Democratic socialist Zoran Mamdani will win New York’s mayoral election and become the city’s first Muslim mayor, polls predicted late Tuesday after voting closed in the closely watched race.
As of late Tuesday night, with 91% of votes counted, Mamdani, running as a Democratic candidate, had received more than 1 million votes in the mayor’s race, compared to about 850,000 votes for independent candidate Andrew Cuomo.
On the same day, Democrats won gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, and Californians voted to allow Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional maps.
Here are the key takeaways from local elections in the United States.
Test Trump’s popularity
Voting took place in states considered Democratic strongholds, and Democrats actually won the election.
The voting in various US states was the first since President Donald Trump’s second term began in January.
Off-year elections, held in years when there is no presidential election, are typically seen as an early litmus test for public opinion about how the government is doing and which party voters support.
According to NBC exit polls on Tuesday, 55% of New Jersey voters, 56% of Virginia voters, 69% of New York City voters and 63% of California voters disapproved of President Trump.
Off-year elections also serve as an early indicator of the outcome of next year’s midterm elections. Historically, around the time of midterm elections, the party’s support in the White House begins to wane.
Trump has taken a cautious stance ahead of the election. He was most vocal in the New York mayoral race, where opinion polls predicted an easy victory for Mamdani.
Before voting began, Trump endorsed New York’s former Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, called Mamdani a “communist” and even threatened to cut federal funding to the city if Mamdani won.
But that didn’t stop New Yorkers from voting for Mamdani. His 1,036,051 votes, with 91% of votes counted, were the highest for a New York City mayoral candidate since 1965, when Republican John Lindsay received 1,149,106 votes, according to city records.
Trump endorsed Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earl Sears, a candidate for Virginia governor, but did not name him. “I think the Republican candidate is very good, and the Democratic candidate is a disaster, so I think she should win,” he told reporters on Air Force One on October 20.
Late Tuesday, he appeared to dismiss any notion that voters might be rebelling against the administration, posting on his Truth Social platform: “Pollers say the two reasons Republicans lost tonight’s election were ‘Trump didn’t show up and the government shutdown.'”
Democrats won everything
Here’s a breakdown of what the results of each race will be.
new york mayoral election
With 91 percent of the votes counted, Mamdani was on course to win with 1,036,051 votes, or about 50.4 percent. Cuomo received 41.6% of the vote, with Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa far behind with just 7.1%.
new jersey gubernatorial election
With 95% of votes counted, Democratic Party candidate Mikie Sherrill had received 1,792,760 votes, or 56.2% of the vote. Republican Jack Ciatarelli received 43.2% of the vote. Sherrill will replace retiring Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.
Virginia gubernatorial election
Democrat Abigail Spanberger received 1,961,990 votes, or 57.5% of the vote, after 97% of the votes were counted. Republican Earl Sears received 42.3% of the vote.
Virginia also elected Democrat Ghazala Hashmi as lieutenant governor and Democrat Jay Jones as attorney general.
Some of the winning Democrats, including Mamdani, represented the party’s progressive wing, but Spanberger, a moderate, won in Virginia.
Other elections on Tuesday
Other votes included mayoral races in Cincinnati, Atlanta, Detroit and Pittsburgh, as well as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court race.
Democratic incumbents Aftab Pureval and Andre Dickens won in Cincinnati and Atlanta. In Detroit, Democrat Mary Sheffield won, becoming the city’s first female leader. Democrat Corey O’Connor won the Pittsburgh mayoral race.
Pennsylvania voters also voted to retain liberal Supreme Court Justices David Wecht, Christine Donahue and Kevin Dougherty.
mamdani night
Mamdani’s win marks several firsts for New York.
At just 34 years old, he is the first Muslim, first South Asian, and first African-born mayor.
His victory was greeted with much fanfare. “Tonight, against all odds, we grabbed it. The future is in our hands,” he told supporters in the crowd.
“My friends, we have overthrown a political dynasty. Tonight, New York, you have delivered a mission for change, a mission for a new kind of politics, and a mission for a city we can afford,” he declared.
Mamdani has vowed to deliver on campaign promises such as a rent freeze, free buses and universal childcare to serve all of the city’s diverse communities. “I’m talking about Yemeni bodega owners and Mexican abuelas and Senegalese taxi drivers and Uzbek nurses. I’m talking about Trinidadian line cooks and Ethiopian aunties…all the New Yorkers in Kensington and Midwood and Hunts Point,” he said.
The key issue of cost of living
Mamdani ran on a platform of promises including a free bus program, universal childcare, and a freeze on rent increases for rent-stabilized apartments funded by higher income taxes on the wealthy and higher corporate tax rates.
Sherrill campaigned on a promise to lower electricity bills. Electricity prices in New Jersey have increased 22% this year, making it the second-highest increase of any state after Maine. Sherrill promised to freeze electricity prices and make it easier to add new generators to the grid.
Mr. Spanberger’s campaign focused on Virginia’s cost of living. She promised to reduce housing, energy and health care costs, along with improving the state’s public schools.
California to redraw congressional districts
Californians voted for the amendment. The move would allow the Democratic-led state Legislature, led by Gov. Gavin Newsom, to implement new congressional district maps starting in the 2026 election.
With 71 percent of the votes counted, a majority of voters, 63.8 percent, voted in favor of the amendment.
California has always been a reliably “blue” state, but some rural areas in the Northeast often turn red. Under the redistricting plan set forth in Proposition 50, five of these districts could return to blue status in the next House election.
The proposal is in part a response to Texas’ mid-election redistricting, which could benefit Republicans and allow them to pick up five House seats in the 2026 midterm elections.
In June, President Trump pitched the idea to the Texas Republican Party, prompting Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special legislative session to redraw Texas’ congressional district maps. Redistricting took effect in the state in August.
After the vote, Newsom told reporters: “We stood firm against Donald Trump’s recklessness, and tonight, after we poked the bear, that bear roared with unprecedented turnout in a special election that delivered extraordinary results.”
