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Voters head to the polls in key elections that pose early test of Trump’s presidency
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Why the NYC mayoral race is front and center on a national scale
04:26 • Source: CNN
Why the NYC mayoral race is front and center on a national scale
04:26
• High-stakes elections: Voters in multiple states are participating in the first major elections of President Donald Trump’s second term, a series of tests both for Trump and for Democrats trying to decide on how to oppose him.
• The key races: There are contests for governor in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as a mayoral race in New York City with significant implications for the future of the city and the Democratic Party. And in California, there is a race to redraw congressional district boundaries ahead of next year’s midterms. Read more about the big contests and see when polls are closing.
• Shutdown stalemate: The elections come as the impasse in Congress reaches its 35th day, tying the record for the longest in history. In Virginia, the shutdown and Trump’s efforts to remake the government have affected hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
Negotiations are starting to rev up on Capitol Hill as we barrel toward the longest government shutdown in history. Here’s where things stand:
What is under discussion? A group of Republican and Democratic members are coalescing around a possible off-ramp, according to multiple people familiar. It would include a new short-term continuing resolution, or CR, which would likely fund the government through January, and a three-bill minibus, essentially a package of three full-year bills. (Democrats like this because it includes language to rein in Trump’s power to override Congress’s spending abilities, and it has more money for government programs than a CR.) Then, in the coming weeks, there would be a separate vote on a bipartisan, yet-to-be-drafted bill on the Affordable Care Act, which has been a critical sticking point for Democrats in negotiations. The precise timeline is still up for debate.
Next steps: A small group of Senate Democrats involved in these talks is expected to discuss outlines of this emerging “deal” in today’s Senate Democratic lunch, the sources said. This will be a big test of the party appetite for a deal that does not immediately resolve the Obamacare subsidies cliff. Reaction from the luncheon — as well as today’s election — could determine whether this deal happens.
Will Democrats say yes? Democrats know they will struggle to sell this “deal,” especially in the House where the ACA bill may never make it to the floor. And they acknowledge they may not actually get an ACA fix passed through Congress without enormous Trump pressure.
If Democrats do take this off ramp, they’ll have to convince voters that they tried as hard as they could to protect Obamacare but were stymied by Republicans — and then use it as a political cudgel in the midterms to take back control of Congress. One person familiar with the discussions said there’s still a lengthy list of decision points to work through, including the duration of the next stopgap, the actual substance of the three “minibus” bills, safeguards on how to protect Congress’ power of the purse from Trump, and potentially undoing the shutdown-induced layoffs known as RIFs.
Zohran Mamdani arrived at a school gym blocks away from his apartment in Queens, NY, with his wife early this morning to vote to kick off Election Day, later speaking to reporters about President Donald Trump’s threats to cut funding to the city.
Asked at the polling station how he felt about the long campaign being over, Mamdani told CNN, “We still got until 9 p.m., brother.”
Speaking to reporters at a playground a few blocks away after, Mamdani was first pressed on whether he sees his margin of victory — including whether he clears 50% if he wins — as determining if he has a mandate. “I believe that victory is a mandate in and of itself,” he said.
Asked to reflect on skeptics who see him at 34 as too inexperienced to run the city, the candidate said, “I get older every day. I think more about New Yorkers than I do about anything beyond our five boroughs and I look forward to fulfilling the hope that New Yorkers have put in me and earning the trust of those who voted for another candidate or didn’t vote at all.”
Mamdani was also pressed on what Trump has already said about cutting off funding to New York and making other moves against the city if the candidate the president has repeatedly pushed for, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, does not prevail.
He closed his brief remarks by saying, “I will not be intimidated by this president.”
New York City mayoral candidate and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is attempting a political comeback as an independent, arrived at his polling place in Manhattan to vote shortly after 10 a.m. ET.
“I’m feeling very good. I feel the momentum is on our side,” Cuomo said after casting his vote.
When asked about President Donald Trump urging New Yorkers to vote for him, Cuomo said, “The president does not support me. The president opposes Zohran Mamdani. The president believes Zohran Mamdani is a communist. He believes he’s an existential threat.”
“I believe he’s a socialist and an existential threat, and not a ‘dress up socialist,’” Cuomo said of the Democratic candidate. “(In) their school of socialism, … government controls the means of production, no private ownership of real estate, abolish jails, decriminalize prostitution — this is frightening stuff, and I think that’s why you’re seeing New Yorkers react and New Yorkers turn out. I’m offering the exact opposite.”
All three main candidates in the New York City race have now voted, after Mamdani cast his ballot in Queens earlier this morning and Republican hopeful Curtis Sliwa voted during the early voting period.
We’re focusing a lot on the elections today, but the ongoing government shutdown is still having effects.
As the shutdown drags on, air traffic control staffing problems are causing nearly an hour of delays for flights headed to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
A ground delay program, requiring planes to wait an average delay of 55 minutes to takeoff, was implemented due to short staffing in the control tower, according to the 10 a.m. ET Federal Aviation Administration operations update.
The FAA also reported a staffing problem at the facility that controls flights approaching or departing Newark Liberty International until 11 a.m. ET.
Since the start of the government shutdown, there are 412 separate reports of staffing problems that required the FAA to take action to maintain safe operations, including delaying or rerouting flights — a total of more than four times what was seen on the same days last year. Air traffic controllers are considered essential staff and must work during the government shutdown, despite not getting paid.
Meanwhile, Transportation Security Administration staffing problems have caused delays at checkpoints at some airports. Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport has closed one checkpoint and warned travelers that screening today would take up to 75 minutes.
The shutdown hit the 35th day mark today, tying the record for the longest in the nation’s history. Thousands of federal employees are impacted, including air traffic controllers and TSA agents.
President Donald Trump has a message for Jewish New Yorkers who back the city’s Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani: They’re “stupid” people.
Trump’s comments come a day after he urged New Yorkers to vote for former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent. Trump, a Queens native, has long complained about Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, and falsely labeled him a communist.
Some Jewish New Yorkers have voiced concerns about Mamdani’s history of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel activism. In more recent months, Mamdani has tempered some of his most controversial positions and tried to reassure Jewish voters worried about antisemitic attacks.
During the president’s 2024 campaign, Trump often said that Jewish Americans who considered voting for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris “should have their head examined.” At an antisemitism event in September 2024, Trump said Jewish voters would bare some blame if he lost the election.
Affordability message: Shortly after Trump’s post about Mamdani, the president also posted a message to voters concerned about affordability, one of the Democratic nominee’s key appeals.
“VOTE REPUBLICAN! Energy costs, as and example, are plummeting – Getting close to 2 Dollar a gallon gasoline,” Trump wrote.
Gas prices in New York are at $3.10 a gallon and $3.05 nationally, according to AAA.
The White House lowered flags to half-staff at 9:47 a.m. ET on the day former Vice President Dick Cheney’s death was announced. An official proclamation has not yet been released.
President Donald Trump has yet to weigh in on Cheney’s death. CNN has reached out to the White House about the former vice president’s death.
Flags on federal buildings, grounds and facilities are required to fly at half-staff for 10 days from the day of death for a vice president of the United States, under Proclamation 3044.
In his final years, Cheney, a hardline conservative, became largely ostracized from his party over his intense criticism of Trump, whom he branded a “coward” and the greatest-ever threat to the republic.
Cheney cast his final vote in a presidential election in 2024 for a liberal Democrat — and fellow member of the vice president’s club — Kamala Harris.
This post has been updated with additional information.
We’re hearing from voters at a polling location on the Upper West Side of Manhattan who are weighing in on candidates’ experience and age when deciding who to vote for in New York City’s mayoral race today.
Glory Missan, a 91-year-old lifelong New Yorker, told CNN’s Jason Carroll that she voted for Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani.
“I love his ideas for education, for housing, for busing — all his concepts and his feeling for humanity,” Missan said. She also believes that Mamdani would be “great” and is capable of handling President Donald Trump.
David James, who also cast his ballot for Mamdani, told CNN: “I’d like to see someone my own age, you know, up there talking and fighting for us.”
But voter DeWayne Jackson, who cast his vote for independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, said:
John Lopez, who also cast his ballot for the former governor, said experience was a deciding factor. “He has more experience than anyone that’s on the ballot,” Lopez said. “I think he should have a second chance to redeem himself for the people.”
Vice President JD Vance urged New Jersey voters to support Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli and criticized the current leadership of the state.
Vance’s post comes one day after President Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to turn out to vote for Ciattarelli, saying he would focus on “saving New Jersey, making it great again.”
Though he criticized Trump in the past, Ciattarelli has embraced the president in this campaign as hopes to build on the gains Trump made in the state in the 2024 election.
Ciattarelli is running against Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill. Take a closer look here at both candidates.
New York’s unusual ballot design is drawing attention from conservatives on social media, but despite posts from Elon Musk and others, there’s nothing nefarious about it.
The order of independent candidates on the ballot is determined by first-come-first-served, and some candidates appear twice because of New York state’s unusual “fusion voting” system.
In a post on X, Musk posted a picture of a New York City ballot, calling it a “scam” because former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s name only appears once, toward the bottom right, while some other candidates appear twice.
Under the New York City Board of Elections’ guidelines, the order of independent candidates is determined by the order in which they file.
New York also uses “fusion voting” in which candidates can be the nominee of multiple parties at once. This allows voters to support their preferred candidate without having to vote for a major party.
State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary, so he appears on the Democratic Party line, but he’s also the nominee of the progressive Working Families Party. Voters can vote for him on either line (but not both) and when the votes are counted, Mamdani’s total will include both lines.
This is quite common in New York: Last year, former Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on both ballot lines, while President Donald Trump appeared on both the Republican and the Conservative Party lines.
Cuomo’s name appears once because he lost the Democratic primary and is only running as an independent candidate on his own “Fight and Deliver” line.
The other candidate who appears twice is Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa — who is also running on the “Protect Animals” line.
Talks over reopening the government are focused on putting together a funding package and giving Democrats a stand-alone vote to extend expiring enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, according to sources familiar with the high-stakes negotiations.
But given that there is no guarantee that an extension of the ACA subsidies will pass the Senate – much less the House — it’s unclear whether enough Democrats will accept that proposal to reopen the government, the sources said. So it is bound to prompt sharp division among Democrats about whether a vote is enough after the damaging consequences of the shutdown standoff.
As part of the potential deal, the Senate will have to vote on a new, short-term stopgap bill to reopen the government. But Republicans are sharply divided about how long to extend the funding deadline — whether to do so right before Christmas or kick it into the new year.
The deal would also include a pathway to move ahead with three bills to fund major agencies of the federal government through next September.
Senators believe it’s possible the deal could be reached this week, but there’s still uncertainty about whether they can get there.
President Donald Trump renewed his call for Republican senators to eliminate the filibuster to end the government shutdown and pass their desired policies into law, arguing that Democrats will have the advantage in the midterms and the 2028 presidential election if the GOP doesn’t act.
“The Democrats are far more likely to win the Midterms, and the next Presidential Election, if we don’t do the Termination of the Filibuster (The Nuclear Option!), because it will be impossible for Republicans to get Common Sense Policies done with these Crazed Democrat Lunatics being able to block everything by withholding their votes,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “FOR THREE YEARS, NOTHING WILL BE PASSED, AND REPUBLICANS WILL BE BLAMED. Elections, including the Midterms, will be rightfully brutal. If we do terminate the Filibuster, we will get EVERYTHING approved, like no Congress in History.”
Ending the Senate filibuster would mean bills could move through the Senate with a simple majority. But Republican Senators, including Leader John Thune, have signaled they are not willing to do it, fearful of what could happen when they’re not in power.
Trump predicted that Democrats “are going to end the Filibuster as soon as they get the chance,” warning that they would take steps to pack the Supreme Court with liberal justices if they returned to power. He noted two critical senators who opposed such a move in the past – Kristen Sinema and Joe Manchin, who caucused with Democrats – are no longer in the Senate.
“TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER NOW, END THE RIDICULOUS SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATELY, AND THEN, MOST IMPORTANTLY, PASS EVERY WONDERFUL REPUBLICAN POLICY THAT WE HAVE DREAMT OF, FOR YEARS, BUT NEVER GOTTEN. WE WILL BE THE PARTY THAT CANNOT BE BEATEN – THE SMART PARTY!!!” Trump wrote.
Several threats were made against polling places across New Jersey this morning, according to state officials, prompting law enforcement reaction and some polls to close temporarily.
In a statement, Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way said law enforcement has “investigated and determined that there are no credible threats at this time.”
According to the NJ Attorney General’s Office, threatening emails were received at polling places in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Passaic counties.
“Law enforcement officers have responded at each affected polling place, and they have worked swiftly to secure these polling locations and ensure the safety of every voter,” said NJ Attorney General Matthew Platkin.
Following the threats, Acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba said in a post on X that her team is monitoring the situation, adding, “we will ensure all voters can exercise their right to vote today in a safe manner.”
State officials urged residents to call 911 if they notice any suspicious activity.
On Election Day 2024, non-credible bomb threats disrupted voting in several states, including Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, Arizona and Pennsylvania. Some of those threats appeared “to originate from Russian email domains,” the FBI said at the time.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani arrived at his polling place at a high school in Astoria, Queens, to vote around 8 a.m. ET.
Mamdani was accompanied by his wife Rama Duwaji, who also voted.
Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday said he was forming an advisory commission that would consider redrawing congressional maps in the state.
Moore’s announcement makes Maryland the latest state to enter the tit for tat between Republican- and Democrat-led states over control of the House.
It comes on the same day that California residents will vote on a ballot initiative that would redraw congressional districts in a way that would be more favorable for Democrats. It was a response to a successful effort in Texas to redraw maps to benefit Republicans.
“We will explore every avenue possible to make sure Maryland has fair and representative maps,” Moore said in a statement. “This commission will ensure the people are heard.”
The commission includes three appointments made by Moore, including Commission Chair and Senator Angela Alsobrooks, in addition to the Maryland General Assembly’s “presiding officers or their designees.”
Notably, State Senate President William Ferguson, a Democrat, has public opposed redrawing the map in a way that would target the only Republican in the state’s congressional delegation.
Moore’s statement said the commission will “organize public hearings, solicit public feedback, and make recommendations to the governor and Maryland General Assembly to improve our current map and ensure Maryland has fair Congressional maps.”
The New York City Board of Elections is expecting “a significant turnout today, in addition to the significant record-breaking early voting,” BOE President Fred Umane told CNN early this morning.
A total of 735,317 people voted early in the city, according to the elections board. While the pace of early voting slowed somewhat toward the end of the week relative to the 2021 election, more than four times as many New Yorkers turned out for early voting this year as they did four years ago.
Umane says those numbers tie into one of the proposals on the ballot, which seeks to move local elections, like today’s mayor race, to the even years with the presidential elections.
“There’s concern that there won’t be enough people voting for the local elections,” Umame told CNN’s Jason Carroll. “But this election sort of set that theory down.”
CNN’s Ethan Cohen contributed reporting.
Moving now to the race for governor in New Jersey, where Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill is facing Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
Here’s what to know about each candidate:
Sherrill hopes to make history by becoming the first female Democratic governor of New Jersey. (She’d be the second female governor of New Jersey overall.) Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, burst onto the national political scene when she flipped a longtime Republican-held US congressional seat in 2018, helping Democrats win control of the House of Representatives in President Donald Trump’s first term.
A moderate with national security experience, Sherrill won a crowded Democratic primary in June. She put addressing affordability at the center of her gubernatorial campaign and vowed to serve as a strong check against Trump, most recently criticizing his move to cancel funding for the Gateway project, which is being built to add another connection between New Jersey and New York City. If she wins, it will mark the first time a party has held the governor’s office in the Garden State for three consecutive terms in more than 60 years.
Ciattarelli hopes his third time running for governor is the charm. A conservative businessman, he first ran for New Jersey governor in 2017 but failed to advance past the GOP primary. In his second run for governor, he came within four points of beating incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. Making his third run, Ciattarelli positioned himself as an ally of Trump after keeping him at a distance in his prior campaigns.
The president endorsed Ciattarelli ahead of his victory in the GOP primary in June. Ciattarelli ran as a conservative change candidate, blaming high property taxes and high utility costs on the outgoing Democratic administration, which has held the governor’s seat for eight years. He once owned a medical publishing company and served for seven years in the New Jersey state assembly.
We brought you a closer look earlier at all the candidates vying to become New York City mayor.
Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani’s proposals include a plan to create New York City’s first universal childcare program, making city buses free and freezing the rent for 1 million rent-stabilized tenants in the city. He has also proposed a tax on the city’s wealthiest residents and an increase in the city’s corporate tax rate to pay for his policy ideas.
As mayor, Mamdani would need the state legislature and the governor to approve a tax hike. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who endorsed Mamdani, has said she will not support a tax increase.
Here’s more on his policy ideas:
Universal childcare: The cost of childcare is at a crisis level in New York City, which is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Mamdani’s proposal would implement free childcare for all New York City children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old and would expand existing pre-K and 3-K programs launched during Bill de Blasio’s administration. Mamdani wants to fund his proposal by taxing high earners and corporations.
Fast and free buses: Mamdani made buses a centerpiece of his campaign, proposing to expand a pandemic-era pilot program and eliminate fares on all city buses. Mamdani has proposed expanding dedicated bus lanes to speed up bus traffic. Mamdani’s free bus proposal would be funded by raising the state’s corporate tax rate as well as income taxes on New Yorkers who earn more than $1 million per year.
City-run grocery stores: Mamdani would also like to create five government-subsidized grocery stores, one in each New York City borough. This is one of Mamdani’s most controversial ideas, with critics comparing his plan to Soviet-era government food rationing. Mamdani, who refers to his plan as a “public option for produce,” has said the government stores would address rising food prices by using city land for the stores, buying food at wholesale prices and not charging owners property taxes.
More than a decade ago, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger helped lead the effort to take the power to draw electoral maps away from the state’s lawmakers and hand it to an independent redistricting commission.
Now Schwarzenegger is playing a smaller role.
The former governor came out against Proposition 50 and urged Californians to vote no with a photo in which he wore a shirt that read: “Terminate Gerrymandering.”
“Two bad behaviors don’t make a right behavior,” Schwarzenegger said at an event in September, clips of which later appeared in a “No” campaign ad. “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
But the former governor has not actively campaigned against the measure or spent money to oppose it. He’s also limited his criticisms of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom told reporters this summer that he visited Schwarzenegger at his home to discuss the measure.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger on California redistricting fight: both parties are ‘trying to out-cheat each other’
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One of the most consequential elections this year isn’t between a Democratic and Republican candidate, but over a California ballot initiative.
Proposition 50 would allow California Democrats to replace the state’s congressional maps with ones the party hopes will help them to flip five GOP-held seats.
Democrats launched their redistricting push after Texas Republicans redrew their maps to create five new seats that will favor the GOP at the behest of President Donald Trump.
But while Texas Republicans were able to pass new maps through the legislative process, California Democrats had to first seek voter approval. That’s because Californians amended their state Constitution in 2010 to give an independent redistricting commission the power to set congressional lines.
Proposition 50 would give lawmakers the right to temporarily override that map through the 2030 election, after which the commission would draw the next decade’s maps.
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How CA voters could decide who controls the US House
In a November special election, California voters will decide on Proposition 50, a redistricting effort led by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). The newly proposed congressional map could help Democrats add five seats in the US House. CNN’s Elex Michaelson explains.
01:33 • Source: CNN
How CA voters could decide who controls the US House
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