Election updates in Virginia and beyond: Youngkin next governor, Murphy declines to concede tight New Jersey race

Democrats could also be unexpectedly at-risk in New Jersey, where the race between Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and Republican Jack Ciattarelli was too close to call early Wednesday. Ciattarelli, a huge underdog, held a 1,200-vote lead with 98% of the vote counted, according to NJ.com. But the outstanding votes are believed to be in Democratic strongholds and late Tuesday, Murphy gave a speech in which he declined to concede.

It wasn’t all bad news for Democrats, however, with Eric Adams comfortably winning the New York mayoral race.

Here are updates for some of the closest-watched elections:

Virginia governor:

Tuesday’s marquee race is between Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin, a first-time candidate and former private equity executive, and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who is seeking a second nonconsecutive term. Youngkin was leading with more than half the vote counted, but incoming results suggest it’s far from decided.

• Youngkin was projected to be the winner of the election by multiple news organizations at just after 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Read full coverage: Glenn Youngkin wins Virginia governor’s race, riding enthusiasm wave on education issues.

• The rest of the Republican statewide ticket, including Lt. Gov. nominee Winsome Sears and attorney general nominee Jason Miyares, hold healthy leads over their Democratic opponents.

• The McAuliffe campaign, though, is not ready to give up. Speaking to supporters on Tuesday night, McAuliffe declined to concede:

  “As I said long ago, this is a different state. When Ralph [Northam] and I were elected eight years ago, we have made our state open and welcome. But the fight continues,” McAuliffe said. “We got to make sure we protect women’s right to choose here in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We got to make sure everybody gets quality, affordable healthcare here in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Everybody’s entitled to a world-class education here in the Commonwealth of Virginia. And we are going to continue that fight tonight and every day going forward.”

• While waiting for a final election call and for Youngkin to speak, supporters at Youngkin’s victory night party erupted in a “Let’s go Brandon” chant:

• Former President Donald Trump chimed in on the race in a statement: “Early indications are that MAGA voters are turning out big for Glenn Youngkin, let’s see what happens. All eyes are on Fairfax, why the delay?”

• Election Day polling places closed at 7 p.m. However, results are likely to be lagging in Fairfax County, a Washington, D.C., suburb where Democrats run strong and McAuliffe needs to run up the score. Fairfax County officials said that the early vote and absentee totals will be reported late, after planning to post by 8 p.m.

• McAuliffe has an election night party in McLean, Virginia, but CNN reports that he is watching election results at home. He said in a note to supporters: “When the results of this election come in — win or lose — we can rest assured that we did everything we can to create the future that we want.”

• Election analyst Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report finds that mail-in results in Loudoun County may spell bad news for McAuliffe:

• A CNN exit poll found Youngkin had an edge with independent voters, 52% to 47% for McAuliffe. That is notable, considering that President Joe Biden won the demographic with 57% last year. Independents make up about a third of the electorate in Virginia this year.

• Exit polls also found that the economy was the most important issue for about a third of Virginia voters, education was the most important issue for about a quarter of voters, 16% said taxes were the most important issue, 13% chose COVID-19, and about 10% said abortion.

• Youngkin had an edge among those who said education was their most important issue, 56% to 24% for McAuliffe.

• Reports of voters being asked to put on face masks at polling sites despite state law prohibiting requiring voters to wear a face covering prompted outrage from conservatives on Tuesday. The commissioner of the Virginia Elections Department reminded poll workers that they cannot turn voters away for not wearing masks.

• President Joe Biden projected confidence in McAuliffe: “I think we’re going to win in Virginia,” he told reporters Tuesday in Glasgow, Scotland.

• Early voting hit a record high in this year’s race, with more than 1.1 million voters submitting early ballots compared to just 195,634 in 2017.

New Jersey governor:

Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is hoping to become the first Democratic governor in state history to win reelection. His challenger is Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a former member of the state Assembly.

• Murphy declined to concede in a speech early Wednesday morning as the race remained too close to call. “We’re going to wait for every vote to be counted,” Murphy told supporters shortly after midnight.
• Ciattarelli told supporters early Wednesday morning that he believes soon he will “unequivocally declare victory.”

• Results as of 11:30 p.m. show that Ciattarelli and Murphy are neck and neck, a dynamic surprising to many election observers who expected Murphy to win the state. Many votes are still outstanding from largely Democratic areas.

  “It’s rare to have such an uneven picture,” New York Times elections analyst Nate Cohn said in a tweet.

• A judge in New Jersey rejected a request to extend voting hours from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., saying it would result in “enormous disarray.” The American Civil Liberties Union and the League of Women Voters of New Jersey made the request, citing problems connected to a new voting system.

Minneapolis Question 2:

A ballot initiative in Minneapolis was one of the biggest tests yet for the “defund the police” movement. Voters decided whether to abolish the city’s police department and replace it with a Department of Public Safety. The city was the center of international Black Lives Matter riots last year, sparked by the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin.

• Voters shot down the ballot initiative, and the proposal will not be adopted, a number of election decision desks projected.

• Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel celebrated the backlash against the “defund the police” movement:

New York City mayor:

The nation’s largest city elected a new mayor for the first time in eight years since current Mayor Bill de Blasio is term limited. The Democratic nominee who was nearly certain to win is Eric Adams, Brooklyn borough president. Curtis Sliwa, a quirky first-time candidate known for wearing a red beret and keeping 17 cats in his studio apartment, is the Republican nominee.

• Adams won the New York City Mayor’s race, the Associated Press and other decision desks projected.

• Sliwa arrived to vote on Tuesday with one of his cats, named Gizmo.

Buffalo mayor:

The Buffalo mayor’s race has caught the eye of high-profile left-wing figures such as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Socialist India Walton defeated incumbent Democratic Mayor Byron Brown in an upset primary earlier this year and will be the only candidate listed on the ballot. Brown launched a write-in campaign and has a good shot at winning back his seat despite the primary defeat.

Boston mayor:

• City Councilor Michelle Wu, a progressive Democrat and protegee of Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, won Boston’s mayoral race. She makes history as Boston’s first woman and first Asian American to be elected mayor.

Boston’s mayoral race was a battle between Wu, who has proposed limiting the power of the city’s police union, and City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George, a more traditional Democratic centrist.

Atlanta mayor:

Former Mayor Kasim Reed and Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore, both Democrats, are the front-runners in a crowded field of mayoral candidates. Current Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who was considered a rising Democratic star, declined to seek a second term.

If no candidate receives a majority, the top two vote-getters will head to a runoff election on Nov. 30.

Ohio 15th Congressional District special election:

• Republican Mike Carey, a veteran and coal lobbyist, is projected to win the special election for the Ohio seat south of Columbus.

Former Republican Rep. Steve Stivers left Congress earlier this year to take a job with his state’s Chamber of Commerce, creating a vacancy in the district. The seat is Republican-leaning, and Carey was favored to win against Democratic state Rep. Allison Russo.

Ohio 11th Congressional District special election:

• Cuyahoga County Council member Shontel Brown won the special election for the Cleveland-area seat, the Associated Press projected.

Former Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge left the seat earlier this year to become secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

The seat is solidly Democratic. Brown won a high-profile primary against firebrand former state Sen. Nina Turner earlier this year. Talk show host and community activist Laverne Gore is the Republican nominee on the ballot.

Florida 20th Congressional District special election primary:

Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings died earlier this year, creating a vacancy in the solidly Democratic district. Eleven candidates are on the Democratic primary ballot to replace him, but the race has not attracted much national attention or outside spending. Several elected officials are on the ballot, including state Sen. Perry Thurston, state House Minority Leader Bobby DuBose, state Rep. Omari Hardy, and Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness. The special general election for the district will be on Jan. 11, 2022.