2025 elections live updates: Latest on races in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York

NORFOLK, Virginia — Three days before Virginia voters elect a new governor, thousands of excited people, many of them African American, lined up in droves to hear former President Barack Obama rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger. 

Much of Obama’s speech was targeted to black voters, a crucial constituency for Democrats that will help decide if the congresswoman ascends to the governor’s mansion. 

“The point is there is absolutely no evidence Republican policies made life better for you, the people of Virginia,” Obama said on Saturday at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. “They’ve devoted enormous energy in trying to entrench themselves in power and punishing their enemies, and enriching their friends and silencing their critics.” 

Click here to read more.

This concludes the Washington Examiner’s coverage of the 2025 off-year elections. Click here for more news.

President Donald Trump beseeched Republican senators to end the filibuster on Wednesday, hot on the heels of significant losses in Tuesday night’s elections.

The president conceded that, though Democrats were expected to win the major races on Tuesday, the results were not “good for Republicans.”

“I’m not sure it was good for anybody. But we had an interesting evening, and we learned a lot, and we’re going to talk about that,” he told the room, before renewing his pitch on changing the Senate rules.

Trump suggested that axing the filibuster would allow Republicans to pass nationwide voter ID laws, and warned that if Democrats retake power and abolish the rule themselves, they would pack the Supreme Court and make Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico the 51st and 52nd states.

“They pick up two states, they pick up four senators. OK, you think you have problems. They’re going to do all of the things. They’re going to pick up electoral votes. It’s going to be a very, very bad situation, and it’s done as soon as they attain power,” he continued. “Now if we do what I’m saying, they’ll never — they’ll most likely never attain power because we will have passed every single thing that you can imagine that it’s good and all good for the country.”

Ultimately, given opposition to his proposal from both Republican leadership and rank-and-file lawmakers, Trump conceded that the Senate probably wouldn’t go for his pitch.

“It’s possible you’re not going to do that, and I’m going to go by your wishes. You’re very smart people. We’re good friends, but I think it’s a tremendous mistake. Really, it would be a tragic mistake,” he warned.

SAN DIEGO — California’s controversial redistricting ballot measure has done wonders to boost Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) suspected bid for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.

The outspoken governor, who marked a massive political victory Tuesday night with the passage of Proposition 50, had alienated and infuriated many in the Democratic Party after he appeared on podcasts with Steve Bannon and the late Charlie Kirk earlier this year.

Newsom managed to regain much of the popularity he lost and boost himself onto the national stage after publicly taking on President Donald Trump. Over the past two and a half months, Newsom has become the face of Proposition 50. He has gone on TV shows, podcasts, and radio programs framing the Proposition 50 fight as one for the very soul of America.

Last week, he acknowledged publicly that he was weighing a 2028 presidential run and, on Tuesday, was able to deliver on a redistricting measure that was not very popular with his own party at the start but one that he was able to get across the finish line in record time, under intense pressure, and with the nation’s eyes fixed on him.

The race for Proposition 50 was called by the Associated Press one minute after polls closed.

“He’s got the momentum and the party behind him,” San Diego-based strategist Shirley Hough told the Washington Examiner, adding that Newsom’s win catapulted him to the top of the 2028 Democratic presidential short list.

Former House Republican George Santos took to X Tuesday night to blast Republican New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa for not dropping out of the race, therefore helping mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani win the election.

“F*** you @CurtisSliwa I HATE YOU, your dumb wife, that stupid Beret of yours and all your f***ing cats!” the Republican wrote.

Sliwa appears to have taken roughly 7% of the vote, while Mamdani has over 50% and Cuomo has 41%.

By the time the polls closed on Election Day, bettors had already decided with great confidence who would win each of the major contests. The general public, however, was under the impression it was more of a blue-leaning toss-up. The bettors were right.

Bettors gave Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) a 99% chance to win on Tuesday, and she not only won but appears to have outperformed the polls. She is winning by around 15 points as tabulation continues, and her polling margin was around 8 to 10 points.

Even Virginia Attorney General-elect Jay Jones, whose campaign was deemed dead after it was revealed that he wished death upon his political opponents and their children, was given 2:1 odds (around a 66% chance) to win on Tuesday, despite polls showing the race in a dead heat at best.

Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) was given a 93% chance by bettors, and she not only won but doubled former Vice President Kamala Harris’s 6-point margin of victory in New Jersey, leading by 13 points.

New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani was given a 95% chance, and he similarly won handily in a race many thought would be closer.

And in California, bettors gave Proposition 50 a 99% chance of passing — the race was called in favor of the Democrats moments after polls closed.

Betting odds have been extremely reliable, historically, in predicting the exact chance a candidate has of winning an election. In 2024, for example, the odds had Trump winning the presidency and the GOP taking both chambers of Congress.

Conservative activist Scott Presler was credited with delivering Pennsylvania to President Donald Trump during the 2024 elections, but his work has shown modest results since then. His efforts to flip New Jersey red resulted in a greater Democratic margin of victory in 2025 than the party had in 2024, pushing the Garden State away from swing state territory.

Some Republicans are growing weary of Presler’s reputation, with Milo Yiannopoulos posting, “I’ve never seen any hard evidence that Scott Presler has made any difference in any race.”

“So Scott Presler delivered Pennsylvania to Trump in 2024, but he couldn’t get any wins in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Virginia tonight? It’s as if President Trump delivered Pennsylvania to Trump last year,” a conservative influencer posted. “And Presler just takes credit for Trump’s popularity. Presler will continue to focus on obscure groups like the Amish as a publicity stunt, when all research suggests the biggest jump in Amish voting occurred from 2016 to 2020, and research suggests only a few hundred new Amish voters showed up in 2024.”

Other Republicans have taken the opposite approach, calling on others to provide Presler with even more funds.

Presler on Tuesday launched a website encouraging people fleeing New York City after it elected a socialist mayor to come to Pennsylvania, with the website recommending where to move based on election strategy.

The special election held in the 18th Congressional District in Texas on Tuesday is headed to a runoff.

No candidate eclipsed the 50% threshold in Tuesday’s election to fill the seat vacated after the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-TX) in March.

Christian Menefee and Amanda Edwards were the top two vote getters on Tuesday, earning 29.4% and 25.7% respectively, the Associated Press reported, with 78% of the vote counted as of Wednesday morning. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) congratulated Mamdani on his decisive win in the New York City mayoral election Tuesday night, after withholding an endorsement of him.

“His campaign relentlessly focused on the cost-of-living crisis, that [President] Donald Trump has only made worse, and on finding ways to help working families, seniors, and young people build a life of dignity and economic security in New York City,” Schumer wrote.

The Democratic leader said he’s worked “collaboratively” with Mamdani in the past and looks forward to “building on that partnership.”

Party leadership was torn on embracing the Democratic Socialist or keeping him at arm’s length, with Schumer choosing the latter. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) endorsed Mamdani at the last minute.

Neither leading candidate received over 50% of the vote in the Minneapolis mayoral election, so the election will go to a ranked choice system to decide the winner.

Incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey received 41.7% of the vote, while challenger Omah Fateh received 31.6%. Fateh attracted national attention during the race, being compared to New York City Mayor-elect Zorhran Mamdani.

Mary Sheffield, who previously served on the Detroit City Council, was decisively elected as Detroit’s first female mayor Tuesday night.

Sheffield won 77% of the vote, with 88% of the votes counted by Wednesday morning.

She delivered her victory speech last night, wiping tears from her eyes.

“Detroit, we did it. Detroit, you showed up, you showed out, you stood strong and raised your voices toward a future we can all believe in,” she said.

A poll worker who worked 12 hours at the Galilee Church poll location in Virginia beach said he predicted this was a record turn out and he had never seen so many people on election day for a non-presidential year. However, early statistics show that may not have been the case.

Virginia elections generally see a dip in voter turnout for non-presidential year elections. Since 2012, Presidential elections have seen more than 70% of registered Virginians turn out to vote.

While for the year after, with the Governor’s election, there is a substantial dip. Though trending upward, with 2013 at 43.0%, 2017 at 47.6%, and 2021 having 54.9% voter turnout.

While the state totals will not be released by the Virginia Department of Elections until after the election is certified, Virginia Beach is reporting only a 49% turnout rate. 

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia – While the Attorney General Jason Miyares (R-VA) didn’t give a clue about his future during his concession speech, many supporters the Washington Examiner spoke to said ‘governor’ sounds like a good fit.

“As I’ve said before, the least of these deserve the best from us,” Miyares said as he took the stage with his wife and two daughters. “Folks, I do not know what my next chapter will be…”

“Governor!” someone shouted from the crowd to cheers. With a smile, Miyares continued, “but my chapter is not over. And Virginians, Republicans, we are down. But we’re not out.”

“[Miyares] gave a really great, encouraging speech,” said Allison, after the concession speech. “I know that no matter what he chooses to do, it will be wonderful.”

While Democrats swept in the Virginia election. Miyares said the controversy surrounding Jones leaked text messages may make it hard to unite the state.

“As a hallmark of our democracy, I wish Jones the best in this new job,” Miyares said. “I know, given the circumstances of the last six weeks, many of my supporters will find that difficult. But the reason I wish Jay the best is because we, the people of Virginia, need it. We need an attorney general who focuses every day on keeping us safe. And it’s my sincere hope that Jay does that.”

President Donald Trump pinned the Republican Party’s losses in the 2025 elections on his not being on the ballot.

A year after one of their biggest electoral triumphs in recent history, the Republican Party was dealt a sizeable blow on Tuesday, losing the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races. Though the races were seen as a long shot for Republicans, the president squarely blamed the losses on his lack of participation in them.

“’TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,’ according to Pollsters,” he said in a post on Truth Social.

Virginia state Democrats have maintained control of the state House, widening their narrow majority and ensuring continued unified control of state government heading into the 2026 midterms.

Democrats, who held a 51-seat majority in Virginia’s state House, have secured at least 56 seats in Tuesday’s elections, according to the Associated Press as of 11:30 p.m. The results solidify Virginia’s status as a Democratic stronghold in the south and allow the party to press forward with two proposed constitutional amendments protecting abortion access and marriage equality.

Virginia has leaned increasingly Democratic in recent years; Vice President Kamala Harris won by 5 points against now-President Donald Trump, while Joe Biden won the state by 10 points in 2020. Yet Glenn Youngkin’s 2021 gubernatorial victory showed the commonwealth remains a genuine battleground.