Election as it happened: Democrats win in Virginia and New Jersey, Mamdani elected as New York's first Muslim mayor
Several major news outlets have called the race for Mamdani
11:40
What happened on Tuesday
The Democrats have swept the first major elections of Trump's term, elevating a new generation of leaders and giving the beleaguered party a shot of momentum ahead of next year's congressional elections.
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In New York City, Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, won the mayoral race, capping a meteoric and unlikely rise. And in Virginia and New Jersey, moderate Democrats Spanberger, 46, and Sherrill, 53, respectively, won the elections for governor with commanding leads.
Tuesday's contests offered a barometer of how Americans are responding to Trump's tumultuous nine months in office. The races also served as a test of differing Democratic campaign playbooks ahead of 2026.
The biggest practical boost to Democrats on Tuesday came out of California, where voters gave Democratic lawmakers the power to redraw the state's congressional map, expanding a national battle over redistricting that will shape the race for the US House of Representatives.
All three Democratic candidates emphasized economic issues, particularly affordability, an issue that remains top of mind for most voters.
11:38
Wall Street girds for life under Mamdani
Wall Street braced for change with the election of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City on Tuesday.
The victory is set to reverberate in the heart of global capitalism as financiers worry about the city's competitiveness and business appeal.
Investors watching the results of governors' races in other states were also analyzing wins by Democratic candidates, saying they could be seen as evidence of renewed strength for the party against Trump's Republicans ahead of next year's midterm elections.
Mamdani's win "will be an interesting experiment and we'll see how much he tries to really change New York City and how he is accepted," said Tim Ghriskey, senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder in New York.
Looking collectively at the New York City race and the Democratic victories in New Jersey and Virginia, Ghriskey said, "It's a fairly strong mandate against the administration in Washington."
Mamdani focused his campaign on affordability.
His agenda includes a rent freeze for rent-stabilized apartments, free bus service, universal childcare and city-run grocery stores.
His policies also include hiking taxes on New York City's wealthiest and raising the corporation tax, driving worries among the finance community that the city's competitiveness will suffer.
11.30
Trump posted as Mamdani gave his victory speech
Trump posted on Truth Social as Mamdani was speaking in New York.
11:29
Who are Mamdani's parents?
After Mamdani ended his victory speech, his wife Rama Duwaji and his mother and father joined him on stage.
Mamdani was born to Mahmood Mamdani, a professor of government at Columbia University and Mira Nair, an award-winning Indian filmmaker.
Nair's debut, 1988's "Salaam Bombay", focused on the street children of Mumbai.
In 2013, Nair told Reuters that the film, which won numerous awards and was nominated for an Oscar, was "almost impossible to make" due to stretched funds.
Once it was finished it put her "on the map" in the industry, she said.
"It is beyond words - so many people you don't even know who have been affected by this film," she said then.
His father Mahmood, who studies colonialism, was named among the top 50 thinkers in Prospect magazine's 2021 list.
11.25
What is 'Dhoom Machale,' the song Mamdani closed with?
Mamdani's team blasted the high-energy Bollywood track "Dhoom Machale" as he wrapped up his victory speech.
It could be seen as a nod to his heritage and a campaign that often drew on cultural pride.
The song is the title track of the hit Hindi film franchise "Dhoom" and loosely translates as "make some noise" or "raise the roof."
It is a millennial party anthem across India and is known for its driving beat and dance sequences featuring film stars Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif.
11:15
US has record number of women governors
The election of Spanberger and Sherrill means that a record 14 states will have female state governors, based on numbers from Rutgers' Center for American Women and Politics.
Of those 14 governors, four are Republicans and 10 are Democrats.
The longest-serving current governors are Kay Ivey, a Republican in Alabama, and Kimberly Reynolds, Republican in Iowa, who both took office in April 2017.
Now with Spanberger becoming Virginia's first female Governor, 33 states have now had a woman hold that office.
10:57
Recap: Obama offered to be a 'sounding board' for Mamdani
Former President Barack Obama called Mamdani on Saturday, offering to be a "sounding board" if Mamdani wins and praising his campaign.
But he continued his practice of making no formal endorsements in municipal elections.
When Mamdani secured the Democratic primary on June 24, progressives on the left were quick to throw their support behind him, but many Democrats were silent.
The different approaches reflect a deeper divide within the party – with some arguing it should embrace a more left-leaning economic populism and others wanting a more centrist path.
The two most high-profile democratic socialists, US Senator Bernie Sanders and US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both endorsed Mamdani's campaign.
10:48
Mamdani to Trump: 'Turn the volume up'
Unlike some of the other Democrats who won Tuesday night, Mamdani spoke directly to Trump, saying:
"Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you. Turn the volume up."
He added: "We will hold bad landlords to account because the Donald Trumps of our city have grown far too comfortable taking advantage of their tenants. We will put an end to the culture of corruption that has allowed billionaires like Trump to evade taxation and exploit tax breaks. We will stand alongside unions and expand labor protections because we know, just as Donald Trump does, that when working people have ironclad rights, the bosses who seek to extort them become very small indeed."
10:48
Mamdani: 'We step out from the old to the new'
"Standing before you, I think of the words of Jawaharlal Nehru," Mamdani said, referring to India's first prime minister.
"A moment comes, but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new. When an age ends and when the soul of a nation long suppressed finds utterance. Tonight we have stepped out from the old into the new. So let us speak now with clarity and conviction that cannot be misunderstood about what this new age will deliver, and for whom," he told the cheering crowd.
"This will be an age where New Yorkers expect from their leaders a bold vision of what we will achieve, rather than a list of excuses for what we are too timid to attempt. Central to that vision will be the most ambitious agenda to tackle the cost of living crisis that this city has seen since the days of fear of LaGuardia. An agenda that will freeze the rents for more than two million rent-stabilized tenants. Make buses fast and free, and deliver universal childcare across our city," he said.
"We will hire thousands more teachers. We will cut waste from a bloated bureaucracy... Safety and justice will go hand in hand as we work with police officers to reduce crime and create a Department of Community Safety that tackles the mental health crisis and homelessness crisis head on."
10:41
Mamdani: New York will protect immigrants, Black women and fight antisemitism
"In this moment of political darkness, let New York be the light," Mamdani said, promising the city would be a role model to protect the rest of the country.
"Whether you are an immigrant, a member of the trans community, one of the many Black women that Donald Trump has fired from a federal job, a single mom still waiting for the cost of groceries to go down, or anyone else with their back against the wall, your struggle is ours to. And we will build a city hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers, and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of anti-Semitism. Where the more than 1 million Muslims know that they belong."
10:29
Mamdani thanks 'Yemeni bodega owners' and 'Ethiopian aunties'
"New York tonight, you have delivered a mandate for change. A mandate for a new kind of politics. A mandate for a city we can afford. And a mandate for a government that delivers exactly that," Mamdani said.
Mamdani thanks Yemeni bodega owners, Senegalese taxi drivers and Uzbek nurses, Trinidadian line cooks and Ethiopian aunties, saying, "The next generation of New Yorkers who refuse to accept that the promise of a better future was a relic of the past. You showed that when politics speaks to you without condescension, we can usher in a new era of leadership."
10:27
Mamdani on Cuomo: 'Let tonight be the final time I utter his name'
"My friends, we have toppled a political dynasty. I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life. But let tonight be the final time I utter his name," he said.
10:23
Mamdani promises 'better day' for working New Yorkers
Mamdani started to speak after raucous cheers from the crowd:
"The sun may have set over our city this evening, but as Eugene Debs once said, I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity. For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands and fingers. Bruised from lifting boxes on the warehouse floor, palms calloused from delivery bike handlebars, knuckles scarred with kitchen burns. These are not hands that have been allowed to hold power. And yet, over the last 12 months, you have dared to reach for something greater. Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it. The future is in our hands."
10:10
What has Mamdani promised?
Mamdani's rise in popularity was fueled by his platform's focus on affordability - an issue Democrats struggled to address during last year's presidential race.
Here's the top-ticket items he is promising, according to his campaign website:
FREEZING RENT
Mamdani has pledged to immediately freeze all rent in rent-stabilized housing by strategically utilizing appointments to the Rent Guidelines Board.
FREE BUS RIDES
He has pledged to remove the fare on New York buses, while also taking measures to make the system run more efficiently.
FREE CHILDCARE
Mamdani has promised to make childcare free for children as young as six weeks and as old as five years, along with increasing wages for childcare workers.
CITY-OWNED GROCERY STORES
He is vowing to create a network of city-owned grocery stores that will not have to pay rent or property taxes, which he says will reduce overhead and pass savings on to customers.
HOW WILL HE PAY FOR IT ALL?
Mamdani says he will raise the corporate tax rate to match New Jersey's at 11.5%, something he says will bring in $5 billion. He says he will also charge a 2% tax on the wealthiest New Yorkers – those earning more than $1 million annually.
Cuomo has dismissed Mamdani's plans as fanciful, noting that Governor Kathy Hochul has ruled out tax increases
10:09
Cuomo: 'Tonight was their night'
In his concession speech, Cuomo noted that two million voters came out in New York, saying, "the largest number in modern political history cared enough to show up in a municipal election, and 42% voted for us on an independent line."
He said his vote was a modern record for an independent, noting it was just higher than his father Mario Cuomo got running as an independent against Ed Koch in 1977.
"It's also important to note that almost half of New Yorkers did not vote to support a government agenda that makes promises that we know cannot be met. We supported an economy of jobs, of opportunity, of entrepreneurship. That's what New York is, and that's what New York must remain," he said.
"We are a nation of laws, and we believe in law and order. And we need the police that keeps society safe. We will not make the NYPD the enemy."
He went on to congratulate Mamdani, and chided those who booed his opponent.
"Tonight was their night. And as they start to transition to government, we will all help any way we can because we need our New York City government to work. We wanted to work for all New Yorkers because our city is the greatest city in the world," he said.
9:15am
'Democratic women made history'
Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton celebrated the victories of Democratic women on Tuesday.
9:12am
Trump says Republicans lost because of the shutdown
The US President posted on Truth Social just after 10:00 pm ET.
9:07am
NYC: Next stop is City Hall, Mamdani says
Mamdani has posted a short video on X that shows subway doors opening to a City Hall station sign.
A voice is heard saying: "The next and last stop is City Hall."
9:05am
Quiet at the White House
The White House stayed quiet throughout the evening, with Trump's often-hopping Truth Social account inactive for hours as the election results came showing resounding victories for Democrats. Repeated requests for comment went unanswered.
8:58am
Mike Johnson comments on Mamdani win
House Speaker Mike Johnson warned Mamdani's victory would be a disaster for the whole country.
"Democrats in New York City have chosen a true extremist and Marxist, and the consequences will be felt across our entire nation. Zohran Mamdani's election cements the Democrat Party's transformation to a radical, big-government socialist party," Johnson said in a statement.
8:53am
Takeaways from election night
Tuesday's elections in Virginia, New Jersey, New York City and California were an early barometer of how some US voters view Trump's second term and the Democratic Party's efforts to revive its political fortunes.
Here are some key takeaways:
Moving toward the middle: Spanberger's decisive victory in the Virginia governor's race showed there may be some reward for Democrats who position themselves at the moderate center, while also illustrating the limits of Trump's MAGA movement. Spanberger's opponent was a strong supporter of Trump's agenda.
Trump factor: Though he wasn't on the ballot, Trump's influence was inescapable. The president's approval rating has dipped to the lowest point during his second term according to Reuters/Ipsos polling, with voters zeroing in on affordability concerns. In both Virginia and New Jersey, polls showed that more than a third of voters said that opposing Trump was a factor in their vote, and those people voted overwhelmingly for Democratic gubenatorial candidates. The two governors and Mamdani, projected to be the winner of New York City's mayor race, made standing up to Trump a core theme of their campaigns.
8:40am
How Mamdani responded to Trump's threats
During the campaign, Mamdani dismissed Trump's threats and promised to stand up to him on behalf of New Yorkers.
"What New Yorkers need is a mayor who can stand up to Donald Trump," Mamdani said during the October 17 debate. "And that's who I am, because I'm not funded by the same donors that gave us Donald Trump's second term, which isn't something that Andrew Cuomo can say."
But he's also been clear that there is room to work together.
"Donald Trump ran on three promises: he ran on creating the single largest deportation force in American history, he ran on going after his political enemies, and he ran on lowering the cost of living," Mamdani said during the October 22 debate.
"If he wants to talk to me about the third piece of that agenda, I will always be ready and willing. But if he wants to talk about how to pursue the first and second piece of that agenda at the expense of New Yorkers, I will fight him every step of the way."
8:39am
NY: Watch live as Mamdani supporters celebrate
Several major news outlets have called the race for Mamdani.
8:38am
Trump's threats against Mamdani
Trump, who hails from New York, has vowed to cut federal funding to the city if Mamdani, who he has dismissed as a "communist," wins the race.
"He is going to have problems with Washington like no Mayor in the history of our once great City," Trump said in a post.
In October, the president suggested he might deploy the National Guard to New York if Mamdani becomes mayor.
Since June, Trump has deployed National Guard troops to various Democratic-led cities in an expansion of the use of the military for domestic purposes.
The deployments aim to quell what Trump says are high levels of crime.
In July, Trump also said if Mamdani interfered with Immigration and Customs Enforcement's arrests of migrants who are in the country illegally, then "we'll have to arrest him."
8:33am
Democrat Zohran Mamdani wins New York City mayor's race, NBC News projects
8:26am
Sherrill wins race to be New Jersey governor
Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the race to be New Jersey governor, according to projections, in an election that served as another test of the appeal of Republican Trump.
Sherrill, a congresswoman and former Navy helicopter pilot, defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
Ciattarelli is a former state legislator and small business owner who sought to appeal to the nonwhite voters who shifted to Trump in last year's presidential election.
Sherrill accused Ciattarelli of being too beholden to the president, who endorsed him.
Both candidates focused on how to make New Jersey, one of the most expensive states in the country, more affordable. Sherrill has tied Ciattarelli to Trump's tariffs and to Republican cuts to healthcare, while Ciattarelli blamed Democrats for the high cost of living.
8:11am
New York hits highest voter turnout since 1969
New York City has seen the highest voter turnout since 1969, exceeding 2 million votes, according to the city's Board of Elections in a post on X featuring fireworks.
8:09am
Decision Desk HQ projects Mamdani wins NY mayoral race
Decision Desk HQ, a nonpartisan forecaster, projected Mamdani as the winner of the New York mayoral race, shortly after voting closed. Other news outlets had yet to name a winner.
7.28
Sherrill's supporters gather
Supporters of Mikie Sherrill, Democrat candidate for New Jersey governor, gather at an election night watch party in East Brunswick, New Jersey.
