N.J

Nov. 4 (UPI) — As voters across the country headed to the polls Tuesday, Democrats running in high-profile races are on track to be sent to governor’s mansions in New Jersey and Virginia and the mayor’s office in New York City.

New York City

Zohran Mamdani was poised Tuesday night to be the next mayor of New York City, besting former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a race that was closely watched nationwide, including by President Donald Trump.

Mamdani, a 34-year-old state lawmaker who ran as a democratic socialist, was projected to win the mayoral contest against Cuomo, who ran as an independent and with the last-minute backing of Trump, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the volunteer Guardian Angels crime prevention organization.

According to preliminary results from the city’s board of elections, Mamdani held 50.3% of the vote, representing more than 972,000 ballots cast. Cuomo was in second with 41.6% and Sliwa at third with 7.1%.

Mamdani claimed victory in a short video posted to X of a subway car coming to a stop at City Hall.

The race was largely a rematch of June’s Democratic primary where Mamdani beat Cuomo for the party’s nomination in a contest that was seen as a fight between the party’s progressive and establishment wings.

Mamdani’s platform included implementing a rent freeze, making bus transit free, offering free childcare for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years and raising the corporate tax rate while taxing the wealthiest New Yorkers at a flat 2%.

Cuomo ran on his extensive experience as a former governor of the state and prioritized improving public safety, including surging subway transit police. In contrast to Mamdani, Cuomo presented himself as a business-friendly centrist who could work with Trump, who injected himself late into the race.

Trump, who endorsed Cuomo Monday, has repeatedly called Mamdani a “communist” and said if he wins, “it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing federal funds, other than the very minimum required, to my beloved first home.”

Virginia

Former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, claimed victory Tuesday night over Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to become the commonwealth’s 75th governor and first woman to hold its highest office.

Speaking to supporters during an election night watch party in Richmond, Spanberger vowed to serve all Virginians, including those who did not vote for her.

“And that means I will listen to you, work for you and with you,” she said.

“That is the approach I have taken throughout my entire career. I have worked with anyone and everyone regardless of political party to deliver results to the people that I serve. And that is because I believe in this idea that there is so much more that unites us as Virginians and as Americans than divides us,” she said.

“And I know — I know in my heart — we can unite for Virginia’s future and we can set an example for the rest of the nation.”

According to preliminary state results, Spanberger received 56.3% of the vote share for 1.2 million ballots compared to Earle-Sears’ 43.2%, or roughly 968,100 votes, with 107 out of 133 localities reporting.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, was among the first to comment on Spanberger’s victory, telling Virginians that she “won’t let you down.”

“Tonight, Virginians came together to send a resounding message that folks are ready to stand up for our freedoms and fight for our future,” he said in a statement on X.

“In the face of all the chaos from Washington and the attacks on our democracy, Abigail Spanberger brought people together around a vision for a better, more affordable future for Virginia.”

Polls closed at 7 p.m. EST.

She will replace Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who was barred by Virginia’s unusual constitutional limit on governors being elected to consecutive terms.

Democrats are hoping a win by Spanberger will further cement Virginia’s blue state status ahead of next year’s midterm elections, ABC News reported.

“It is only in Virginia and New Jersey that we have statewide elections where we can prove to the rest of the country — when given, when we have an opportunity to make a change at home in our state, we will take it,” Spanberger said at a recent campaign rally.

“We know the stakes of this election, and we know what we are for. We are for a governor focused relentlessly on lower costs on housing, healthcare and energy.”

Trump, meanwhile, did not officially endorse Earle-Sears, but on Monday he urged Virginia Republicans to show up to the polls, according to The Washington Post.

“Get out and vote for these unbelievably great Republican candidates up and down the line,” he said in a telephone call with supporters.

If elected, Earle-Sears would have been the first Black woman to serve as governor in any state.

New Jersey

In New Jersey, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, claimed victory in a race against Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who ran in his third bid for governor.

Sherrill, speaking to supporters in East Brunswick, said her opponent conceded defeat.

“This was a tough fight and this is a tough state, but I know you, New Jersey, and I love you,” she said during her victory speech.

“I fought for you, I’ve spoken with thousands of you over the last year. I know your struggles, your hopes, I know your dreams. So serving you is worth any tough fight I have to take on and I’m incredibly honored to be your next governor.”

The traditionally blue state had a larger share of red voters than typical in the 2024 election, and Trump lost the state by 6 points, down significantly from the nearly 16 points he lost by in 2020.

Trump endorsed Ciattarelli, but didn’t campaign for him in person. Trump did take part in a telephone rally on Monday night, MSNBC reported. He also put his weight behind the Republican in multiple Truth Social posts, including one geared toward Lakewood, N.J.’s Orthodox Jewish population on Sunday.

“Your votes in this Election will save New Jersey, a State that is near and dear to my heart,” Trump wrote, saying they “will rue the day” they voted for Sherrill.

Hours into voting Tuesday, officials shut down polling stations throughout New Jersey and moved voting to new election sites after receiving bomb threats via email. Law enforcement said the threats involving polling places in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Passaic Counties were not credible.

Former President Barack Obama, meanwhile, campaigned in support of Sherrill, speaking at a rally in Newark on Saturday.

“If you meet this moment, if you believe change can happen, you will not just elect Mikie Sherrill as your next governor, you will not just put New Jersey on a brighter path, you will set a glorious example for this nation,” he said, according to the New Jersey Monitor.

Ballot measures

On the West Coast, Californians voted for what could be the most consequential ballot measure this year as they decide whether to adopt a new congressional map that is designed to give Democrats an edge in the midterm election. Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed the redistricting in retaliation to a new electoral map in Texas that favors Republicans.

Proposition 50 would redraw the congressional map to make five districts more Democratic-leaning, potentially neutralizing the effects of the new Texas map. Democrats across the country, including Obama, have supported Newsom’s plan as a way to counter Republican gerrymandering in predominantly red states.

“We have a chance at least to create a level playing field in the upcoming midterm elections,” Obama told Prop 50 supporters on a campaign call.

California Republicans, however, accused Democrats, themselves, of gerrymandering, with U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley calling it a “plague on democracy,” according to ABC News.

“I think it takes power away from voters, undermines the fairness of elections and degrades representative government,” he said.

Other key races

Pennsylvania voters will vote on whether to retain three Democratic justices on the state supreme court for new 10-year terms. The court’s 5-2 Democratic majority could be at stake.

Voters in the Houston area will vote in a special election to fill the U.S. House seat for Texas’ 18th Congressional District. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee died in 2024 and the winner of the seat in the 2024 general election, former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, died three months into office.

Tuesday’s race is a primary, which will eventually go into a runoff.

NEW YORK — Voters were casting ballots in high-stakes elections on both coasts Tuesday, including for mayor of New York, new congressional maps in California and governor in both New Jersey and Virginia, states whose shifting electorates could show the direction of the nation’s political winds.

For voters and political watchers alike, the races have taken on huge importance at a time of tense political division, when Democrats and Republicans are sharply divided over the direction of the nation. Despite President Trump not appearing on any ballots, some viewed Tuesday’s races as a referendum on him and his volatile second term in the White House.

In New York, self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, 34, was favored to win the mayoral race after winning the Democratic ranked-choice mayoral primary in June. Such a result would shake up the Democratic establishment and rile Republicans in near equal measure, serving as a rejection of both former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a more establishment Democrat and Mamdani’s leading opponent, and Trump, who has warned that a Mamdani win would destroy the city.

On the eve of voting Monday, Trump threatened that a Mamdani win would disrupt the flow of federal dollars to the city, and took the dramatic step of endorsing Cuomo over Curtis Sliwa, the Republican in the race.

“If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Monday.

A vote for Sliwa “is a vote for Mamdani,” he added. “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!”

Mamdani, a Ugandan-born naturalized U.S. citizen and New York state assemblyman who already defeated Cuomo once in the primary, has promised a brighter day for New Yorkers with better public transportation, more affordable housing and high-quality childcare if he wins. He has slammed billionaires and some of the city’s monied interests, which have lined up against him, and rejected the “grave political darkness” that he said is threatening the country under Trump.

He also mocked Trump’s endorsement of Cuomo — calling Cuomo Trump’s “puppet” and “parrot.”

Samantha Marrero, a 35-year-old lifelong New Yorker, lined up with more than a dozen people Tuesday morning at her polling site in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn to cast her vote for Mamdani, whom she praised for embracing people of color, queer people and other communities marginalized by mainstream politicians.

Marrero said she cares deeply about housing insecurity and affordability in the city, but that it was also “really meaningful to have someone who is brown and who looks like us and who eats like us and who lives more like us than anyone we’ve ever seen before” on the ballot. “That representation is really important.”

And she said that’s a big part of why people across the country are watching the New York race.

“We’re definitely a beacon in this kind of fascist takeover that is very clearly happening across the country,” she said. “People in other states and other cities and other countries have their eyes on what’s happening here. Obviously Mamdani is doing something right. And together we can do something right. But it has to be together.”

Elsewhere on the East Coast, voters were electing governors in both Virginia and New Jersey, races that have also drawn the president’s attention.

In the New Jersey race, Trump has backed the Republican candidate, former state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli, over the Democratic candidate, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, whom former President Obama recently stumped for. Long a blue state, New Jersey has been shifting to the right, and polls have shown a tight race.

In the Virginia race, Trump has not endorsed Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by name, but has called on voters to “vote Republican” and to reject the Democratic candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a 46-year-old former CIA officer whom Obama has also supported.

“Why would anyone vote for New Jersey and Virginia Gubernatorial Candidates, Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, when they want transgender for everybody, men playing in women’s sports, High Crime, and the most expensive Energy prices almost anywhere in the World?” Trump recently wrote on Truth Social, repeating some of his favorite partisan attacks on Democrats from the presidential campaign trail last year.

At a rally for Spanberger in Norfolk, Va., over the weekend, Obama put the race in equally stark terms — as part of a battle for American democracy.

“We don’t need to speculate about the dangers to our democracy. We don’t need to wonder about whether vulnerable people are going to be hurt, or ask ourselves how much more coarse and mean our culture can become. We’ve witnessed it. Elections do matter,” Obama said. “We all have more power than we think. We just have to use it.”

Voting was underway in the states, but with some disruptions. Bomb threats disrupted voting in some parts of New Jersey early Tuesday, temporarily shutting down a string of polling locations across the state before law enforcement determined the threats were hoaxes.

In California, voters were being asked to change the state Constitution to allow Democrats to redraw congressional maps in their favor through 2030, in order to counter similar moves by Republicans in red states such as Texas.

Leading Democrats, including Obama and Gov. Gavin Newsom, have described the measure as an effort to safeguard American democracy against a power grab by Trump, who had encouraged the red states to act, while opponents of the measure have derided it as an anti-democratic power grab by state Democrats.

Trump has urged California voters not to cast ballots by mail or to vote early, arguing such practices are somehow “dishonest,” and on Tuesday morning suggested on Truth Social that Proposition 50 itself was unconstitutional.

“The Unconstitutional Redistricting Vote in California is a GIANT SCAM in that the entire process, in particular the Voting itself, is RIGGED,” Trump wrote, without providing evidence of problems. “All ‘Mail-In’ Ballots, where the Republicans in that State are ‘Shut Out,’ is under very serious legal and criminal review. STAY TUNED!”

Both individually and collectively, the races are being closely watched as potential indicators of political sentiment and enthusiasm going into next year’s midterm elections, and of Democrats’ ability to get voters back to the polls after Trump’s decisive win over former Vice President Kamala Harris last year.

Voters, too, saw the races as having particularly large stakes at a pivotal moment for the country.

Michelle Kim, 32, who has lived in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn for three years, stood in line at a polling site early Tuesday morning — waiting to cast her vote for Mamdani.

Kim said she cares about transportation, land use and the rising cost of living in New York, and appreciated Mamdani’s broader message that solutions are possible, even if not guaranteed.

“My hope is not, like, ‘Oh, he’s gonna solve, like, all of our issues,’” she said. “But I think for him to be able to represent people and give hope, that’s also part of it.”

Lin reported from New York, Rector from San Francisco. Times staff writer Jenny Jarvie in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Oct. 24 (UPI) — The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday that it will monitor some polling sites in California and New Jersey “to ensure transparency.”

Both states are having elections on Nov. 4.

“Transparency at the polls translates into faith in the electoral process, and this Department of Justice is committed to upholding the highest standards of election integrity,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi in a press release. “We will commit the resources necessary to ensure the American people get the fair, free, and transparent elections they deserve.”

The California counties where the department plans to monitor the polls are: Kern, Riverside, Fresno, Orange and Los Angeles. It will also monitor polls in Passaic County, N.J.

While election monitoring is not unusual, the two states listed are Democratic strongholds.

The effort will be overseen by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and will be led by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon.

“The Department of Justice will do everything necessary to protect the votes of eligible American citizens, ensuring our elections are safe and secure,” Dhillon said in a statement. “Transparent election processes and election monitoring are critical tools for safeguarding our elections and ensuring public trust in the integrity of our elections.”

Civil Rights Division personnel will be available to take questions and complaints from the public on possible violations of federal voting rights laws, the release said.

Two residents of Mount Holly, N.J., make their way along a flooded street after intense tropical rainfall in 2011. Today, National Weather Service forecasters in the Mount Holly office say flooding threatens the Delaware River waterfront, Camden and Gloucester County lowlands, and the Atlantic City area. File Photo by John Anderson/UPI | License Photo

Oct. 12 (UPI) — Thousands of people in New Jersey are without power Sunday as a strong nor’easter sweeps across the region with heavy, flood-producing rains that are forecast to last into Monday morning.

Along with major coastal flooding in the region, forecasters are warning residents of the potential for wind gusts of up to 60 mph.

The state’s Jersey Shore area is a particular concern and could experience major flooding, forecasters say.

The storm system’s damaging winds will strengthen as it approaches New York, and a “High Wind Warning” has been issued for eastern Long Island and the Jersey Shore from today into Monday.

In New Jersey, forecasters say rising water could bring heavy flooding in areas along the Delaware River waterfront, Camden and Gloucester County lowlands, the Atlantic City area and in communities along Delaware Bay.

Weather forecasters warn that residents in the region could see more downed trees and wind gusts that could lead to more power outages. New York City could see wind gusts of up to 50 mph later Sunday, as well.

Philadelphia could experience moderate to major flooding in tidal zones, especially during high tides Sunday night, forecasters said.

Meanwhile, Atlantic marine conditions are forecast to be severe, with gale to storm-force winds, rough seas, and dangerous surf and rip currents along beaches.

A storm called a nor’easter is a weather system that churns along the East Coast of the United States with winds that typically come from the northeast. These storms may occur at any time of year but are most frequent and most destructive between September and April.

Oct. 1 (UPI) — A civilian working at a U.S. Navy base in New Jersey is accused of falsely reporting an active shooter to create a “trauma bond” with her co-workers.

Federal court documents indicate Malika Brittingham is accused of sending a text to someone in which she claimed to have heard five or six gunshots and was hiding in a closet with some coworkers at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey on Tuesday morning, WPVI-TV reported.

“This kind of senseless fear-mongering and disruption will not be tolerated,” interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba said in a social media post on Tuesday, as reported by Military.com.

“After everything this country has gone through, especially in light of current events,” she continued, “I will be sure to bring down the hammer of the law for anyone found guilty of creating unnecessary panic and undermining public trust.”

The landlocked naval base is located about 40 miles northeast of Philadelphia in New Jersey’s Burlington and Ocean counties.

The individual who received the text at about 10:15 a.m. EDT reported it to the naval base and 911.

The base initiated an hour-long lockdown at about 11 a.m. until the “all clear” was sounded shortly before noon.

Brittingham said she sent the text after receiving an emergency notification that announced the lockdown.

Investigators determined her statement was not true based on the timing of the text that she sent versus those of the calls to the base and 911 and the emergency notification being issued, ABC News reported.

Brittingham then admitted to the hoax and told investigators that “she carried out the hoax because she had been ostracized by her co-workers and hoped that her shared experience in response to an active shooter would allow them to ‘trauma bond,'” according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey.

Brittingham worked for the Naval Air Warfare Center and was arrested on Tuesday afternoon.

Aug. 21 (UPI) — Hurricane Erin’s effects have triggered state-of-emergency declarations in New Jersey and North Carolina as the storm system moves along the East Coast.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon, while North Caroline Governor Josh Stein declared one on Tuesday that remains in effect.

“Over the past couple of days, we have seen the effects of Hurricane Erin along the Jersey Shore in the form of dangerous rip tides,” Murphy said in a news release.

“As the storm moves past New Jersey over the next 23 hours, we are expecting high surf and rip currents, coastal and flash flooding, and a high erosion risk in parts of the state,” Murphy added.

North Carolina officials expect similar conditions to continue there after Hurricane Erin already has impacted Hatteras Island.

“Dangerous conditions, including rip currents and coastal flooding, are expected through the weekend,” Stein said in an online announcement on Thursday.

“With flooding peaking tonight, please avoid driving on roads with standing water,” he added.

An evacuation order was issued on Tuesday for residents and others along the Outer Banks.

Stein said state officials are monitoring the situation, and an emergency response team is working to keep roads clear and people safe.

Among emergency preparations, the North Carolina National Guard is on standby, and the state’s emergency response team has search-and-rescue teams ready to deploy if needed.

State Highway 12 on Hatteras Island is closed due to extensive ocean overwash and dune breaches in multiple locations, according to Dare County, N.C., officials.

The northern ends of Hatteras Village and Buxton, and along Pea Island, are especially impacted by the hurricane.

North Carolina Department of Transportation crews are working to clear sand and water from the state highway and repairing damaged dunes.

The highway will stay closed until NCDOT officials say it’s safe to travel on the roadway.

The Category 2 Hurricane Erin had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph while positioned 370 miles east-northeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., late Thursday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Erin is moving northeasterly at 20 mph and away from the East Coast, but its effects include storm surges of between 2 feet and 4 feet and related flooding along coastal areas from North Carolina to Sandy Hook, N.J.

The storm system also is creating dangerous rip tides alongmuch of the East Coast, which makes swimming very dangerous.

Aug. 19 (UPI) — A Russian national living in New Jersey has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years for his role in helping the Kremlin illegally acquire ammunition and sensitive dual-use electronics, the Justice Department said.

U.S. District Judge Hector Gonzalez sentenced Vadim Yermolenko, who is in his mid-40s, in a Brooklyn courtroom Monday to 30 months in prison for his role in the international procurement and money laundering scheme.

“The defendant lied to banks, facilitated the illegal export of ammunition and sensitive technology and evaded income taxes, all as part of a global procurement and money laundering network operated on behalf of the Russian Government,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella of the Eastern District of New York said in a statement.

“Today’s sentence should send a message to all who would consider abusing the financial system to commit crimes on behalf of foreign nations: This office will find you, prosecute you and, if you are convicted, seek a significant prison sentence.”

Yermolenko pleaded guilty to several conspiracy charges, including conspiracy to commit bank fraud and to defraud the United States.

Prosecutors said Yermolenko was connected to Serniya Engineering and Sertal LLC, Moscow-based procurement companies under the direction of Russian intelligence services that also operated shell companies and bank accounts in the United States and worldwide.

Serniya, as well as other companies and individuals involved in the scheme, were sanctioned by a handful of countries amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, including the United States.

Yermolenko was accused of working with co-conspirators to unlawfully purchase and then export U.S.-controlled electronic components, some of which are used in the development of nuclear and hypersonic weapons.

He admitted to establishing several shell companies and bank accounts for the scheme in the United States. Prosecutors said more than $12 million passed through accounts under his control that he failed to report to the Internal Revenue Service.

Co-conspirator Nikolaos Bogonikolos was previously sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges in the scheme. A second co-defendant, Alexey Brayman, is awaiting sentencing. He has also pleaded guilty.

“Through a sophisticated network of shell companies and bank accounts, Yermolenko laundered more than $12 million and purchased highly sensitive military equipment for Russia — aiding Russia’s military and intelligence agencies in violation of U.S. laws,” IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Harry Chavis said.

“Yermolenko’s greed and misplaced foreign allegiance created a potential threat to our national security and law enforcement’s collaboration on this case ensures that our communities are safe from this potential vulnerability.”

July 14 (UPI) — A New Jersey state of emergency went into effect Monday night as heavy rains drenched the Eastern United States, causing flash flooding, including in New York City.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement the state of emergency went into effect at 8 p.m. EDT “due to flash flooding and severe thunderstorms across the state.”

“I urge New Jerseyans to exercise caution, follow all safety protocols and remain off the roads unless absolutely necessary.”

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for Newark Liberty International Airport due to the weather.

Mayor Jonathan Busch of Metuchen, located in Middlesex County, said on social media that the borough was “experiencing significant flooding.” Local police had closed multiple roads and were transporting stranded motorists to the local high school, he said.

In New Providence, local officials were warning residents to stay home, even though the rain had stopped.

“Historic rainfall, please stay in and off the roads,” Mayor Al Morgan said on Facebook.

In New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was reporting on X that multiple subway lines were suspended due to flooding. Videos circulating online showed water flowing like a river through subway stations and into occupied cars.

New York City Emergency Management said flash flood warnings were in effect for all five boroughs. It said New York City was being lashed with heavy rains and up to 2 or more inches of rain may fall “quickly.”

“Flooding can be deadly and often strikes with little or no warning,” it said.

“If you live in a basement apartment or low-lying area, be ready to move to high ground. Keep your Go Bag near the door and clear exit paths.”