mayoral elections as well.

A super PAC supporting former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the New York mayoral election is running a late ad that depicts Zohran Mamdani in front of video of the Twin Towers crashing down on 9/11.

The ad quotes liberal streamer Hasan Piker, with whom Mamdani appeared earlier this year, saying “America deserved 9/11” during a 2019 livestream. Alongside Piker’s stream, the ad includes video of one of the World Trade Center towers bursting into flames during the 2001 terror attack, with Mamdani superimposed on top of the video for a moment.

Read the full story here.

Former Vice President Mike Pence said in a statement this morning that he will "always be grateful" for Dick Cheney's service "and his personal kindness during our time in office. "

"Dick Cheney first represented Wyoming in Congress and went on to serve with distinction alongside three American presidents, as White House Chief of Staff, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States," Pence wrote in a post on X.

"Throughout his long career, he was an American patriot who championed the men and women in our Armed Forces and the importance of maintaining a strong national defense for America’s security at home and abroad," he added.

Trump might get his summit with Kim Jong Un after all.

That’s the view of South Korea’s main spy agency, which said today there was a high possibility that North Korea and the United States will hold talks next year after months of apparent disinterest from Kim.

Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to resume in-person diplomacy with the North Korean leader, but was unable to do so on his diplomatic tour of Asia last week.

Read the full story here.

Former President George W. Bush said in a statement this morning that history will remember Dick Cheney, who served as his vice president for eight years, "as among the finest public servants of his generation — a patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence, and seriousness of purpose to every position he held."

Bush said he asked Cheney to join his ticket in 2000 after first enlisting him to find his vice presidential running mate.

Cheney and Bush walk in the White House Colonnade in 2007. Paul Morse / George W. Bush Presidential Library

"In our long discussions about the qualities a vice president should have — deep experience, mature judgment, character, loyalty — I realized that Dick Cheney was the one I needed. I’m still grateful that he was at my side for the eight years that followed," Bush said.

"Dick was a calm and steady presence in the White House amid great national challenges," he continued. "I counted on him for his honest, forthright counsel, and he never failed to give his best. He held to his convictions and prioritized the freedom and security of the American people. For those two terms in office, and throughout his remarkable career, Dick Cheney’s service always reflected credit on the country he loved."

Elon Musk took to his social media platform today to complain that the "New York City ballot form is a scam!"

"No ID is required," the billionaire tech mogul and former Trump administration aide wrote in a post on X of the city's voting process.

New York City uses signature verification for voters.

"Other mayoral candidates appear twice," he continued to complain, referring to Mamdani appearing on both the Democratic and Working Families party lines as the nominee for each party.

It's not unusual for candidates to run on multiple party lines in the state; one of Mamdani's opponents, Andrew Cuomo, appeared on four lines in his successful 2019 run for governor.

And speaking of the former governor, Musk griped, "Cuomo's name is last in bottom right" on the ballot, although his name and his Fight and Deliver party are second to last in the picture he tweeted.

Cuomo is running as an independent after losing the Democratic nomination to Mamdani.

Trump reiterated his demand for the Senate to eliminate the filibuster this morning, arguing that not doing so will help Democrats in the 2026 midterm and 2028 presidential elections.

The president wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post that it will be "impossible for Republicans to get Common Sense Policies done with these Crazed Democrat Lunatics being able to block everything by withholding their votes."

"FOR THREE YEARS, NOTHING WILL BE PASSED, AND REPUBLICANS WILL BE BLAMED. Elections, including the Midterms, will be rightfully brutal. If we do terminate the Filibuster, we will get EVERYTHING approved, like no Congress in History. We will have FAIR, FREE, and SAFE Elections, No Men in Women’s Sports or Transgender for Everybody, Strong Borders, Major Tax and Energy Cuts, and will secure our Second Amendment, which the Democrats will also terminate, IMMEDIATELY," Trump wrote.

A Fox News report prompted Trump to call out Nigeria over the killing of Christians and then threaten military action, setting off a scramble in the White House over the weekend, according to multiple U.S. officials.

It’s still unclear what — if anything — the administration will do to counter Islamic militants in Nigeria, but precision drone strikes are among the preliminary options being considered, two U.S. officials said.

A White House spokesperson declined yesterday to offer any details on the plans under consideration.

Read the full story here.

Several polling sites across New Jersey received bomb threats overnight, Passaic City Mayor Hector Lora said in a statement.

Lora said that four to six threats were made at polling locations in Passaic, Newark, Patterson and Lodi, all cities just outside of New York City. He added that none of the threats were credible, but that local authorities are "doing safety checks out of an abundance of caution."

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in a statement on X that threats were emailed to polling sites in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Passaic counties, forcing some of the sites to close.

"Make no mistake: We will not tolerate any attempts to interfere with our elections, and we will swiftly hold accountable anyone who seeks to interfere with the safety or security of our electoral process," Platkin wrote.

It’s unclear if all of the threats Platkin referred to involved explosives. Bomb threats have become somewhat commonplace on Election Day in recent history.

The lengthy standoff between Trump and congressional Democratic leaders is poised to become the longest government shutdown in American history this week.

On Election Day, when voters will head to the polls in Virginia, New Jersey and New York, the shutdown will tie the record for the longest one ever.

If the shutdown continues into tomorrow, which lawmakers believe is almost certain, it will shatter that record, set during Trump’s first term. That 35-day federal closure in late 2018 and early 2019 resulted from a fight over Trump’s demand for a border wall, which Democrats refused to fund.

Read the full story here.

The Senate will vote at 11:30 a.m. ET today on the House-passed short-term government funding bill, the Senate’s 14th attempt to pass the legislation, which would reopen the government and keep it funded until Nov. 21. 

The measure is not expected to get the 60 votes it needs to advance, just like the 13 attempts before it. But the vote is happening as bipartisan talks among senators appear to be giving lawmakers new hope that something could break the impasse by the end of the week. 

Given the length of time that lawmakers have been considering the current bill, Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the Senate will have to draft a new stopgap measure because the current one expires in less than three weeks.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, a defense hawk and architect of the second Iraq war who served for decades in Congress and three Republican administrations, died last night of complications from pneumonia and cardio and vascular disease, his family said in a statement. He was 84.

Cheney served as vice president under President George W. Bush and as defense secretary under his father, President George H.W. Bush. Before that, he served in the U.S. House as a Republican from Wyoming and as White House chief of staff for President Gerald Ford. 

Read the full story here.

The lengthy standoff between Trump and congressional Democratic leaders is poised to become the longest government shutdown in American history this week.

Election Day will tie the record for the longest shutdown.

If the shutdown continues into tomorrow, which lawmakers believe is almost certain, it will shatter that record, set during Trump’s first term. That 35-day federal closure in late 2018 and early 2019 resulted from a fight over Trump’s demand for a border wall, which Democrats refused to fund.

Read the full story here.

Trump made a last-minute push to boost Republican turnout in today’s races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, but he only mentioned one GOP hopeful by name.

While Trump talked up Jack Ciattarelli, his preferred candidate for governor in New Jersey, he did not name the Republican nominee for governor in Virginia: Winsome Earle-Sears. Instead, he broadly urged supporters to vote for the entire GOP ticket.

Read the full story here.

Last night, Trump endorsed former Cuomo, a lifelong Democrat running as an independent, in New York City’s mayoral election.

The president urged voters not to cast a ballot today for Sliwa, saying it would be “a vote for Mamdani.”

“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Read the full story here.

Off-year elections provide the first big chance for voters across several states to make their voices heard this year — and shed early light on some major questions ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

How are voters responding to President Donald Trump’s second term? Can Republicans build on the president’s gains with working-class voters and people of color, and will they be able to keep Trump’s coalition engaged when he isn’t on the ballot?

Read the full story here.