CloseZohran 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, on Election Day.
Voters will also pick a new governor in New Jersey and Virginia and decide on a ballot measure in California to redraw its congressional district maps.
Nearly 1.5 million people had cast their ballots in New York City by 3 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 Virginia at 7 p.m. ET, in New Jersey at 8 p.m. ET, 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.”
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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
- Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, is running against former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger in the governor’s race.
- Spanberger is leading in the polls with 54 percent of voter support in a new Research Co. poll, compared to Earle-Sears’ 46 percent.
- Polls will close at 7 p.m. ET. Voters who are in line when the polls close will be allowed to cast a ballot. Election results are expected shortly after polls close.
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 will close at 8 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, 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.
Read moreRachel Dobkin4 November 2025 22:27
Newsom fires back at Trump for calling California voting 'rigged'
California Governor Gavin Newsom has fired back at President Donald Trump for calling voting in his state “rigged.”
“They cheat and lie because they know they are going to lose,” Newsom wrote on X Tuesday.
Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 23:30
No, it’s not fraud. Why some names appear multiple times on NYC ballots
Elon Musk and right-wing figures on social media are falsely labeling New York City ballots a “scam” after viral posts on X — including from popular betting site Polymarket — alleged something was afoul.
“The New York City ballot form is a scam!” Musk wrote on X. “No ID is required. Other mayoral candidates appear twice. Cuomo’s name is last in bottom right.”
But there’s nothing unusual about any of that.
The names of Zohran Mamdani and Curtis Sliwa appear twice on the ballot, while Cuomo’s name appears once.
That’s because the state recognizes four official parties — Democratic, Republican, Conservative and Working Families — and candidates can be nominated to appear on ballots by multiple parties and other independent bodies, a process called “fusion voting” that has been in place for decades.
Mamdani appears on both the Democratic ticket — as the party’s official nominee in the mayoral race — and the Working Families Party, a progressive party that is also backing him.
Voters, obviously, can only select the candidate once.
Curtis Sliwa appears on the ballot as the Republican Party’s nominee and under the independent “Protect Animals” line.
Cuomo, who lost the Democratic primary race to Mamdani in June, is running in the general election as an independent, on his own “Fight and Deliver” line.
As for his position on the ballot, state election law dictates that the order of the parties on the ballot goes by the number of votes their nominees received in the most recent election for governor, from highest to lowest. Independents are listed after that, and in the order that the New York City Board of Elections received their nominating petitions. Cuomo’s name appears second-to-last because he was the second-to-last to file.
In 2018, when he ran for re-election as governor, Cuomo’s name appeared on ballots four times.
Current mayor Eric Adams, who is not running for re-election, still appears on the ballot because he dropped out of his campaign after the deadline to change the forms. Jim Walden, another candidate who ran as an independent before dropping out and backing Cuomo, also left the race too late for the forms to be updated.
And as for voter ID: Voters in New York do not need to present one at their polling place. Voters are asked to sign in to match a facsimile of a signature on file. People are required to present ID when they register to vote.
Alex Woodward4 November 2025 23:15
Karoline Leavitt says New York is Trump’s ‘home’ despite being a registered voter in Florida
The White House is emphasizing President Trump’s New York ties as it attacks the city’s leading mayoral candidate, Democrat Zohran Mamdani, referring to the Big Apple as the president’s “home” even though he has long since switched his primary residence to Florida.
“The president is a New Yorker,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday. “He loves New York. It is his home. He talks about that all the time. He’s made his thoughts on this election very clear.”
The president, who maintains a home in Manhattan, changed his primary residence to Florida in 2019. He has voted there multiple times, including using early and mail-in voting, practices he regularly attacks, including in a social media post today.
The president has made a dozen visits to his Mar-a-Lago club and estate in Palm Beach since taking office, according to the Palm Beach Daily News.
Read more from Josh Marcus:
Karoline Leavitt says NYC is Trump’s ‘home’ despite being a registered Florida voter
The president has threatened to withhold funding to New York City if Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is electedRachel Dobkin4 November 2025 23:00
Watch: Alex Padilla announces he will not run for governor in 2026
California Senator Alex Padilla announced Tuesday he will not run for governor in 2026.
"I choose not just to stay in the Senate; I choose to stay in this fight,” Padilla told reporters.
Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 22:45
From wannabe rapper to future mayor? The many lives of Zohran Mamdani
It’s Election Day, and many eyes are focused on the New York City mayoral race, where 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani is poised to take the helm of the nation’s most populous city.
The Democratic candidate — a Uganda-born, Manhattan-raised state assemblyman and Democratic socialist — rose to prominence through a grassroots campaign relentlessly focused on the high cost of living. He has vowed to "transform the most expensive city in the United States of America into one that’s affordable to each and every person who calls it home.”
His sudden ascent caught many by surprise. The son of immigrants, he spent his formative years rapping, playing cricket and attending New York public schools — where he made his first, albeit unsuccessful, foray into politics. Later, he attended a prestigious university in New England before working as a housing counselor.
For the past four years, he has represented parts of Queens in Albany, where he has positioned himself as a staunch advocate for the working class.
Read more from Brendan Rascius:
Who is Zohran Mamdani? What to know about likely next mayor of New York City
Mamdani’s victory would have major implications for the future of the Democratic Party, which has struggled to find a winning message in the era of President Donald Trump.Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 22:30
Mamdani throws support behind housing-related proposals in New York
Besides choosing their next mayor, New Yorkers will be voting on four major housing-related proposals intended to address the city’s affordable housing crisis — a key pillar of Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani’s campaign.
The measures, which were developed under Mayor Eric Adams’s administration, would shift power away from the New York City Council, dramatically changing the balance of power when it comes to land use and development issues by elbowing out neighborhood decision-making and concentrating more authority in the mayor’s office.
The city council — warning that a concentration of power in the mayor’s office would be a disaster under a mayor who is bad on housing issues — has called on New Yorkers to vote against them.
Mamdani’s campaign, until today, has kept quiet about how he planned to vote for them. On Election Day, he voted in favor.
“I think we need to urgently build more housing… across the five boroughs,” he said. “And we also need to ensure that that housing is high quality, creating high-quality union jobs.”
Opposition from city council “is driven by a commitment to their communities and a deep concern about investment in those communities,” he said. “I share the commitment to that investment.”
Alex Woodward4 November 2025 22:15
Chuck Schumer refuses to say he who voted for
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has refused to say who he voted for in New York City’s mayoral race.
"Look, I voted and I look forward to working with the next mayor to help New York City,” Schumer told reporters Tuesday, per NBC News.
Schumer has not endorsed Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani or former Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and New York Governor Kathy Hochul have endorsed Mamdani.
Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 22:00
Watch: Cuomo pushes New Yorkers to hit the polls
Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 21:45
In photos: Virginians cast their ballots before polls close at 7 p.m. ET
