Election Night 2025: High-Stakes Races In NYC, New Jersey, Virginia, & California
High-profile races are underway Tuesday — including the New York City mayoral race, governors races in New Jersey and Virginia, and a redistricting ballot measure in California that could give Democrats five additional U.S. House seats.
President Trump has made headlines in the past 24 hours for endorsing former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s independent mayoral bid in New York City. He also called California’s redistricting measure to add five Democratic congressional seats “unconstitutional,” despite urging about a dozen GOP-led states to pursue similar efforts to help Republicans.
TENSIONS HIGH
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to Trump on X: “The ramblings of an old man that knows he’s about to LOSE.” Rhetoric across races is heated — especially in New York, where some in-and-out-of-state Republicans are leveling extreme attacks, claiming Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani would be a “jihadist” who would allow or would commit a terrorist attack. Mamdani calls the claims Islamophobic and not connected to reality.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) posted a photo appearing to label Mamdani “an actual Communist jihadist,” writing, “This seems like an easy one, New York City.” Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) mocked a campaign video in Arabic, writing, “Just a couple decades after 9/11, the leading candidate for NYC mayor is campaigning in Arabic. The humiliation is the point.” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) called Mamdani a “jihadist.” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) shared 9/11 footage, writing, “WAKE UP NEW YORK.”
Accused in a recent debate of supporting a “global jihad,” Mamdani said, “I have never, not once, spoken in support of global jihad. That is not something that I have said, and that continues to be ascribed to me. And frankly, I think much of it has to do with the fact that I am the first Muslim candidate to be on the precipice of winning this election.”
Mamdani leads Cuomo by double digits in most polls — positioning him to become the city’s first Muslim mayor.
Mamdani immigrated to the U.S. from Uganda at age 7. NYC is home to about 1 million Muslims, roughly a quarter of the U.S. Muslim population.
His anti-Israel activism, including not labeling Hamas as a terrorist group, not supporting Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the Intifada,” has fueled attacks that he is sympathetic to extremists and is antisemitic. At the same time, he has condemned antisemitism and participated in Jewish holiday services at a progressive synagogue in Brooklyn.
On Monday, Trump warned of dire consequences if “Communist Candidate” Mamdani were to win, painting a bleak picture of the city’s future and threatening to withhold all but the “very minimum” of federal funding required by law. Tech billionaire Elon Musk also backed Cuomo the same day. But, will heavily Democratic New Yorkers care— or might those endorsements actually backfire?
STAY TUNED
Polls close first in Virginia at 7 p.m. ET, in New Jersey at 8 p.m. ET, in NYC at 9 p.m. ET, with the final polls wrapping up in California at 11 p.m. ET. We previewed the key races to watch in yesterday’s newsletter. Over on the Mo News Instagram tonight, we will tell you the results from CA and NYC. We’re also watching:
If Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey will overcome a surge by Trump-backed Jack Ciattarelli in what is set to be the closest gubernatorial race of the night.
The battle to become Virginia’s first female governor between Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger and Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.