Election results live updates: Tight NJ governor’s race too close to call, Youngkin flips Virginia
one remained too close to call the morning after.
Incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy narrowly trailed Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli heading into Wednesday morning with ballots — many of them vote-by-mail — in Democratic-rich areas yet to be counted.
With nearly 89% of precincts reporting early Wednesday morning, Ciattarelli held a tenuous lead in the contest to decide the next governor — 49.9% of the vote compared to Murphy’s 49.4%, according to The Associated Press.
In addition to the uncounted ballots, there were also about 700,000 early and mail-in votes to tally.
In Virginia, Republican Glenn Youngkin won the race to become the next governor on Tuesday. A businessman turned politician, Youngkin defeated Democrat and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in a come-from-behind win.
Meanwhile, history was made in local races across the U.S. Michelle Wu became the first elected female mayor of Boston and Democrat Eric Adams was elected New York’s second Black mayor, while Alvin Bragg became Manhattan’s first Black district attorney.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown appeared to win a fifth term Tuesday after lodging a robust write-in effort against India Walton, a trained nurse and activist whose socialist beliefs became a central issue in the race.
Brown, a Democrat who first took office in 2006, resorted to a write-in campaign after losing a June primary to Walton, a Democrat making her first run for office.
The effort, initially thought to be a longshot, appeared to be successful, though it won’t be official until the write-in votes are verified and mail-in ballots are counted.
Write-in candidates received 33,994 votes — about 59% of the total — with 98% of election districts reporting late Tuesday, according to the Erie County Board of Elections.
– Jon Campbell, New York State Team
Youngkin flips Virginia
An excited Glenn Youngkin claimed the governor’s office in Virginia by telling supporters he would pursue a transformation of the state’s economy and school system.
Red alert: Crushing defeat in Virginia could signal more bad news for Democrats ahead
Adams wins in NYC, Bragg takes Manhattan DA’s race
Retired police officer Eric Adams defeated underdog Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa on Tuesday to become the second Black mayor in the history of New York City. The mayor-elect promised to reflect the needs of working and middle-class voters of color.
Former federal prosecutor Alvin Bragg will become the first Black person to lead the Manhattan district attorney’s office after his win over Republican opponent Thomas Kenniff.
– Chelsey Cox
rejected a proposal to replace the city’s police department with a new Department of Public Safety, an idea that supporters had hoped would bring radical change to policing in the city where George Floyd’s death under an officer’s knee brought calls for racial justice.
The initiative would have changed the city charter to remove a requirement that the city have a police department with a minimum number of officers. Supporters said a complete overhaul of policing was necessary to stop police violence. Opponents said the proposal had no concrete plan for how to move forward and warned it would leave some communities already affected by violence more vulnerable as crime is on the rise.
Those opponents welcomed the amendment’s defeat but stressed the urgency of transforming policing in the city even without it.
“Tonight Minneapolis voters have made clear that we want a planful approach to transforming policing and public safety in our city that needs to include meaningful consultation with the communities that are most impacted by both violent crime and by over-policing,” said Leili Fatehi, manager of the All of Mpls campaign.
The ballot proposal had roots in the abolish-the-police movement that erupted after Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last year.
– Associated Press