Virginia’s race for attorney general was thrown into the spotlight after revelations that Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jonessent texts in which he fantasized about murdering a fellow lawmaker and their children. Jones is facing off against Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is seeking reelection.
New Jerseyans will also select their next governor between former Republican Rep. Jack Ciatterelli and Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill.
New York City will decide its next mayor with three candidates left in the race: Democrat Zohran Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who is running as an independent — and Republican Curtis Silwa.
Polls close in Virginia at 7 p.m., in New Jersey at 8 p.m., in New York at 9 p.m., and in California at 11 p.m.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (D-NY) issued a statement late Tuesday night after Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral election of New York City. Stefanik blasted New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D).
“Under Kathy Hochul’s weak catastrophic leadership, New York City has now fallen to a pro-Hamas, Defund the Police, Tax Hiking, Antisemite Jihadist Communist,” Stefanik said. “And instead of standing up for hardworking New York families, Kathy Hochul proved once again that she is truly the Worst Governor in America with her desperate endorsement of Commie Mamdani.”
“Kathy Hochul is now owned lock, stock, and barrel by the radical Far Left Socialist takeover of the New York Democrat Party under her abysmal watch,” Stefanik added. “The only way to save our great state and provide a check on this insanity is to elect a Republican Governor in 2026. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents will unify and vote to fire Kathy Hochul to Save New York next year once and for all.”
20 minutes ago
California’s Proposition 50 passes, delivering major political win for Newsom
The Associated Press determined the ballot measure passed at 11 p.m., when polls closed in California. The passage of Proposition 50 marks a major political victory for Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), the frontrunner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.
Newsom framed the Proposition 50 fight as one between California and President Donald Trump. It has allowed him to expand his national profile and draw donations from more than 107,000 individual donors.
40 minutes ago
Polls now closed in California after vote on Proposition 50
Polling stations are now closed in California as of 11 p.m. EST.
California voters are deciding whether to support Proposition 50, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s key legislation in his redistricting agenda. If the new map under Prop 50 is passed, House Republicans could lose five seats in California.
Newsom’s redistricting effort began in response to Texas Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting, which positions the GOP to net five more House seats.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks at Zohran Mamdani's election night watch party in New York City on Nov. 4th, 2025. (Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner)
Mamdani’s watch party has buzzed ever since the Associated Press called the candidate’s race in his favor.
Supporters danced, jumped, and screamed in patches all over a crowded floor at the Brooklyn Paramount theater. Several supporters are wearing Democratic Socialists of America shirts along with Mamdani gear.
As Cuomo conceded the race, Mamdani supporters jeered and waved goodbye to the former governor. Mamdani often said on the campaign trail that he wanted to send “Cuomo back to the suburbs.”
Jamie Beran, CEO of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, said she was “really excited” to see Mamdani win.
She believes the 34-year-old socialist, who was accused of being too slow to condemn the “globalize the intifada” phrase linked to antisemitism, will take care of Jewish people in New York City.
“I think that he’s going to protect Jewish people. I think that he has been really deeply adjusted and getting to know the Jewish community, and so I have a lot of faith in him continuing to show up for the Jewish community,” she said.
The mayor-elect is expected to speak soon.
1 hour ago
Jones narrowly defeats Miyares in Virginia attorney general race
Democrat Jay Jones narrowly defeated Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) Tuesday night, becoming the Old Dominion’s first African American attorney general.
The Associated Press called the race at 10:05 p.m. with 87% of votes counted, three hours after polls closed at 7:00 p.m. Jones won even after it was revealed he sent violent text messages in 2022, suggesting former Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert receive two bullets in the head.
Jones appeared at former Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s (D-VA) watch party on Tuesday night, where he thanked Virginians for electing him the commonwealth’s first black attorney general. He did not reference the text messaging scandal in his speech. Spanberger won the state’s gubernatorial race against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle Sears (R) earlier in the night.
Winsome Earle-Sears concedes. (Graeme Jennings, Washington Examiner)
LEESBURG, VIRGINIA — Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears conceded the Virginia governor’s race Tuesday night in Leesburg, urging Democrat Abigail Spanberger to “represent all Virginians” after a hard-fought campaign.
“I have just called Abigail, and she did not answer, and she doesn’t have to answer,” Earle-Sears said. “I left her a voicemail and asked her to please consider all of us Virginians, that she will represent all of us, and not just some of us. If she is successful, Virginia will be successful.”
The 61-year-old Republican had pledged to extend Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s economic agenda while leaning into the same cultural flashpoints that helped define his 2021 rise, from opposition to transgender student policies to attacks on diversity programs and calls for school choice.
“I think I learn more in a loss than I ever do in a victory,” she said. “It’s either going to tear you apart or it’s going to build you. Well, I don’t tear apart.”
Winsome Earle-Sears conceded the Virginia governor’s race Tuesday night in Leesburg. (Graeme Jennings, Washington Examiner)
Earle-Sears reflected on her journey as an immigrant, Marine, and the first Black woman elected statewide in Virginia, saying she was grateful for the opportunity to serve. “I’m really not even supposed to be here,” she said. “I’m an immigrant from another country, and yet you all have given me the opportunity to do this. This is such an amazing thing for me.”
She closed by urging supporters to stay united in prayer and purpose. “We must pray for Abigail. We must pray for our state. And we must pray for our country,” she said. “Don’t give up. We must never give up.”
1 hour ago
Jack Ciattarelli concedes New Jersey governor’s race
Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli concedes the New Jersey governor's race in Bridgewater, New Jersey on Nov. 4th, 2025. (Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner)
“Moments ago, I called and congratulated Mikie Sherrill and offered her my best wishes,” said Ciattarelli in his concession speech. The mention of Sherrill led to boos and jeers in the crowd.
“Yes, Republicans are the minority party, but that means also being the loyal opposition and continuing to ensure that our voice is heard,” the Republican candidate told his supporters, “The voice of the middle class, the voice of every minority across the state, the voice of those who want to protect their children from public school curriculum that doesn’t really serve our purposes well anymore.”
2 hours ago
Pennsylvania retains Democratic majority in state Supreme Court
Pennsylvania voters approved the reelection of three state Supreme Court justices.
Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht will stay in office, meaning Democrats will maintain a 5-2 majority in the court.
Dougherty and Wecht will each serve a 10-year term, while Donohue will be forced to retire in 2027 at 75, according to state law. Their reelection victory ensures Democrats will control the court during the 2028 presidential election.
2 hours ago
Republicans use Mamdani’s victory to attack Democrats
“The Democrat Party has surrendered to radical socialist Zohran Mamdani and the far-left mob who are now running the show,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella said. “They’ve proudly embraced defunding the police, abolishing [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], taxing hard-working Americans to death, and replacing common sense with chaos.”
“Mayor-elect Mamdani ran an impressive campaign, laser-focused on what matters most to working families in New York: lowering costs, expanding access to affordable child care, and making it easier for families to make ends meet,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said, “Mayor-elect Mamdani’s campaign illustrated the power of a big-tent party that focuses relentlessly on lifting up all working people.”
Mamdani has expressed support for defunding the police in the past and ran on opening government-run grocery stores and free childcare. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) endorsed Mamdani in late October.
“Every House Democrat is foolishly complicit in their party’s collapse, and voters will make them pay in 2026,” said Marinella.
2 hours ago
Socialist Zohran Mamdani wins New York City mayoral race against Cuomo and Sliwa
New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani listens to a question during a press conference at Dutch Kills Playground on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
NEW YORK CITY — Socialist Zohran Mamdani will be New York City’s next mayor, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa on Tuesday night.
Mamdani will be New York’s next mayor after receiving 50.4% of the vote with 75% of ballots counted so far. The Associated Press called the race at 9:34 p.m. Close to 9 p.m., New York City voters came out in such force to vote that the city saw the highest turnout since 1969, with more than 2 million ballots cast by that time.
With the win, Mamdani becomes the city’s first Muslim mayor and one of its youngest mayors ever.
Jeremy Gottfried, a 31-year-old man from Brooklyn, says he’s feeling optimistic but doesn’t want to be complacent, as Mamdani said.
He canvassed twice today for Mamdani, saying, “So I’ve been doing the work out there, trying to get out the vote. I’m feeling optimistic about it, but you never know. So just hoping for the best.”
Gottfried supported Mamdani because he felt he spoke to how he “can make our lives better, rather than, like, what he’s fighting against.”
Lindsey Boylan, a Mamdani surrogate and Cuomo’s first accuser, said she’s “excited” with the results so far. She’s also excited to send Cuomo back into political retirement.
“It’s important for society to send an abuser like that packing, and so I feel a great deal of relief, because a lot I feel was riding on him being sent away, and so I feel really good about that for so many people, not just myself,” she said.
2 hours ago
Mikie Sherrill sails to victory in New Jersey governor’s race against Ciattarelli in blow to Republicans
Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) face each other in the 2025 gubernatorial race on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Photos: Associated Press)
Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) won the New Jersey gubernatorial race on Tuesday, defeating Republican Jack Ciattarelli, the third time he’s lost a bid for governor of the blue state.
The Associated Press called the race for Sherrill at 9:23 p.m., over an hour after the polls closed. Sherrill won with 56.9% of the vote to Ciattarelli’s 42.5% at the time the race was called.
Sherrill’s win caps off a competitive battle between the candidates, with the congresswoman successfully holding on to her narrow lead. Though Ciattarelli trailed Sherrill in the polls for much of the general election season, as of last week, an Emerson College poll found the candidates locked in a dead heat.
Republican operatives and conservatives are already beginning their post-mortem analysis of the party’s defeat in the Virginia gubernatorial race.
Chris LaCivita, a co-campaign manager of President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, wrote on X, “A Bad candidate and Bad campaign have consequences – the Virginia Governors race is example number 1.”
Washington Examiner columnist Salena Zito also posted her own thoughts on the race: “Reminds me of the special election in Lancaster Pennsylvania for state Senate last spring. Bad candidate. Bad campaign. Consequences.”
RICHMOND, Virginia — Former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears Tuesday night to become Virginia’s first female governor in the commonwealth’s history.
“We sent a message to every corner of the Commonwealth, a message to our neighbors and our fellow Americans across the country. We sent a message to the whole world that in 2025, Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship. We chose our Commonwealth over chaos,” Spanberger said.
The former Democratic representative headed into Election Day with momentum on her side. Spanberger led Earle-Sears in both polling and fundraising throughout the entire 2025 cycle.
“I would like to thank my opponent for a hard-fought race,” Spanberger said, drawing some applause from the crowd, “It is the honor of my lifetime to be elected the 75th governor.”
