Mamdani‑Cuomo race draws Trump into New York City politics amid high‑stakes elections across US – live

12.59am GMT

The Mamdani election party is just kicking off at the Brooklyn Paramount as the final ballots are cast.

12.56am GMT

New Jersey Democrats file suit to keep polls open an extra hour in county with unfounded bomb threats
Democrats in New Jersey have filed a lawsuit to extend polling for one more hour in Passaic County after multiple unfounded bomb threats earlier today.
The Passaic County Democratic party has asked for polls to be extended until 9pm eastern time, with a court hearing expected on the matter imminently, the AP reports.
The county has 340,000 registered voters. It’s the only county not in California where the Justice Department sent election monitors.

12.22am GMT

We’re entering poll closing crunch time over the next few hours, with the final votes coming in for a slate of key races across the country.
At 8pm eastern, polls will close for New Jersey governor, the three Pennsylvania supreme court justices up for retention, as well as mayoral races in Atlanta, Detroit and Pittsburgh.
At 9pm eastern, polls close for the New York City mayoral race.
And at 11pm eastern, California will finish voting on Proposition 50, the effort to draw new congressional districts.

12.04am GMT
Polls close in Virginia

Polls have closed in Virginia, where Abigail Spanberger, the former Democratic congresswoman who is the party’s nominee for governor, and the Republican lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, are locked in a competitive race.

Updated at 12.41am GMT

11.58pm GMT

Tuesday is a big night for California’s term-limited governor who has not been coy about his presidential ambitions.
The Republican-Democratic redistricting fight has catapulted Newsom on to the national stage, and observers believe his political fortunes are tied to the success of the initiative. Here’s our dispatch below:

Gavin Newsom, the California governor, is on the verge of a potentially massive political victory that, just a few months ago, didn’t exist.
In August, a group of Texas Democrats fled their state to block Republicans from approving a rare mid-decade gerrymander to redraw congressional districts at Donald Trump’s urging. Altering the maps in the GOP’s favor would make it even harder for Democrats to take back control of Congress in the midterm elections next year. The Texas Democrats hoped their standoff would be a national call to action.
Newsom answered that call. He and his allies raced to introduce a retaliatory gerrymander, pushing the new congressional maps through the state legislature before sending them to the ballot for a high-stakes special election on Tuesday.
“It took a lot of courage for Governor Newsom to actually push for this,” said Texas state representative Nicole Collier, a leader of the Democrats’ summer walkout. “He worked with his delegation and now they’re taking it to the people and that’s what it looks like to be your brother’s keeper.”

Related: Could a win on California’s Prop 50 aid Gavin Newsom’s presidential hopes?

Updated at 12.07am GMT

11.32pm GMT

Voters trickled in and out of the main public library branch in Virginia’s state capital Richmond on Tuesday afternoon, with several saying that they view the state’s elections as a way to send a message to leaders in Washington.
“Voting is one of the ways we can comment on the system, and this is how we can say, hey, we want change,” said voter Rich G, 32. He had voted entirely for Democratic candidates, including Abigail Spanberger, the former congresswoman who is the party’s nominee for governor.
“I think when it comes down to it, people are looking for a lot more competency,” he said, noting he’d like to see more state investments in public housing and education.
In addition to the governor’s race, Virginians are voting for lieutenant governor, attorney general, and members of the house of delegates, among other positions.
Miki Edwards, a 30-year-old anesthesiologist, described a feeling of “uncertainty” with the economy and the direction of the state that pushed her to come out and vote.
“It’s hard to invest right now, it’s hard to set money aside,” she said, adding that she didn’t like to travel abroad any more because of how Americans were being viewed.
An independent who had voted for Republicans in the past, she voted only for Democrats today as a way to send a message to Washington.
“I think most of us are hoping that we’re voting for someone that will stand up for their constituents,” she said. “It does seem like a scary time right now.”

Updated at 11.42pm GMT

11.17pm GMT
Trump renominates Musk ally to lead Nasa

Donald Trump has announced he is re-nominating Jared Isaacman, an ally of Elon Musk, to head Nasa months after initially pulling his nomination after a “thorough review” of the private astronaut’s “prior associations”.
“This evening, I am pleased to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of NASA,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, TruthSocial. “Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era.”
Isaacman, a tech billionaire who has led two private spaceflights, was pulled from consideration earlier this year after a fallout with Musk, who had led the White House’s controversial Doge effort to downsize the US government.
At the time, the White House did not specify what it mean by “prior associations,” though there was some suggestion it was a reference to donations he made to Democrats.

Related: Trump reverses course to renominate billionaire Musk ally to lead Nasa

Updated at 11.30pm GMT

11.08pm GMT

On a mild late-morning in Los Angeles, more than a dozen people of varying ages and races waited in line to vote in California’s special election. The streets around the Cochran Avenue Baptist church were active, with people looking for parking on the narrow residential streets. For the church’s pastor, Charles Johnson, the election allows him and other Californians to ensure that their votes aren’t diluted.
“It’s time for Americans to say, ‘This is not right and it’s not acceptable’. It’s like we’re going back to when they said we’re three-fifths of a person,” Johnson, who voted yes on Prop 50, said. “So if we really think [Texas redistricting] is an isolated incident, no, this is an attack. Donald Trump is saying, ‘I can do what I want, I can make myself king, and you’re gonna lie down and take it.’”
Another voter, Brandon, said he had grown jaded when it comes to the power of voting, but at the behest of his grandmother, he turned out to vote Yes on Prop 50.
“I’m very jaded in regards to the political system,” he said. “I vote with my heart and my mind and leave it like that.”
Still, he came to vote in-person to ensure that his vote was properly counted. The process, he said, was smooth, and he felt good knowing that he could see his ballot being received in real time.
“I don’t know what happens when you mail your vote in,” Brandon said. “I would much rather see it go in the machine and get counted in front of my face so I can go about my business.”

Updated at 11.31pm GMT

10.49pm GMT
The day so far

Election day is happening. We’re bringing you the latest from some of the most pivotal contests, including the closely watched New York City mayoral race. Frontrunner and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, former governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and Republican outlier Curtis Sliwa all cast their ballots earlier today. Outgoing mayor Eric Adams cast his vote for Cuomo this afternoon, while Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (who has failed to endorse Mamdani) declined to reveal whom he has voted for. Polls are set to close at 9pm ET, but more people have already voted in this election than in the entire 2021 mayor’s race, according to city election data. The first results will come in shortly after the polls close, and will continue to come in throughout the night. We’ll bring you the latest from our reporters on the ground.
Earlier, Mamdani said he “will not be intimidated” by Donald Trump, as the president urges New Yorkers to vote for Cuomo. When asked by a reporter today about Trump’s comments on Truth Social that he plans to limit federal funds to the city if Mamdani wins, the Democratic nominee said that he will “will treat his threats as they deserve to be treated, which are the words of a president and not necessarily the law of the land”. Earlier, Trump also said that “any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self professed JEW HATER, is a stupid person!!!”
Meanwhile, in another Truth Social post, Trump seemed to defy his administration’s agreement to abide by a federal judge’s order, and issue partial payments to the 42 million Snap beneficiaries across the country, using the program’s contingency fund. During a press conference, Karoline Leavitt said the administration is “fully complying” with the court ruling. “The president does not want to have to tap into this fund in the future, and that’s what he was referring to in his Truth Social post,” Leavitt said. “The best way to get the full amount of Snap benefits to those beneficiaries is for Democrats to reopen the government.”
Also today, Leavitt said the president would continue to push Republican lawmakers to abolish the filibuster, as the government shutdown enters its 35th day, and is set to be the longest on record. Despite congressional GOP leaders refusing to scrap the filibuster, Leavitt was cryptic but hinted that Trump’s ambitions weren’t over. “I think you’ll see the president continue to engage very strongly and consistently with his friends on Capitol Hill,” she said. “You should stay tuned and keep your eyes on Truth Social on this matter, the president is making his position on it quite clear. And again, he is right. Republicans need to play tough.”
Former US vice-president, Dick Cheney, died on Monday, aged 84, according to a family statement. Cheney, the vice-president to former Republican president George W Bush between 2001 and 2009, was a key architect of the so-called “war on terror” after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and an early advocate of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. “History will remember him as among the finest public servants of his generation – a patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence, and seriousness of purpose to every position he held,” Bush said in a statement today. Notably, Donald Trump – a noted Cheney adversary – has yet to issue an official statement following the former VP’s passing. Flags, however, are flying at half-staff at the White House today.
And Democratic senator Alex Padilla announced earlier today he would not be running for California governor next year, ending months of speculation about the possibility of his looking to succeed Gavin Newsom. Padilla said that he appreciated the encouragement and support he had received from those who wanted him to run, but he would continue to serve in the Senate and fight Trump’s agenda in Congress. He told reporters on Capitol Hill: “I choose not just to stay in the Senate. I choose to stay in this fight because the constitution is worth fighting for. Our fundamental rights are worth fighting for. Our core values are worth fighting for. The American dream is worth fighting for.”

Updated at 11.53pm GMT

10.41pm GMT

The outgoing New York City mayor, Eric Adams, cast his vote for Andrew Cuomo at 5pm at an elementary school in Brooklyn, according to the New York Times.
Speaking briefly to reporters outside after, Adams said:

My vote is clearly for Governor Cuomo. We can’t go backwards. This city’s not a socialist city.

He added:

The only message I can give to New Yorkers as I go to the next leg of my journey: I’m leaving you a good city. Don’t mess it up.

10.13pm GMT
Schumer refuses to reveal whom he voted for in New York City mayoral race

Earlier today, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer declined to reveal whom he voted for in the New York City mayoral race.
At a news conference with other Democratic leaders at the Capitol, he was asked whether he had cast a ballot for Cuomo or Mamdani. Schumer, who voted early, told reporters:

Look, I voted and I look forward to working with the next mayor to help New York City.

While his House counterpart Hakeem Jeffries finally endorsed Mamdani last month and state governor Kathy Hochul gave the democratic socialist frontrunner her backing in September, Schumer has largely kept shtum on the mayoral race, declining to endorse a candidate.

Updated at 10.14pm GMT

9.59pm GMT

At the Sayreville Senior Citizen Center in New Jersey, Jessica Vant, 44, stood outside handing out pamphlets about the local school board election with her husband Eddie, 48. They both voted for Jack Ciattarelli for governor.
Vant, a realtor and substitute teacher, is running for the board in the Middlesex County town, and said her number one issue in the election concerns Policy 5756 - a statewide school policy to provide guidance on supporting transgender students - which she described was “erroneously” marked as mandatory when it was rolled out in 2017.
Parents have been challenging the policy both in court and in their own districts ever since, but Vant said that she’s running “in case we don’t have a governor like Jack.” At an August rally with the parental rights group Moms for Liberty in Jersey City, Hudson County view reported that Ciattarelli blasted the policy as “immoral,” “indecent,” “wrong,” and “dangerous”.

9.33pm GMT
Senator Alex Padilla says he won't run for California governor in 2026

Democratic senator Alex Padilla announced earlier today that he will not be running for California governor next year, ending months of speculation about the possibility of his looking to succeed Gavin Newsom.
“It is with a full heart and even more commitment than ever that I am choosing to not run for governor of California next year,” Padilla told reporters at an impromptu news conference on Capitol Hill.
He said while he appreciated the encouragement and support he had received from those who wanted him to run, he would continue to serve in the Senate and fight Trump’s agenda in Congress.

I choose not just to stay in the Senate. I choose to stay in this fight because the constitution is worth fighting for. Our fundamental rights are worth fighting for. Our core values are worth fighting for. The American dream is worth fighting for.

Recalling the time he was tackled to the ground and handcuffed by federal agents when he asked homeland security secretary Kristi Noem a question during a news conference about immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, an emotional Padilla said:

As alarming as that experience was, not just for me and our family, but for most people who have seen the video, countless people have told me, ‘I’m glad you’re fighting for us. I’m glad you’re there.’

Referring to Trump’s mass deportation agenda and tariff policy, he added:

I’ve tried to do my part in fighting against these attacks both here in Washington and back home in California. These are not normal times. We deserve better than this.

Updated at 9.38pm GMT

9.19pm GMT
Pope Leo calls for 'deep reflection' in US about migrants' treatment under Trump

Pope Leo has called for “deep reflection” about the way migrants are being treated in the US under Donald Trump’s administration and said the spiritual needs of those in detention needed to be respected.
Speaking to reporters in Castel Gandolfo, his residence outside Rome, the pope was asked about immigrants detained at a federal facility in Broadview, near Chicago, who have been refused the opportunity to receive holy communion, an important religious obligation.
Leo, who is originally from Chicago, cited Matthew’s gospel, chapter 25. “Jesus says very clearly at the end of the world, we’re going to be asked, you know, how did you receive the foreigner? Did you receive him and welcome him or not? And I think that there’s a deep reflection that needs to be made in terms of what’s happening,” the pontiff said.
“Many people who’ve lived for years and years and years, never causing problems, have been deeply affected by what’s going on right now,” he added.
Leo, the first American pope, has previously decried the federal government’s treatment of immigrants caught up in a hard-line crackdown that has roiled cities across the country.
In reference to the Broadview inmates, he said on Tuesday that the spiritual rights of detainees need to be considered. “I would certainly invite the authorities to allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs of those people,” he said. “Many times they’ve been separated from their families for a good amount of time; no one knows what’s happening, but their own spiritual needs should be attended to.”
Under Trump’s hardline approach in Chicago, the US Department of Homeland Security says more than 3,000 people have been held.

Updated at 10.05pm GMT

9.11pm GMT
Here's a recap of the day so far

Election day is ongoing throughout the country. We’re bringing you the latest from some of the most pivotal contests, including the closely watched New York City mayoral race. Frontrunner and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, former governor Andrew Cuomo who is running as an independent, and Republican outlier Curtis Sliwa all cast their ballots earlier today. Polls are set to close at 9pm ET, but more people have already voted in this election than in the entire 2021 mayor’s race, according to city election data. The first results will come in shortly after the polls close, and will continue to come in throughout the night. We’ll bring you the latest from our reporters on the ground.
Earlier, Zohran Mamdani said he “will not be intimidated” by Donald Trump, as the president urges New Yorkers to vote for Andrew Cuomo. When asked by a reporter today about Trump’s comments on Truth Social that he plans to limit federal funds to the city if Mamdani wins, the Democratic nominee said that he will “will treat his threats as they deserve to be treated, which are the words of a president and not necessarily the law of the land”. Earlier, Trump also said that “any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self professed JEW HATER, is a stupid person!!!”
Meanwhile, in another Truth Social post, Trump seemed to defy his administration’s agreement to abide by a federal judge’s order, and issue partial payments to the 42 million Snap beneficiaries across the country, using the program’s contingency fund. During a press conference, Karoline Leavitt said the administration is “fully complying” with the court ruling. “The president does not want to have to tap into this fund in the future, and that’s what he was referring to in his Truth Social post,” Leavitt said. “The best way to get the full amount of Snap benefits to those beneficiaries is for Democrats to reopen the government.”
Also today, Karoline Leavitt said the president would continue to push Republican lawmakers to abolish the filibuster, as the government shutdown enters its 35th day, and is set to be the longest on record. Despite congressional GOP leaders refusing to scrap the filibuster, Leavitt was cryptic but hinted that Trump’s ambitions weren’t over. “I think you’ll see the president continue to engage very strongly and consistently with his friends on Capitol Hill,” she said. “You should stay tuned and keep your eyes on Truth Social on this matter, the president is making his position on it quite clear. And again, he is right. Republicans need to play tough.”
Former US vice-president, Dick Cheney, died on Monday, aged 84, according to a family statement. Cheney, the vice-president to former Republican president George W Bush between 2001 and 2009, was a key architect of the so-called “war on terror” after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and an early advocate of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. “History will remember him as among the finest public servants of his generation – a patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence, and seriousness of purpose to every position he held,” Bush said in a statement today. Notably, Donald Trump – a noted Cheney adversary – has yet to issue an official statement following the former VP’s passing. Flags, however, are flying at half-staff at the White House today.

Updated at 9.35pm GMT

8.33pm GMT
Trump remains quiet about death of Dick Cheney

The president has yet to offer any comment – official or otherwise – about the death of Dick Cheney.
It’s worth remembering that Cheney became one of Trump’s sharpest critics. In the lead up to the 2024 election, the former vice-president said “there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic” that the current commander-in-chief.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said today that she didn’t believe the White House would be involved with any of the funeral planning, but that Trump was “aware” of Cheney’s passing, and pointed to the US flags being lowered to half staff “in accordance with statutory law”.

Updated at 9.40pm GMT

8.17pm GMT
Transportation secretary threatens to close off airspace if government shutdown continues

Sean Duffy, the Trump administration transportation secretary, has said the ongoing government shutdown could force him to close national airspace.
“You will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it, because we don’t have the air traffic controllers,” Duffy said at a press conference earlier, continuing to blame Democrats for the shuttered government.“We will restrict the airspace when we feel it’s unsafe.”
At the White House today, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that air traffic controllers continue “to work unpaid”, and “every single major airline” in the country is “begging the Democrats to please reopen the government”.

Updated at 8.20pm GMT

7.51pm GMT
The real Bill de Blasio casts his vote for Zohran Mamdani

After an erroneous article from The Times, which quoted a Long Island wine importer who shares a very similar name with the former mayor, the Bill de Blasio who the paper was really hoping to speak with cast his ballot for Zohran Mamdani today.
Decked out in a “Hot Girls for Zohran” T-shirt, de Blasio said that it was “one of the happiest votes I ever cast” in a post on social media.

Updated at 8.12pm GMT

7.33pm GMT

In Colts Neck, a bucolic town near the Jersey shore that voted for Jack Ciattarelli in 2021 (when he first ran for governor) and Donald Trump in 2024, at least one voter is bucking his community’s support for Republican candidates.
Two miles from a golf course owned by the president, retired federal worker John Stolz, 74, said he was voting for Mikie Sherrill for governor because, as a gay man, “the Republicans are going to hurt me”.
In October, Politico reported that a Ciattarelli campaign ally advocated for a ban on same-sex marriage in the Garden State. Ciattarelli reaffirmed his support for marriage equality, but did not condemn the comments. As a state assemblyman in 2012, Ciattarelli voted against a state bill legalizing same-sex marriage.
Marriage equality was legalized in New Jersey by a court ruling in 2013, and was later codified into law in 2022 by Governor Phil Murphy.

7.23pm GMT

It’s worth noting that the president’s posts on social media to end the filibuster come as the Senate failed to pass, for the 14th time, a stopgap funding bill to reopen the government.
It’s now day 35 of the shutdown – poised to be the longest on record.
By a vote of 54-44, the upper chamber didn’t clear the 60-vote threshold needed to advance the legislation.

Updated at 7.30pm GMT

7.13pm GMT
Press secretary says that Trump will continue to push abolishing the filibuster: 'This is the only option for Republicans to move forward'

When asked about Donald Trump’s insistence in recent weeks for Republican lawmakers to abolish the filibuster, despite congressional leaders refusing to entertain the idea, Leavitt was cryptic but hinted that it wasn’t over.
“I think you’ll see the president continue to engage very strongly and consistently with his friends on Capitol Hill,” she said. “I don’t have any meetings to read out for you at this time, but I think you should stay tuned and keep your eyes on Truth Social on this matter, the president is making his position on it quite clear. And again, he is right. Republicans need to play tough. We know that this is what the Democrats will do if they are ever given the keys to power again.”

Updated at 7.14pm GMT

6.55pm GMT
White House repeats Trump's baseless claims that voting in California is 'rigged'

Today, the White House press secretary repeated the president’s baseless claims that voting in California is “rigged”, and said that the administration is still working on an executive order that Trump telegraphed earlier this year which would seek to ban mail-in voting. A move that voting rights experts say is almost impossible, legally.
“It’s absolutely true that there’s fraud in California’s elections,” Leavitt said. “It’s just a fact. It is just a fact.”
She offered no proof to the question, posed by PBS News’ Liz Landers: “Rigged fraudulent ballots that are being mailed in the names of other people and the names of illegal aliens who shouldn’t be voting in American elections. There’s countless examples, and we’d be happy to provide them.”

6.45pm GMT
Leavitt clarifies that administration will make partial Snap payments, following Trump's contradictory social media posts

Karoline Leavitt confirmed today that the administration is “fully complying” with the court order by a federal judge to disperse partial Snap payments to beneficiaries, using a USDA contingency fund.
This comes after a Truth Social post earlier, in which Donald Trump said that funds will only be released after the government shutdown ends – apparently defying the judge’s ruling.
“We are digging into a contingency fund that is supposed to be for emergencies, catastrophes, for war, and the president does not want to have to tap into this fund in the future, and that’s what he was referring to in his Truth Social post,” Leavitt said. “The best way to get the full amount of Snap benefits to those beneficiaries is for Democrats to reopen the government.”

6.36pm GMT
White House says that it is 'continually pushing Mexico to do more' in tackling drug cartels

Karoline Leavitt said today that the White House is “continually pushing Mexico to do more to tackle the drug trafficking and the drug cartels within their country”. This comes as Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has denied reports that the US is planning to send troops into Mexico to confront the country’s powerful cartels, noting that she has repeatedly rejected such offers from Donald Trump.
“The president has obviously used the full range of executive options and his authorities to crack down on drug trafficking at our southern border and to designate these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations in additional actions as well,” Leavitt said.
She added that Trump has “a lot of respect for her as president of Mexico, and he also really appreciates the coordination that she has provided to the Trump administration”.

6.25pm GMT
Musk promotes his own tweet as anti-Mamdani ad

Elon Musk is leveraging X, the social media platform he owns, to push a last-minute anti-Mamdani message out to millions of the site’s users. One of Musk’s posts was also listed as an advertisement and used a feature on X that boosts reach to show more users the content.
“Bear in mind that a vote for Curtis is really a vote for Mumdumi or whatever his name is,” Musk said in the post that he pinned to the top of his profile and also appeared as an ad. “VOTE CUOMO!”
The Texas-based Tesla CEO attacked the Democratic candidate in several posts this week and suggested on Tuesday that New York City’s ballots were a “scam” – misrepresenting basic aspects of the city’s electoral system, such as candidates being nominated by multiple parties.
Musk, a top Republican megadonor who has also backed far-right parties abroad, previously criticized Zohran Mamdani as a “charismatic swindler” during an interview last week on Joe Rogan’s podcast.

6.18pm GMT

We’re waiting to hear from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is due to hold a briefing for reporters shortly.
We’ll bring you the latest lines as it happens.

5.50pm GMT

It’s 12.48pm in New York and the New York Times has noted that more people have already voted in this election than in the entire 2021 mayor’s race, and the polls don’t close until 9pm tonight.
Almost 460,000 New Yorkers cast ballots between 6am and noon, the City Board of Elections told the NYT. Added to the 735,000 early votes, the total number of votes cast so far stands at about 1.2 million. In 2021, when Eric Adams beat Curtis Sliwa, turnout was about 1.15 million.

5.41pm GMT

Flags are flying at half-staff at the White House this morning after the announcement of the death of former vice-president Dick Cheney. Despite being active on his Truth Social plaftorm today, Donald Trump has still yet to comment publicly on Cheney’s death, and the White House hasn’t issued a statement either.

Updated at 10.45pm GMT

5.13pm GMT

Here are the clips of Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo casting their votes in New York City’s mayoral election.
Much attention in the US and abroad will be on democratic socialist Mamdani, who is facing off against Cuomo, a former New York governor who is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary earlier this year, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
New York City’s voters are deciding the outcome of a generational and ideological divide that will resonate across the country as they choose the next mayor to run the nation’s largest city.

5.09pm GMT
Cuomo casts his ballot in Manhattan

According to the New York Times, Andrew Cuomo joked that he still hadn’t decided who to vote for as he arrived at his polling places on East 56th Street.
“I’m feeling very good,” the NYT quotes the independent candidate as saying later. “I feel that the momentum is on our side.” He said he thought high turnout would work in his favor and called the vote “the most important election of my lifetime”. The result will have huge implications for the future of the city and the Democratic party at large.
When pressed about receiving Donald Trump’s endorsement, Cuomo appeared to acknowledge that the president’s 11th hour backing was reluctantly given. “The president does not support me,” he said. “He opposes Zohran.”

Updated at 5.11pm GMT

5.02pm GMT

in London
Much has been made in the UK of the parallels between Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, and Zohran Mamdani, particularly the often very open prejudice they have experienced as politicians of a Muslim faith.
This has not been lost on Khan and his team, with a source close to the London mayor saying he hoped it would only be a temporary phenomenon if Mamdani is elected.
The source said: “The similarities between the attacks Mamdani has faced and what Sadiq has faced in elections, particularly in 2016 are uncanny.”
“Weaponizing Mamdani’s faith and linking him to terrorism and extremism is an old campaigning tactic, and one we’re all too familiar with here in London,” the source added. “The closer we get to the election, and the more his positive vision has connected with voters in New York City, the more divisive and desperate Mamdani’s opponents have become.”
“The mayor hopes that like in London, New Yorkers see through the politics of hatred and fear, and embrace Mamdani’s hopeful and optimistic vision for the future.”
In his first election campaign in 2016, Khan faced a campaign from his Conservative opponent, Zac Goldsmith, that was condemned by critics as, at times, clearly racist. Despite also being highly secular and liberal, Khan was also implicitly linked to Islamist terrorism, in his case the 2005 suicide bombings on London’s underground and bus network.

4.51pm GMT
Trump appears to defy judge's ruling on Snap benefits in Truth Social post

As part of a flurry of posts today on Truth Social, the president wrote that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) benefits, also known as food stamps, “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government which they can easily do, and not before!”
This message seems to defy his own administration’s agreement this week to abide by a federal judge’s order, and issue partial payments to the 42 million Snap beneficiaries across the country, using the program’s contingency fund.
Trump also said that Snap benefits were “haphazardly ‘handed’ to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need” under Joe Biden. During the previous administration, Snap payments did rise after Biden issued an executive order in 2021 that required the Thrifty Food Plan to adjust their guidelines to account for inflation. This led to a benefit increase of about $36 per person, according to the Network for Public Health Law.

4.27pm GMT
'I will not be intimidated by this president,' Mamdani says as Trump urges New Yorkers to vote for Cuomo

When asked by a reporter today about Donald Trump’s comments on Truth Social that he plans to limit federal funds to New York City if Zohran Mamdani wins, the Democratic nominee said that he will “will treat his threats as they deserve to be treated, which are the words of a president and not necessarily the law of the land”.
The progressive favorite also said the city deserves a mayor “who stands up for New Yorkers each and every day, not one who’s willing to sacrifice those New Yorkers so that they can stand up for themselves”.
“I will not be intimidated by this president. I will not be intimidated by anyone, because my job here is to serve the people of the city,” he added.

Updated at 5.59pm GMT

4.12pm GMT

My colleagues, Maya Yang, Will Craft and Andrew Witherspoon, have put together a useful guide as the results of the highly anticipated New York mayoral election start to trickle in later today.
They note that the first results will come in shortly after the polls close at 9pm ET, and will continue to come in throughout the night. In 2021, the Associated Press declared Eric Adams the winner around midnight.
New York had nine days of early voting which ended on 2 November. According to the city’s board of elections, there were more than 730,000 early votes cast.

Related: Live NYC mayoral election results: Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa face off

4.01pm GMT
Labor secretary says unemployment insurance is next concern as shutdown is poised to be longest on record

Lori Chavez-DeRemer said today that unemployment insurance, delivered by states, “will be the next thing that we have to be concerned about” as the shutdown enters its 35th day.
“The American workers deserve to know where their next paycheck is coming from, and the American economy deserves the American workers there,” she added.

3.43pm GMT
Johnson says that Republicans are appealing to a 'handful' of moderate Democrats to end the shutdown

When asked about the ongoing bipartisan conversations between senators, Mike Johnson said that he doesn’t know much about these meeting, but reaffirmed that he does not think “Chuck Schumer or Hakeem Jeffries will ever vote to reopen the government”.
“I know there are, we hope, we pray, a handful of moderate and centrist Democrats left in among the Democrats in the Senate, where the whole country is counting upon them,” Johnson added. “So we’re going above the heads of the so-called leadership, and we are appealing to the consciences of a handful of people in the Senate who want to do the right thing and just stop the pain, stop the pain for the American people.”

3.22pm GMT

Trump’s labor secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is now speaking at Johnson’s press conference. She, like the rest of the administration, has blamed Democrats for playing “political games”, and causing the government to shutdown.
“I am begging these Democrats to show up, do their job and open up this government. 35 days is far too long for the American people. Enough is enough,” she added.

3.11pm GMT
Johnson begins press conference paying tribute to late VP Dick Cheney

Republican House speaker Mike Johnson kicked off his press conference today by honoring Dick Cheney – the late former vice-president under George W Bush.
“As you know, Dick Cheney served as vice-president, he served as a secretary of defense, he served as a congressman, of course, from Wyoming, and as the youngest chief of staff to any president in the history of the country,” Johnson said. “And so the honor is certainly due to him, and our prayers go out to the family.”

Updated at 3.11pm GMT

3.04pm GMT
Trump calls any Jewish person voting for Mamdani 'stupid' and continues election day posts

The president continues to weigh in on the off-cycle election races across the country. A short while ago he posted on social media, saying “any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self professed JEW HATER, is a stupid person!!!”.
On Tuesday, the president waded into the New York mayoral race – where assemblymember Zohran Mamdani is the frontrunner and Democratic nominee – and begrudgingly said that New Yorkers had “no choice” but to vote for Andrew Cuomo – the former Democratic governor who is running as an independent.

Updated at 3.31pm GMT

2.49pm GMT
Government shutdown enters day 35, poised to be the longest on record

As the government shutdown enters its 35th day, it’s set to take over as the longest on record (outpacing the shuttering in Trump’s first administration in 2018).
In a short while we’ll hear from Republicans, when House speaker Mike Johnson holds a press conference. Later, we’ll also hear from Senate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. On Monday, majority leader John Thune – the upper chamber’s top Republican – said that he’s “optimistic” that there will be an “off-ramp” in the coming days.

2.28pm GMT
Mamdani casts his ballot in Queens

Democratic nominee for New York mayor and frontrunner, Zohran Mamdani, has cast his ballot at a high school in Astoria, Queens. He was joined by his wife, Rama Sawaf Duwaji. Mamdani told reporters at the polling site that he voted for himself, and “yes” on several housing proposals that are also on the ballot – including one which fast tracks the development of affordable housing projects in the city.

Updated at 2.56pm GMT

2.14pm GMT
Law enforcement responds to bomb threats at New Jersey polling sites

Voters in New Jersey are starting their election day with a notice posted by the state’s attorney general Matt Platkin about bomb threats in seven counties. There is now a razor thin margin in the race between congresswoman Mikie Sherril and businessman Jack Ciattarelli in the closely watched gubernatorial race, and disruptions to normal voting procedures could prove consequential.
Law enforcement is currently investigating and counties have already reopened some locations, while relocating others.

Updated at 2.24pm GMT

2.08pm GMT
Former president George W Bush pays tribute to his late VP Dick Cheney

Former President George W Bush, under whose administration Dick Cheney served two terms as vice-president, has issued a statement following Cheney’s death.
“History will remember him as among the finest public servants of his generation – a patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence, and seriousness of purpose to every position he held,” Bush said.
Bush recalled that he asked Cheney to join his ticket in 2000 after “enlisting him to help me find the best running mate”.
“In our long discussions about the qualities a vice-president should have – deep experience, mature judgment, character, loyalty – I realised that Dick Cheney was the one I needed,” Bush added. “I’m still grateful that he was at my side for the eight years that followed. Dick was a calm and steady presence in the White House amid great national challenges. I counted on him for his honest, forthright counsel, and he never failed to give his best. He held to his convictions and prioritized the freedom and security of the American people.”

1.35pm GMT

Donald Trump has no scheduled events today, per his official schedule. However, he has already posted on Truth Social, recirculating his new passion project – the elimination of the filibuster. This is the 60-vote threshold needed in Congress to end debate in the Senate and bring a bill to a vote. It’s the procedural measure that has inhibited passing a short term funding bill to keep the government open.
“It will be impossible for Republicans to get Common Sense Policies done with these Crazed Democrat Lunatics being able to block everything by withholding their votes,” Trump wrote in his post a short while ago.
He ended his post with his signature all-caps insistence:

TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER NOW, END THE RIDICULOUS SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATELY, AND THEN, MOST IMPORTANTLY, PASS EVERY WONDERFUL REPUBLICAN POLICY THAT WE HAVE DREAMT OF, FOR YEARS, BUT NEVER GOTTEN. WE WILL BE THE PARTY THAT CANNOT BE BEATEN - THE SMART PARTY!!!

Later, we will hear from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt at 1pm ET, when she holds a briefing with reporters.

1.09pm GMT

Trump isn’t on any of the cards today, but his presidency and policies are one of the key things people are voting on.
Democrats in the governor races in Virginia and New Jersey have made opposing the president key to their campaigns. The results may reveal what depth of opposition there is among voters.
Trump also gave a reluctant 11th-hour endorsement to former New York governor Cuomo over the Democratic nominee Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race last night, saying “whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice… [Cuomo] is capable of it, Mamdani is not!”
Mamdani, a rising star, has already been a target of Trump’s criticism.

Updated at 1.17pm GMT

12.31pm GMT
Dick Cheney criticized Donald Trump and said he would vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 presidential election

Given today’s polls, it is interesting to note too Cheney’s politics in his last years where he was a fierce critic of Donald Trump, particularly after the January 6 riots.
The once stalwart of Republican politics said in the 2024 president election that he would vote for Kamala Harris – having previously described Trump with the line: “There has never been an individual who was a greater threat to our republic.”
His daughter Liz Cheney had been the leading Republican critic and examiner of Trump’s efforts to stay in office after his 2020 election defeat, and the Capitol riot.
In 2022, he expressed “deep disappointment” in Republican party leadership, saying: “It’s not a leadership that resembles any of the folks that I knew when I was here for 10 years” and that “you can’t overestimate how important [January 6] is”.
Trump dismissed Cheney’s criticism last year, calling him an “irrelevant RINO” – Republican in name only. The current US president is yet to issue a comment on Cheney’s death.

Updated at 12.50pm GMT

12.00pm GMT
Cheney's legacy marked by Iraq invasion

Cheney was one of the most powerful vice-presidents, widely reported to wield great influence over the less experienced Bush.
In office on 11 September 2001, he took charge after the attacks on New York and Washington while Bush was hurried to safety. Hugely experienced and with no department to run, working with the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, an ally from the days of Nixon and Ford, he assumed policy control.
He believed the Bush administration “had an obligation to do whatever it took to defend America”.
Troops were soon in Afghanistan, fighting the Taliban and hunting al-Qaida. But Cheney’s place in history will be dominated by the decision to invade Iraq.
He was defense secretary during the first Gulf war, in 1990 and 1991, a swift campaign to eject Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. A decade later, Bush and Cheney’s public rationale for war was that the Iraqi dictator was linked to al-Qaida and thus 9/11, and possessed weapons of mass destruction. By March 2003, when US and coalition forces invaded, no proof had been found for either charge. They were soon proved false.
By February 2021, the official US death toll in Iraq was 4,431, with nearly 32,000 wounded. The toll in Afghanistan, where US troops still fought, was 2,352 with more than 20,000 wounded.
Analysts say since 2001 “at least 800,000 people have been killed by direct war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan”.
Read more about Dick Cheney’s legacy here.

Updated at 1.22pm GMT

11.25am GMT
Former US vice-president Dick Cheney dies aged 84 - family statement

The former US vice-president, Dick Cheney, has died aged 84, according to a family statement.
“Richard B. Cheney, the 46th Vice President of the United States, died last night, November 3, 2025. He was 84 years old,” Cheney’s family said in a statement quoted by The Hill and other media outlets.
“His beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were with him as he passed. The former Vice President died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.”
“For decades, Dick Cheney served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming’s Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States.
“Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing. We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.”
Cheney, the vice-president to former Republican President George W Bush between 2001 and 2009, was a key architect of the so-called “war on terror” after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and an early advocate of the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Updated at 11.47am GMT

11.07am GMT
US government shutdown ties record for longest in American history

The US government shutdown on Tuesday entered its 35th day, matching a record set during Donald Trump’s first term for the longest in history.
The last shutdown, which started in December 2018 and was brought about by disagreements over money to fund a wall along the US-Mexico border, lasted 35 days – the longest in American history (up until that point).
The toll of the current shutdown on ordinary Americans increases by the day. Food assistance for the poor has been halted for the first time and federal workers – from airports to law enforcement and the military - are going unpaid.
The Senate has voted more than a dozen times against a House of Representatives-passed stopgap funding measure, and no lawmakers have changed their position.
Trump’s Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate but need votes from at least seven Democrats to meet the chamber’s 60-vote threshold for most legislation.
Democrats are withholding their votes to extract an extension of some healthcare insurance subsidies.

10.57am GMT

Republicans and Democrats have entered a war in legislatures and courts to narrow the political battlefield of 2026 before a single vote is cast.
Normally, redistricting only occurs after the US census counts residents in each state every 10 years. A demand from Donald Trump to lock in more Republican-leaning districts in Congress, together with a changing legal landscape around partisan gerrymandering, set off a chain of mid-decade reapportionments.
Republicans hold control of the US House with a 219-213 margin, one of the smallest majorities in American history.
Three representatives have died in office – two Democrats and a Republican – who have yet to be replaced. Each was in a district considered safe for their party. The Democrat Adelita Grijalva of Arizona has won election but, controversially, has not yet been seated.
The Guardian’s George Chidi and Andrew Witherspoon used data from the Cook Political Report and local media to tabulate the aspirations of leaders in each state where redistricting before the 2026 midterms has been contemplated.

Related: Rigging the map? How power in US Congress could shift if both parties win their redistricting fights

10.45am GMT

Recent polling suggests that Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani has at least a 10 point lead over his opponents in the mayoral race: independent candidate, Andrew Cuomo, and Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa.
Atlas Intel poll ending 30 October shows Mamdani leading with 41% in support, compared to Cuomo with 34% support and Sliwa getting 24% support.

10.37am GMT
Trump reluctantly backs Cuomo for New York City mayor

Donald Trump has reluctantly endorsed Andrew Cuomo’s bid for the New York mayoralty.
Cuomo, the former Democratic New York governor and a long-term Trump critic, is running as an independent candidate after losing the party’s primary to Zohran Mamdani, who will become the city’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest in more than 100 years if he wins.
“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,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “I don’t want to send, as President, good money after bad.”
Trump’s comments echo those broadcast on Sunday during his appearance on CBS’s 60 minutes, in which he said: “It’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York, because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there.”
Mamdani has said that if Cuomo wins, he would be a “puppet” for Trump. “I think what scares me in this moment is the prospect of Donald Trump’s puppet becoming the (mayor),” he told NBC News.

Updated at 10.39am GMT

10.21am GMT

Former US president Barack Obama has offered to be a “sounding board” to New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani if his polling advantage turns into victory, according to reports.
Obama reportedly also praised the campaign Mamdani had run against his main independent rival, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, and the Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa. The call was first reported by the New York Times and then confirmed to Reuters by Mamdani’s spokesperson.
“Zohran Mamdani appreciated President Obama’s words of support and their conversation on the importance of bringing a new kind of politics to our city,” Mamdani’s spokesperson, Dora Pekec, said.
Mamdani, a state assembly member, has polled well ahead of Cuomo and Sliwa before Tuesday’s general election. A recent Atlas poll estimated Mamdani (40%) had about a six-point edge over Cuomo (34%) and a 16-point advantage over Sliwa (24%).

Updated at 10.22am GMT

9.56am GMT
Why might California redraw its congressional maps?

Texas redrew their maps to favor Republicans at Trump’s urging, one of several states that the president has pushed to use partisan gerrymanders to help the GOP hold seats in the House of Representatives in next year’s midterm elections.
For various reasons, only a handful of Democratic-led states can redraw their maps to offset the expected Republican gains, with California offering the best opportunity.
Because the state has an independent redistricting commission, voters will be asked to approve proposition 50, which would enact a new map that could allow Democrats to pick up five more House seats.
Backed by governor Gavin Newsom, polls have shown the proposition with a strong lead.

9.38am GMT
Why is Zohran Mamdani such a big deal?

New York City has probably the most high-profile mayor in the country, and in June, Mamdani, a 34-year-old state assemblyman and democratic socialist, won the Democratic primary in an upset over former governor Andrew Cuomo.
Though Cuomo remains in the race as an independent, polls show Mamdani with a formidable lead, and if he wins, his brand of left-wing politics will be given a prominent platform.

9.20am GMT

On Monday, the candidates for New York City mayor spent a frantic final day campaigning across the city. Zohran Mamdani, the frontrunner, whose campaign has been centered on affordability, has maintained a commanding lead, with most polls showing him leading by double digits.
The 34-year-old Democratic nominee, a state assembly member from Queens, began his Monday walking across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise. He was joined by the New York attorney general, Letitia James; the city comptroller, Brad Lander; as well as several city and state lawmakers and throngs of supporters.
He finished the walk at city hall, where he told a news conference that “we stand on the verge of ushering in a new day for our city”, and was scheduled to join volunteers before they began a final day of canvassing in Astoria, Queens, later in the day.
Andrew Cuomo, the former Democratic governor running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in June’s primary, kicked off the last day of the campaign with an interview on the Spanish-language radio station La Mega before heading to a campaign stop in the Bronx. He reportedly planned to visit all five boroughs on Monday.
Running a distant third has been Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate and founder of the Guardian Angels, a non-profit organization dedicated to “unarmed crime prevention”. According to social media, Sliwa spent part of Monday morning at Coney Island and was set to host a tele-rally in the evening.

Related: New York mayoral candidates campaign across city in final push before election

9.03am GMT
Americans go to the polls, with elections in New York City, New Jersey, Virginia and California

We are restarting our live coverage of US politics.
Americans are heading to the polls on Tuesday in a number of elections that will show where support for Donald Trump’s Republicans stands and whether Democrats have cause for hope.
Much attention in the US and abroad will be on Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor, who is facing off against former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary against Mamdani earlier this year, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
In California, voters could tear up their congressional maps to turn Republican districts into Democratic ones in an effort to counter gains the GOP is expected to make elsewhere after the party gerrymandered maps in states including Texas and Missouri.
Virginia and New Jersey will hold high-stakes gubernatorial and legislative elections that may serve as a proxy for voters’ views on the president.
We will bring you the latest news and reactions as election day unfolds.

Updated at 2.18pm GMT