Democrats are anxiously awaiting election results as voters cast ballots in races in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, California and Texas in the first major test of President Donald Trump’s second term.
At the eleventh hour, Trump backed Andrew Cuomo’s bid for New York City mayor while labeling frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, as a “communist.”
If Mamdani wins, the president said it’s “highly unlikely” that he gives his hometown any more federal funds than the minimum required, he wrote on Truth Social.
“Donald Trump is threatened by our campaign,” Mamdani fired back on CNN.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and Trump’s former DOGE boss, also threw his support behind Cuomo Monday evening.
Meanwhile, gubernatorial races are unfolding in two key states: New Jersey and Virginia.
The Virginia race will see pro-Trump candidate Winsome Earle-Sears going head-to-head with center-left candidate Abigail Spanberger.
In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill takes on Republican Jack Ciattarelli. But the race has been overshadowed by threats from Trump, who said that “election monitors” will be stationed at polling sites — a move Democrats have branded as voter intimidation.
California voters will decide whether to approve a new congressional map that could give Democrats five more seats in the House.
What do the polls say about the Virginia gubernatorial race?
An Emerson College poll found that Democrat Abigail Spanberger is leading her GOP rival Winsome Earle-Sears.
The poll suggests that Spanberger is leading by 11 points, with 55 percent compared to Earle-Sears’ 44 percent.
“Heading into Election Day, Democrat Abigail Spanberger has solidified her status as the frontrunner in the race for Governor,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. “A sign of Spanberger’s growing strength is among men, a group that was evenly divided last month but now breaks for her by six points, 52% to 46%. These voters backed Governor Youngkin by about nine points in 2021.”
Who has voted in NYC already?
More than 735,000 voters cast their ballots before Election Day.
More than four times as many early ballots were cast in this year’s race compared to the 2021 mayoral race, according to the New York Times.
Baby Boomers made up 29 percent of all early votes, while Millennials made up 28 percent, The City found.
“The question of whether the people under the age of 35 were going to show up to vote has been answered,” Laura Tamman, a political scientist at Pace University, told The Gothamist. She predicted that was a good sign for Zohran Mamdani.
NJ counties received bomb threats on morning of Election Day
Early on Tuesday morning, threats were emailed to certain polling places in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic Counties, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement.
“Some of these polling locations have already reopened to the public. At others, voters will be directed to a nearby polling location to cast their ballot,” he said.
“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.”
WATCH: Trump says he’s ‘much better-looking’ than Zohran Mamdani
In photos: Frontrunner Zohran Mamdani casts his ballot on Election Day
What to know about Prop 50
California voters on Tuesday will decide whether to approve California’s Prop 50, which “requires temporary use of new congressional district maps through 2030.”
The effort, backed by California Governor Gavin Newsom and former President Barack Obama, would allow state lawmakers to redraw the congressional map, potentially picking up five additional Democratic seats in the U.S. House.
The move is meant to counteract similar efforts in Texas, where the state legislature already approved a new map that would bring Republicans five extra seats in the House.
What did Trump say ahead of the NYC mayoral race?
President Donald Trump branded Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani a “communist” and announced he supported independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, just one day before Election Day in New York City.
The president threatened to only provide the “minimum” amount of federal funds, should Mamdani win the race.
“If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!” he wrote on Truth Social Monday evening.
“I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN, than a Communist with no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE. He was nothing as an Assemblyman, ranked at the bottom of the class and, as Mayor of potentially, again, the Greatest City in the World, HE HAS NO CHANCE to bring it back to its former Glory!” Trump continued.
“We must also remember this — A vote for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani. Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!” the president wrote.
Trump weighs in on candidates’ appearance — again — in NYC race
President Donald Trump had a suggestion for GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa as New Yorkers cast their ballots on Election Day.
Sliwa, who is known for sporting a red beret as part of his Guardian Angels gear, “looks much better without the beret!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday.
On 60 Minutes Sunday, Trump also alluded to frontrunner Zohran Mamdani’s looks.
“Some people have compared him to a left-wing version of you: charismatic, breaking the old rules. What do you think about that?” CBS journalist Norah O’Donnell asked the president.
Trump replied: “Well, I think I’m a much better-looking person than him. Right?”
