{"id":7094,"date":"2025-11-04T16:27:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T16:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2025\/11\/04\/election-2025-live-updates-va-nj-ca-voters-to-offer-their-feelings-about-trump-usa-today\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T16:27:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T16:27:37","slug":"election-2025-live-updates-va-nj-ca-voters-to-offer-their-feelings-about-trump-usa-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2025\/11\/04\/election-2025-live-updates-va-nj-ca-voters-to-offer-their-feelings-about-trump-usa-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Election 2025 live updates: VA, NJ, CA voters to offer their feelings about Trump – USA Today"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Virginia and New Jersey<\/a> voters will each pick a new governor, and Californians will decide<\/a> on a major redistricting push on Election Day. All of the races could signal how voters are feeling about President Donald Trump<\/a> and their mood heading into the 2026 midterms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Democratic U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger is trying to win control of the Virginia governor’s mansion from the GOP in a contest<\/a> against Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. Republican Jack Ciattarelli is making his third bid for governor in New Jersey after losing by just three percentage points in 2021. The former state lawmaker faces off against Democratic U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill.<\/p>\n

California, meanwhile, votes on the Proposition 50 ballot measure<\/a> pushed by Democrats that would allow state leaders to temporarily bypass an independent redistricting commission and draw a new House map. Democrats want to draw more seats in California that favor their party after Texas created more GOP-leaning seats.<\/p>\n

The races are among a handful of statewide contests that offer the first big opportunity to gauge voter sentiment nearly a year into Trump’s aggressive second term. The president has loomed large<\/a> over the elections, featuring in ads and debates.<\/p>\n

Democrats hope to see more signs of a growing backlash to Trump, while the GOP is working to blunt the typical momentum for the party out of power.<\/p>\n

The elections are a precursor to more consequential midterm contests<\/a> next year, when control of Congress \u2013 and with it the fate of Trump\u2019s legislative agenda \u2013 will be decided.<\/p>\n

<\/a> When do polls close in Virginia, New Jersey and California?<\/h2>\n

Polls close in Virginia at 7 p.m. ET and New Jersey at 8 p.m. ET. California polls close at 8 p.m. PT.<\/p>\n

Virginia election results can be found here<\/a>, while New Jersey’s results are here<\/a> and California’s results are here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a> Trump looms large on Election Day<\/h2>\n
\"President<\/figure>\n

The Democratic candidates for governor in\u00a0New Jersey and Virginia<\/a>\u00a0are making opposition to\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0central to their pitches. In\u00a0California<\/a>,\u00a0an ad urges voters<\/a>\u00a0to “stick it to Trump,” while New York City’s frontrunner for mayor\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0he’ll “stand up” to the president of the United States if he wins.<\/p>\n

Trump’s name is not on the ballot in 2025. He’s a lame duck whose\u00a0political retirement<\/a>\u00a0looms in three years. But the off-year races culminating on Tuesday have nonetheless put a spotlight on the 79-year-old Republican.<\/a><\/p>\n

While Trump has largely stayed off the campaign trail \u2013 he spent much of the final week before Election Day on\u00a0a trip to Asia<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 he’s hardly gone dark on politics. He’s made New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani a frequent target as Republicans try to portray Democrats as too far left.<\/p>\n

Ciattarelli<\/a>\u00a0told the USA TODAY Network that he speaks to Trump every couple of weeks, and the president reupped his endorsement in a recent\u00a0social media post<\/a>\u00a0reminding Garden State voters: “HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”<\/p>\n

<\/a> Bomb threat reported at New Jersey polling stations<\/h2>\n

Law enforcement is investigating email threats at polling places in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmo Ocean and Passaic Counties, according to a statement from New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin, the USA TODAY NETWORK reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some polling places have since reopened. At polling places that remained closed, voters were sent to other sits to pick up provisional ballots.<\/p>\n

\u201cVoters should continue to have confidence that they can cast their ballot without fear of intimidation, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure a free, fair, and secure election,\u201d Platkin wrote. \u201cWe will not tolerate any attempts to interfere with our elections, and we will swiftly hold accountable anyone who seeks to interfere with the safety or security of our electoral process.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a> Virginia election official says there are \u2018concerns\u2019 about postal service issues<\/h2>\n

Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Susan Beals said the department has \u201cconcerns\u201d about mail-in ballots making it to registrars\u2019 offices around the commonwealth by the Friday deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Beals was responding to a question about the department\u2019s confidence in the U.S. Postal Service during a Tuesday morning news briefing.<\/p>\n

She said the department has worked \u201cvery closely\u201d with the postal service in the lead up to the election, calling them \u201cfantastic partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we have been very happy with the type of response that they\u2019ve shown us, we do still have concerns and have heard from voters that there are concerns,\u201d Beals said.<\/p>\n

She said voters with concerns about their mail-in ballots could fill out a regular ballot at their polling place or contact their registrar\u2019s office to confirm the status of their ballot.<\/p>\n

Beals also noted a polling location change in Newport News, Virginia, after a driver crashed their vehicle into a planned voting location at Ivy Farms Community of Faith Church over the weekend<\/a>. The building was condemned, and the polling location was moved to South Morrison Family Education Center.<\/p>\n

Roughly 1.4 million Virginians had voted early as of Nov. 1, Beals said, with 1.1 million early votes cast in person and 300,000 returned through the mail.<\/p>\n

Another news briefing is scheduled for 8 p.m. Tuesday.<\/p>\n

In Virginia, no problems have been reported, according to the election department.<\/p>\n

\u2013 BrieAnna Frank<\/p>\n

<\/a> Jones and Miyares neck and neck in VA Attorney General race<\/h2>\n

In the race for Virginia attorney general, Democrat Jay Jones and Republican Jason Miyares, the incumbent, are neck and neck, according to recent polls.<\/p>\n

An Emerson College\/The Hill poll<\/a> released on Nov. 2 showed Jones up by two points with 49% to Miyares’ 47%. Other recent polls<\/a> have showed the pair tied.<\/p>\n

The election attracted national attention after texts Jones sent<\/a> in 2022 saying the state’s then-House speaker should get “two bullets to the head” were revealed. Jones later apologized<\/a> for the texts, saying he was “ashamed” and “embarrassed” that he sent them.<\/p>\n

<\/a> Spanberger and Sherrill hope to redefine Democrats<\/h2>\n

They both were members of the 2018 freshman class that helped Democrats retake the U.S. House. Both present themselves as kitchen-table centrists with extensive military and national security experience.<\/p>\n

And the two friends \u2212 who\u00a0text each other regularly<\/a>\u00a0and were roommates on Capitol Hill \u2212 were even born in each other\u2019s states.<\/p>\n

Now, Spanberger<\/a>\u00a0and Sherrill<\/a>, two moderate gubernatorial candidates, are seen by some observers as a model for how Democrats<\/a> can make a broad electoral appeal, in contrast to the party’s\u00a0socialist nominee for New York City mayor,<\/a>\u00a0Zohran Mamdani, who has been a target for President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Phillip M. Bailey, Katie Sobko<\/em><\/p>\n

\"A<\/figure>\n

<\/a> Spanberger sends condolences on ex-Vice President Dick Cheney<\/h2>\n

As Virginia voters took to the polls Tuesday morning, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger posted condolences about the passing of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cheney served as second-in-command under President George W. Bush, but veered from Republican Party leadership following the Jan. 6<\/a>, 2021 attack on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump<\/a>. Cheney endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris<\/a> for president in the 2024 election.<\/p>\n

“My prayers are with the family of Vice President Dick Cheney today \u2014 his wife Lynne Cheney, his daughters Liz and Mary, and their families \u2014 as they mourn his passing,” Spanberger posted on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a> Poll: Democrat Sherrill’s lead against Republican Ciattarelli within margin of error<\/h2>\n

A poll released Oct. 30<\/a> found the\u00a0New Jersey race for governor<\/a>\u00a0could be growing tighter, with Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill edging 4 points ahead of Republican Jack Ciattarelli less than a week before Election Day.<\/p>\n

The statewide poll from Suffolk University puts Sherrill’s support among likely voters at 46%, while Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman, stands at 42%, though the difference is still within the survey’s margins of error. Another 7% of respondents said they were undecided and 3% refused to respond. Two other candidates on the ballot received 1% of support.<\/p>\n

A separate poll released Oct 31 showed Sherrill had a slight lead over Ciattarelli.<\/p>\n

The AtlasIntel poll of more than 1,600 likely voters in New Jersey, which was conducted from Oct. 25 to Oct. 30, showed Sherrill getting 50.2% of the vote compared to Ciattarelli’s 49.3%, with a 2% margin of error.<\/p>\n

<\/a> Sherrill narrowly ahead, Nate Silver’s ‘most accurate’ poll finds<\/h2>\n

Democrat Mikie Sherrill will narrowly eke out a win over Jack Ciattarelli, her Republican opponent, in the New Jersey gubernatorial election, according to a poll considered the “most accurate” by election analyst Nate Silver<\/a>.<\/p>\n

AtlasIntel<\/a>, which was considered the most accurate pollster in the 2020 presidential election, found Sherrill holds 50.2% Ciattarelli’s 49.3%, according to a poll released on Oct. 31.<\/p>\n

Polling averages have shown Sherrill ahead of Ciattarelli by 4.6 to 6.6 points, still within the margin of error.<\/p>\n

<\/a> Poll: Democrat Spanberger leads in Virginia<\/h2>\n

A survey released Oct. 23<\/a> found Democrat\u00a0Abigail Spanberger<\/a>\u00a0has a nine-point lead over Republican challenger and Lt. Gov.\u00a0Winsome Earle-Sears<\/a>\u00a0in the\u00a0Virginia governor’s race<\/a>, seen as a national bellwether election.<\/p>\n

In a Suffolk University poll of likely voters released Oct. 23, Spanberger garnered 52% of the vote among survey respondents, followed by Earl-Sears’ 43%. Another 3% said they were undecided.<\/p>\n

<\/a> Earle-Sears left out of Trump’s GOP endorsements<\/h2>\n

President Donald Trump<\/a> has endorsed the Republican candidates for New Jersey governor and Virginia attorney general – Jack Ciattarelli and Jason Miyares – in glowing terms.<\/p>\n

Ciattarelli “IS A WINNER FOR NEW JERSEY,” Trump wrote<\/a> in all caps in an Oct. 20 Truth Social post. Miyares “WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN,” he wrote in an Oct. 5 post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Notably absent was Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican running for Virginia governor, who Trump has never endorsed by name.<\/p>\n

Earle-Sears provoked Trump’s ire when, in 2022, she called<\/a> Trump a “liability” and said “voters want to move on.” Trump hit back in a post at the time that he “Never felt good” about Earle-Sears. “Always thought she was a phony.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Virginia and New Jersey voters will each pick a new governor, and Californians will decide on a major redistricting push on Election Day. All of the races could signal how voters are feeling about President Donald Trump and their mood heading into the 2026 midterms. Democratic U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger is trying to win control […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7094\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}