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By the Associated Press The Republican candidate for New Jersey governor touted his plans to make living in the state more affordable during talks with voters and Fox News at a diner in Succasunna on Tuesday morning. Those plans include tax cuts made possible by government spending cuts, a new school funding formula that he said would lower property taxes and lowering electric rates by pulling out of a multistate environmental compact. “We have an affordability crisis in New Jersey, and I can address that on day one,” he said. He also pledged to bring back single-use plastic bags that were banned in the state in 2022. “I say plastic, you say bag,” he told the diner crowd. Mikie Sherrill, his Democratic opponent, agreed that affordability is a top issue in the state. After voting in the morning in Montclair, she told reporters that the Trump administration was to blame for many of the cost increases hurting consumers because of tariffs and other policies. By the Associated Press Outside a vote center at a high school performing arts center in Corona, California, voters said it was taking between five and 20 minutes to cast a ballot. Isaac Garcia, a 25-year-old financial advisor, said he waited nearly 20 minutes to vote for the measure. Garcia said he typically doesn’t vote but felt moved to do so to push back against the Trump administration’s immigration policies and rising prices. “I’d rather feel as if I am doing something instead of doing nothing,” said Garcia, a Democrat. “This feels like one of the first times where we are actually doing something to be able to challenge back the current administration.” By the Associated Press As of 3 p.m., nearly 1.5 million people had voted in New York City’s mayoral election, according to the city’s Board of Elections. With six hours still to go until the polls close, the turnout had already surpassed the total votes cast in any city mayoral election in the past 20 years. By the Associated Press California’s Democratic officials were reassuring voters Tuesday after President Trump said thestate’s elections process is rigged. The sole item on the state’s special election ballot is a redistricting initiative championed by Governor Gavin Newsom after Trump pushed GOP-controlled states to redraw congressional lines before next year’s midterm elections. In a post Tuesday on his social media platform, the president called the initiative a “GIANT SCAM.” He said the election was “RIGGED” and warned it was “under very serious legal and criminal review.” The Trump administration sent election monitors to five counties in California, a state Trump lost three times. He’s often criticized the state’s practice of sending all registered voters a mail ballot, despite no evidence of any widespread fraud or other voting-related problems. Newsom’s office quickly responded with their own social media post, criticizing the president for “spreading false information.” They later posted a cartoon image of Trump crying and said he was “whining about California.”California’s top election official, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, called it “another baseless claim” and said California voters should not be deterred from exercising their right to vote. By the Associated Press The results of the election — the first general election of Trump’s second term — will be heralded by the victors as either a major repudiation or resounding stamp of approval of his second-term agenda. That’s especially true in high-profile races for Virginia and New Jersey governor, New York City mayor and a California proposition to redraw its congressional district boundaries. READ MORE By the Associated Press Polls are closed today in Kentucky, but that’s not a mistake, said Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams in a post on X. “We’re getting calls about polls being closed,” Adams wrote. “They are closed because we do not have elections today.” Kentucky’s election schedule is empty in the year after a presidential election, with the exception of special elections. Kentucky will elect a senator in next year’s midterm election to replace retiring Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, and state officials are on the ballot again in 2027. “You cannot vote today in Kentucky for the mayor of New York City or the Governor of Virginia,” Adams added. “Sorry.” By James Pindell, Globe Staff The 2025 elections aren’t exactly about Donald Trump. They aren’t exactly about the prices of things. They aren’t exactly about the culture wars. They aren’t exactly about the month-long federal government shutdown. Nor will the results be some exact predictor of what might happen in the midterms a year from now, or beyond. Here’s what to watch. By the Associated Press After casting her ballot in the South Bronx, Leyla Ba, a 52-year-old assistant day care teacher, said she opted for Mamdani because housing and the cost of living were most important to her. She said those issues are more pressing than they were five or so years ago. “It seemed easier back then — things were a little cheaper, a little more accessible,” Ba said. On the swanky Upper East Side of Manhattan, Dr. Sam Schwarz, a 57-year-old physician who described himself as a “mostly conservative” independent, said he voted for Cuomo. Although he sees Sliwa as “a very good man,” he didn’t think the Republican had any chance of winning. And he faulted Mamdani for having “zero experience.” Schwarz said safety is the city’s No. 1 issue and he believed Cuomo would be the better mayor. By the Associated Press Back in June, voters in New York City’s Democratic primary had the option to select up to five candidates by order of preference under a system known as ranked-choice voting. This time around, they can only pick one. That’s because the ranked-choice system, approved by ballot measure in 2019, only applies in primaries — not in the general election match-up. Still, in a memorable moment from last month’s debate, the candidates were asked how they would fill out their ballots if the ranked-choice system were in effect. Cuomo and Sliwa both said they’d only rank themselves, while Mamdani said he’d rank himself first followed by Sliwa. “Oh, please,” the Republican replied, deploying a bit of Gen Z slang, “don’t be glazing me here, Zohran!” By the Associated Press Election Day comes in the midst of a federal government shutdown that’s already spanned more than a month. Both parties in Congress blame each other, and there’s no end in sight. Will it matter? Virginia is home to more than 134,000 federal workers, many of whom have been furloughed or are being forced to work without pay. New Jersey has nearly 21,000 federal employees, according to the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, out of a total of more than 2 million such government employees nationwide. Either number is more than enough to swing a close election. At the same time, millions of people may be losing critical food assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, offering voters another urgent reason to express their displeasure. By the Associated Press “Many Mamdani voters will be furious that you came from behind by stoking what they will see as Islamophobia, with recent ads and appearances on conservative media,” said host Brian Lehrer in an interview on WNYC radio. Cuomo at first insisted Lehrer had it “upside down.” “I am all about unifying,” he said, touting his record as governor and accusing Mamdani of being the divisive one. But Lehrer continued to press Cuomo, who has been criticized for failing to speak out against bigoted attacks on Mamdani from some allies. Cuomo responded that he’s met with members of “the Muslim community” and said he wants to make them a “big part” of his administration and appoint them to senior positions. By the Associated Press The former New York governor cast his ballot at a high school shortly after 10 a.m., talking and shaking hands with people at the polling location while surrounded by TV news cameras. Wearing a suit and white shirt with no tie, he stooped over a privacy booth as he marked his choices before leisurely strolling toward an exit and making a brief stop to talk with supporters in a hallway. By the Associated Press The self-described democratic socialist said he would not cave to any threats by the president to withhold money from the city. “I look forward to fighting for every single dollar this city is owed,” he told reporters Tuesday morning. “I look forward to utilizing every single tool at my disposal as the next mayor of this city to fight for the people of it. That means using the courts. That means using the bully pulpit. That means ensuring that we actually follow the letter of the law,” Mamdani said. “But I will not be intimidated by this president,” he said. By the Associated Press Cuomo said President Trump telling Republicans to vote for him over Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa “could be very helpful because if they don’t vote for Sliwa, they would vote for me.” Trump endorsed Cuomo, the former Democratic governor of New York who’s running for mayor as an independent, on Monday. Cuomo said Trump “is pragmatic” and is telling Republicans the “reality of the situation, which is, if you do not vote, Mamdani is going to win.” The Republican president opposes Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, who’s ahead in the polls. Cuomo said voters should look beyond political party and vote for him to save New York City from Mamdani. “It’s about saving the city, and that’s not being overly dramatic,” Cuomo said on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” which is one of Trump’s favorite TV news programs.
