Democrat New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy ekes out win over GOP challenger: LIVE UPDATES
In the Virginia governor's race, Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe Tuesday.
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Republican New Jersey state Senate candidate and truck driver Ed Durr is on the verge of defeating longtime Senate President Steve Sweeney in a sweeping victory that would upend Democratic Party leadership in the Garden State.
The 62-year-old Raymour & Flanagan truck driver holds a lead of more than 2,000 votes in a tight race for the state's Third District Senate seat.
"I didn’t beat him. We beat him," Durr said on "Fox News Primetime" late Wednesday. "The state of New Jersey, the people of New Jersey beat him. They listened to what I had to say and I listened to what they had to say, and it’s a repudiation of Governor Murphy [who] went and locked us down and ignored the people’s voice and senator Sweeney chose to do nothing for those 18 months," he said.
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Democrat New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy will hang onto his job by a thread Wednesday after a nail-biter of an election against GOP candidate Jack Ciattarelli.
The Associated Press called the race for the incumbent Wednesday after Ciattarelli carried a lead of just over 1,000 votes overnight. But the remaining ballots allowed Murphy to close that gap and remain the governor of the Garden State, despite a political environment that led to several major upsets for Republicans Tuesday, including in the Virginia governor's race.
"For almost four years now, our focus has not been on trying to do more for those who already have much, but to do much for those in the middle and at the bottom so that they have more opportunity," Murphy said in his election night remarks. "Our mission has been simple to build a state where every child, regardless of race or gender, creed or zip code, has the opportunity to live out their hopes and achieve their American dream."
New Jersey is counting ballots very slowly. A handful of counties have released small batches of vote this afternoon, but reporting is stagnant in Camden, Essex, and Union counties, where tens of thousands of ballots potentially remain. These counties are critical to the outcome of the race.
House Republicans will be pushing a "Parents' Bill of Rights," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Wednesday after Republican Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin won an upset against Democrat Terry McAuliffe in a campaign where schools were a major issue.
"We will soon unroll a 'Parents' Bill of Rights' It doesn't matter your wealth, the color of your skin. Once you have a child, it is no longer what you become. It is now what opportunity your children will have," McCarthy said. "You have a right to know what's being taught in in school. You have a right to participate. Education is the great equalizer. We are all created equal and we're going to make sure we make that happen across the country."
Among the major education issues in the Virginia election were critical race theory in schools and mask mandates. Loudoun County, Va., specifically became a hotbed of controversy and was one of several deep blue counties where Youngkin significantly outperformed former President Donald Trump, who lost the state by 10 percentage points.
Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.,
"Last night's victory in Virginia proves that the voices of parents matter. It proves that parents will not and cannot be silenced," she said.
"Education is at the forefront of voters' minds because it matters," she added. "It matters what our kids learn in school. It matters what books are in our school libraries. It matters what kids believe about their country. Most importantly, it matters what our kids believe they are capable of achieving."
Foxx slammed teachers unions and added that state and local governments should control education, and not the federal government. She also said Republicans plan to reject "leftist indoctrination" and "critical race theory." Foxx also said, "the days of caving to powerful union bosses are over."
In remarks to reporters after Republican Glenn Youngkin beat Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia gubernatorial race, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said Democrats in Congress did little to help McAuliffe win.
Specifically, Warner said, Democrats should have passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill weeks ago.
"Only in Washington could people think that it is a smart strategy to take a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure and prevent your president from signing that bill into law," Warner said.
Progressives have been holding the infrastructure bill hostage to ensure they get the level of spending and programs they want in Democrats massive reconciliation spending bill. They argue they're merely ensuring that President Biden's full agenda gets passed and that untrustworthy moderates don't tank reconciliation.
But Warner said Wednesday they may have also been annoying voters who want their roads and bridges fixed.
"The last couple months I've been appealing to my Democratic colleagues: Let's get the president the infrastructure bill," he said. "Not only in terms of the substance but also in terms of showing that we can govern in a pragmatic practical way."
On the campaign trail for McAuliffe, Warner said, "What I heard was... 'You guys got the White House, the Senate, the House, when are you going to get more things done?'"
Warner also made clear he supports also passing reconciliation, which is currently expected to cost at least $1.75 trillion. He said that despite spending concerns from some, the content of the bill should be popular.
"We also need to finish the second item on the agenda," Warner said. "I don't know Virginia voters of any stripe.. that don't think we ought to lower the cost of childcare, that don't believe that it's not fair that Americans pay five and ten times more for their drugs like insulin than folks in any other country."
But, the senator said, Democrats will also have to govern from the middle, and the strategy of some progressives in Congress has not been helping in states like Virginia.
"You can't win in Virginia if you only appeal to very liberal voters. That can work in certain other states, it doesn't work there," Warner said.
After a crushing defeat for Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia governor's race and a New Jersey gubernatorial election that is far too close for comfort for Democrats, it took only hours for different factions of the party to start hurling blame at one another.
"Hopefully progressives will get the wake-up call," a moderate Democratic source told Fox News Wednesday morning. As it became clear the Virginia race was closer than anticipated, there was mumbling among moderate Democrats that the left wing of the party may be going too far on issues from massive government spending to wokeism in education and other institutions, driving away suburban voters.
The Virginia victory was so jarring for Democrats because it's a state that President Biden won by 10 percentage points in 2020 and that they believed shifted to become safely blue with the explosion of the northern Virginia suburbs.
The New Jersey gubernatorial race, where incumbent Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy was winning by under 2,000 votes Wednesday morning, also was a major regression for Democrats. Biden won there by 15 percentage points.
Colin Strother, a Democratic strategist who was a longtime aide for moderate Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said both progressives and moderates deserve criticism – but it's the Biden administration that needs to get into gear for Democrats to hold onto their majorities in 2022.
"We need to end the circular firing squad and get to work. Our biggest obstacle to success is members of our own Democratic Party," Strother told Fox News. "We have one or two senators holding up big ticket items that we need to pass. We have a handful of the far left in the House who have never done anything acting like they dictate the agenda and the timeline for bills passing."
"Having said that, this all goes back to a lack of effective communication from the White House," Strother added. "We are not going to win this thing with the president in Delaware, the vice president missing in action, and our secretaries on personal leave… The Biden Administration and all those associated with it need to understand the election is going on right now. Everything they are doing or not doing is impacting our chances in 2022."
Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey took a narrow lead over Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli late Wednesday morning as more votes started to trickle in.
The GOP candidate carried a miniscule lead overnight, but Murphy took a lead of just over 1,700 votes when more votes were reported shortly before 10:30 ET. 88% of the expected votes have been counted.
The race is still too close to call with significant votes remaining in Camden, Essex, and Union counties, and in particular, significant mail and provisional vote left in Essex County, Fox News' Rémy Numa reports. These are expected to heavily favor the Democrat.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Wednesday morning the upset win by Republican Glenn Youngkin in Virginia's governor's race isn't going to affect Democrats' plans to pass their massive reconciliation spending bill and the bipartisan infrastructure bill in Congress, Fox News' Kelly Phares reported.
"No," Pelosi said when asked if the election will change the House's agenda.
Some moderates were warning that a failure to pass the infrastructure bill might be hurting McAuliffe, while progressives argued that Democrats needed to go big to energize their base to get out and vote.
Those debates are likely to continue with even more intensity with not only a GOP win in Virginia, but the outcome of the New Jersey gubernatorial race still in doubt.
Democratic Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe conceded the race to Republican Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday morning, after news organizations called the result overnight.
"While last night we came up short, I am proud that we spent this campaign fighting for the values we so deeply believe in," McAuliffe said.
"Congratulations to Governor-Elect Glenn Youngkin on his victory. I hope Virginians will join me in wishing the best to him and his family," McAuliffe added.
In Tuesday's New Jersey and Virginia governor races, Republicans massively outperformed nearly all expectations in results that would have been dismissed as nearly impossible by most observers just a few months ago.
Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin beat former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, after President Biden won there by more than 10 percentage points in 2020.
GOP candidate Jack Ciattarelli early Wednesday morning was leading incumbent Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy by about 1,000 votes with 88% reporting. Biden won that state by nearly 16 percentage points.
The race for governor in New Jersey remained too close to call early Wednesday as Gov. Phil Murphy’s Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli clings on to a slight lead.
The two waged tense campaigns and Murphy presented himself as a solid progressive. Ciattarelli tried to paint Murphy as out of touch with the average voter and was critical of his leadership during the COVID-19 epidemic.
The campaigns ended their Election Night parties without either claiming victory, NJ.com reported. Both struck optimistic tones with their supporters.
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Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin steps out onto the stage and declares victory in the race.
"We stand here this morning at this defining moment, a defining moment that yes started with two people on a walk, and a defining moment that is million of Virginians walking together," he said.
"Together we will change the trajectory of the commonwealth and friends, we are going to start that transformation on day one," he said.
He focuses on schools, a key issue in the campaign, promising to 'embrace parents, not ignore them' and "re-establish excellence" in schools.
He also says he will grow the economy with new jobs, he will cut taxes on gas, retirement, fund law enforcement and keep communities safe.
He promises Virginia will "no longer be a commonwealth of low expectations, we will be a commonwealth of high expectations."
"My fellow Virginians, this is our moment," he says.
Virginia Lt. Gov.-elect Winsome Sears is now addressing the crowd, and cites her immigrant background, and says she is living proof of how the country has moved forward since the Civil Rights movement when her father first came to the country.
"What you are looking at is the American dream, the American dream," she says.
Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin is expected to speak momentarily.
Virginia gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin speaks during a campaign event in McLean, Virginia, July 14, 2021. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo)
The Fox News Decision Desk can now project that Republican Glenn Youngkin will win the Gubernatorial race in Virginia, defeating Terry McAuliffe in a contest that was widely expected to go to the Democrat.
Youngkin ran a disciplined campaign, focusing on taxes, crime, and holding public schools accountable to parents, while McAuliffe largely campaigned on trying to tie Youngkin to former President Trump.
McAuliffe also called on President Biden, Vice President Harris, and former President Barack Obama to boost his fortunes in an effort that clearly fell short.
This photo from Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021, shows Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J., (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, Pool)
New Jersey's gubernatorial race is still too close to call late Tuesday night, a potential stunner in a state that was thought to easily lean towards incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.
Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli is outperforming expectations as results come in close to midnight Tuesday, despite most polls showing Murphy with a comfortable lead as election day neared.
The close race in New Jersey comes as the nation's other gubernatorial race in Virginia is also too close to call late into Tuesday, though Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin continued to hold a commanding lead in the race for most of the evening.
From Fox News' Houston Keene: Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe’s camp was left shell-shocked as Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin surged to a commanding lead in a state that President Biden won by 10 points just one year ago.
Youngkin emerged with a slim lead in the polls over McAuliffe heading into Election Day, foreshadowing his strong performance on Tuesday.
McAuliffe's election night party was initially buzzing with enthusiasm as supporters waited for polls to close. But that enthusiasm gradually shifted over the course of the night, as Democratic hopes for a swift victory melted away.
The room had largely emptied out even before Youngkin had addressed supporters at his own party.
Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Chris Piper said Tuesday that the statewide election between former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin ran smoothly.
Piper said, "Today was an overwhelmingly good day for Virginia," and that the election was "about as smooth as we could ask for," according to Richmond-based The Virginia Mercury.
Piper, who said 88,000 ballots had yet to be returned, said there was no update on that number as of Election Night, but assured that they would be counted if they arrive Friday by noon.
The New Jersey gubernatorial race is much closer than expected late into the evening. Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli is outperforming his expected vote in key counties, though a significant amount of Democratic leaning vote remains to be counted.
While Phil Murphy was expected to easily win a second term, this race may be a cliffhanger.
Glenn Youngkin now has a commanding lead in the Virginia gubernatorial race. There is still a significant amount of outstanding vote in highly populated counties.
The Fox News Decision Desk is not yet ready to make a projection.
McAuliffe comes out but does not concede the race, instead thanking his family and his campaign staff.
"We still got a lot of votes to count...we’re going to count all of the votes because every Virginian has a right to have their vote counted," he says.
Kamala Harris campaigned with McAuliffe. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
With Glenn Youngkin holding a clear advantage over Democrat Terry McAuliffe, some outlets are drawing attention to this quote from Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday.
"What happens in Virginia will in large part determine what happens in 2022, 2024, and on," she said.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe rallies supporters at a Canvass Kickoff event on November 02, 2021 in Falls Church, Virginia. (REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)
From a McAuliffe campaign aide to Fox News' Rich Edson:
“This race is still too close to call -- there is a substantial amount of early vote left to be counted, along with large numbers from places like Fairfax and Richmond & other urban areas where we have outperformed the rest of the state. We’re still monitoring what’s coming in. Only 7,000 Richmond votes have been reported so far. We are expecting 71,000+ votes overall to come in.”
With more than two thirds of the vote counted, Youngkin now has a clear advantage in the Virginia gubernatorial race.
McAuliffe needs to win roughly two thirds of the outstanding vote, but it is not clear that he will reach that goal. The Fox News Decision Desk is not yet ready to make a projection.
Democratic candidate Eric Adams won New York City’s mayoral election on Tuesday night, soundly defeating Republican challenger and "Guardian Angels" founder Curtis Sliwa in a race to determine who will lead the nation's most populous city.
Adams, the current Brooklyn borough president, was overwhelmingly favored to win the election since defeating 12 other Democratic candidates in a primary election over the summer. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by approximately seven-to-one in New York City.
The Republican Party has not seen a win in a Virginia statewide race in 12 years, but could potentially sweep all three races tonight.
Republicans are looking favorable in not only the gubernatorial race, but also the lieutenant governor's race and the attorney general race.
As votes continue to come in, Youngkin now has an advantage in the Virginia gubernatorial race. He has maintained his edge in statewide election day vote and in key rural counties.
The Fox News Decision Desk is not yet ready to project a winner.
Youngkin holds a slight lead over McAuliffe.
From Fox News' Margaret Ann Campbell: Here’s the latest from our Fox News Voter Analysis election survey on McAuliffe and Youngkin’s strengths among Virginia voters.
A majority of voters under age 45 support McAuliffe. He has a 16-point edge there. There's even stronger support for McAuliffe among women under age 45 – they give him a 27-point lead.
The middle-ground moderates give McAuliffe a similar lead -- 25 points there. Black voters always go solidly for the Democrat.
A large majority here supports McAuliffe, giving him a huge 74-point advantage. It is important to note that while McAuliffe has advantages among these groups, he’s running behind the support levels these groups had for the Democrat in the last governor’s race.That’s how Youngkin is making it a closer race than initially expected.
Let’s look at Youngkin’s strengths. Seniors were more likely than any other age group to vote early (prior to Election Day) -- more than half report voting in advance. Youngkin holds a 14-point advantage with that group.
This is a big increase in support from seniors since the 2017 gubernatorial contest. Another strong group for Youngkin is white men: he’s getting six-in-ten of them. About one-third of the electorate are white voters without a college degree.
Youngkin has a strong, 34-point lead among these working class voters.Finally, even stronger is Youngkin’s support from white evangelical Christians, a small, but cohesive group -- eight in ten are with him.
There is a battle going on for the fully one-half of voters who live in the suburbs. The hard-fought-for group gives a slight edge to McAuliffe.
It’s the eight o'clock hour on the East Coast, and while the Fox News Decision Desk says it’s too early to call this race, Republican Glenn Youngkin has a slight advantage over Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia gubernatorial race.
He is outperforming expectations on statewide election day vote and in key rural counties.Two months ago, McAuliffe was expected to handily win the contest in a state that President Biden won by 10 points, but Youngkin has gained momentum in recent weeks.
We are reviewing Virginia results with our Fox News Voter Analysis, and we’ll update you as learn more. We are also watching results in New Jersey, where polls don’t close for another hour. That contest, between Democrat Phil Murphy and Republican Jack Ciattarelli, has also tightened in the last month.
The state’s closely watched gubernatorial showdown is a key bellwether ahead of next year’s midterms elections, has drawn national attention.
Betting odds from http://ElectionBettingOdds.com
Per Fox News' Maxim Lott: Bettors are all but calling it! 88% for Youngkin:
It’s 8 pm on the East Coast, which means polls have just closed in the state of New Jersey.
It is too early to call this race between Democrat Phil Murphy and Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
Last summer, Murphy enjoyed a lead of almost 20 points, but that gap has narrowed to the single digits in recent weeks, as Murphy leaned on both President Biden and former President Barack Obama to help campaign for him in the final weeks.
We are watching this contest along with Virginia, where polls closed an hour ago, but which is also too early to call right now. We are reviewing Virginia results with our Fox News Voter Analysis, and we’ll update you as we learn more.
Polls will close in moments in New Jersey after a lawsuit by the ACLU to extend voting hours was denied.
Polls are due to close soon in New Jersey, but the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the League of Women Voters are suing to extend voting hours in New Jersey.
"We’re hearing reports of some polling locations turning away voters due to technical issues and delays," ACLU's New Jersey branch says in a statement.
"Delays caused by technical issues aren’t an excuse to deny voters their right to vote."
Fairfax County, which was on track to miss a self-imposed 8pm deadline for reporting its early vote ballots, will release a partial county of their early voter in-person ballot count, a state party official tells Fox News' Rich Edson.
They have to re-scan a portion of them and will release the portion of what they have completed soon.
Meanwhile, 44% said McAuliffe supports Biden too much
While McAuliffe campaigned with Joe Biden, Youngkin held no events with former President Donald Trump and really didn’t talk about him.
Yet 49 percent of Virginia voters think he supports the former president too much. 45% said the right amount, and 6% said too little.
For McAuliffe, 44% said he is too close to President Biden, 52% said the right amount and 5% said too little.
Per Fox News' Houston Keene: Fairfax county votes are delayed and won’t meet the self-imposed 8 p.m. deadline.
Campaign signs for Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin stand together on the last day of early voting in the Virginia gubernatorial election in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., October 30, 2021. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/
It’s 7 p.m. on the East Coast, which means polls have just closed in the state of Virginia.
The Fox News Decision Desk says it’s too early to call this race, between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin.
Two months ago, McAuliffe was expected to handily win the contest in a state that President Biden won by 10 points, but Youngkin has gained momentum in recent weeks.
We are reviewing Virginia results with our Fox News Voter Analysis, and we’ll update as we learn more.
We are also watching results in New Jersey, where polls don’t close for another hour. That contest, between Democrat Phil Murphy and Republican Jack Ciattarelli, has also tightened in the last month.
51% of voters think McAuliffe's attacks on Youngkin were unfair.
As the voting in Virginia continues, our Fox News Voter Analysis election survey gives us an early look at what voters are thinking about the governor’s race. This is based on interviews with over 2500 voters in Virginia.
Just more than half -- 51 percent -- say McAuliffe’s attacks on Youngkin were unfair.
For Youngkin, that number is 43 percent. A majority (57%) thinks his campaigning was fair.
Vice President Kamala Harris waves to the crowd along with Democratic gubernatorial candidate former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, left, during a rally in Dumfries, Virginia, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021. McAuliffe will face Republican Glenn Youngkin in the November election. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin and Democratic opponent former Governor Terry McAuliffe laid out substantially different visions for the future of the state’s economy as the state’s competitive race enters its final hours on Tuesday.
Both Youngkin and McAuliffe have positioned themselves as job creators who will lead Virginia to successfully rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, though each has struggled to separate themselves as the clear choice from an economic perspective.
A Fox News poll published Oct. 14 found Virginia voters were split 43-43% on which candidate was better equipped to handle the economy.
Click here for more from Fox Business on how their economic policies differ
Polls will close at 7pm ET in the Virginia gubernatorial race between former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin.
The face-off is seen as a key bellwether ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, when the GOP aims to win back majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate.
Virginia and New Jersey are the only two states in the nation to hold races for governor in the year after a presidential election. And that guarantees they both receive outsized attention across the country. Since New Jersey is a solidly blue state, Virginia – which remains competitive between the two major parties - grabs the lion’s share of the national spotlight.
Virginia counties can start counting absentee ballots beginning today at 3pm ET, meaning that counting is likely underway already across the state, according to the Associated Press.
It means that mail ballots can be counted and released on Election Night soon after the polls close at 7pm, meaning that we will have our first indication at that point of how the night might turn out.
Counties are expected to release the results of their mail ballots first, followed by early in-person votes and then the votes cast at polling places on Election Day.
Virginia voters at an Arlington polling site shared their thoughts and predictions on how Tuesday's gubernatorial race will end and why it's so close.
"I don’t think McAulliffe will lose – period," Takis Karantonis, a Democratic incumbent running for reelection on the Arlington County Board, told Fox News.
"We have delivered as a party here in Virginia." "We have a thriving commonwealth, excellent economy and we managed the COVID crisis very, very well," Karantonis continued. "I think we’re in good shape."
Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe headed into Tuesday's election at a near deadlock. Youngkin began the campaign polling far behind the former governor, but slowly closed the gap and edged into a slight lead in recent polls.
The Virginia Department of Elections announced Tuesday afternoon that people are not required to wear face masks at polling stations after some voters said otherwise.
“All voters to are encouraged to wear a mask when they go to their polling place, but you CANNOT be turned away because you don't wear one,” the department tweeted several hours after the polls opened.
In a tweet shared by Republican gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin, the Virginia Republican Party said there were “several reports” from voters who said they were told by poll workers that they had to wear a mask.
“To be clear, if someone is not wearing a face covering they may NOT be turned away or refused their right to vote,” the Virginia GOP tweeted.
American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp said he was personally instructed to wear a mask at his polling station.
President Biden declared Tuesday that Democrats are going to win the governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey but that his performance will have little to do with the outcome.
“We're gonna win. I think we're gonna win in Virginia,” the president said during a press conference in Glasgow, where he attended the COP26 climate change conference.
“I think we're going to win New Jersey as well,” he continued. “But look, you know, the off year is always unpredictable, especially when we don't have a general election going on at the same time. That's been the case up and down, you know, for a long time, especially as Virginia has turned more and more blue.
“But having said that, I don't believe and I've not seen any evidence that whether or not I am doing well or poorly, whether or not I've got my agenda passed or not, is going to have any real impact on winning or losing,” he added. “Even if we had passed my agenda, I wouldn't claim we won because Biden's agenda passed. But I think it's I think it's going to be very close.”
The campaign for Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin believes the results in a handful of high-population areas that could decide which way the state falls in Tuesday's election, and will be watching those returns closely after polls close 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Fox News is told the Youngkin campaign believes that if it improves on former President Donald Trump's numbers by 5% in Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Virginia Beach and Richmond, it will have the votes it needs to win statewide. All of those are largely urban or suburban areas where Youngkin has tried to woo voters by distancing himself from Trump's style of politics.
Further, Loudoun County specifically is a hotbed of debate over parents' role in schools and debates over critical race theory in classrooms. Youngkin centered his campaign on parents' rights in schools and promised to ban critical race theory in schools.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is hoping to make history as the first Democratic governor in the state to win reelection in 44 years after voters cast their ballots Tuesday.
Murphy, a progressive, is running against former Republican Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, a moderate. If Murphy wins, it will be the first time a Democratic governor in the state has won reelection since Brendan Byrne in 1977.
New Jersey has 1 million more registered Democrats than Republicans, but the state’s off-year gubernatorial cycle has often served as a referendum on the sitting president. In fact, the incumbent president’s party hasn’t won the New Jersey gubernatorial race since 1985.
Tuesday’s election, as well as the Virginia gubernatorial race between Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin, is expected to serve as a barometer for both parties heading into the 2022 midterm elections.
Virginia gubernatorial candidates Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin posted dueling campaign videos on social media in their final pitch to get out the vote before the polls close Tuesday evening.
“This election is about the direction of our Commonwealth and the nation,” McAuliffe tweeted Tuesday afternoon. “Don’t sit this one out. VOTE.”
McAuliffe included a video highlighting a speech by former President Barack Obama, who campaigned for the Democratic nominee earlier this month.
“If John Lewis wasn’t tired, we can’t be tired. ... So go out there and fight,” Obama said in the clip.
Youngkin, the Republican nominee, tweeted a video calling his campaign a “movement.”
“Virginians are standing up for the values that we hold dear,” Youngkin wrote Tuesday afternoon. “We are standing up for our families and for the future of our Commonwealth and our Country. Polls don’t win elections - votes do. GO VOTE TODAY!”
When Virginia election returns start to roll in shortly after 7 p.m. ET Tuesday, commentators, voters and campaigns will start looking for key indicators that could indicate their candidate is poised to win.
Fox News is told that GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin's campaign will be focusing on outperforming former President Donald Trump's 2020 totals by at least 5% in in a handful of key areas.
Those include Loudoun County, Fairfax, Virginia Beach and Richmond -- all of which are high population areas that Youngkin's campaign tried to woo voters in by distancing himself from Trump's style of politics.
The Youngkin campaign will be parsing returns for those indicators from its election night party in Chantilly, Va.
The campaign for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe will be looking through returns from its election night event in McLean, Va. It did not respond to a request for comment asking about what indicators it is looking for.
Another key indicator, according to Fox News' Rémy Numa, will be whether Youngkin is able to juice turnout in deep red rural counties. Further, Northamptom County and Prince Edward County are two bellwether counties to watch -- they've each aligned with the statewide winner in the past 10 gubernatorial elections.
FAIRFAX, Va. – A Virginia parent said Terry McAuliffe isn’t “open and honest” about issues regarding education.
“I don’t feel that McAuliffe is being as open and honest about the things that relate to school and the school system,” the parent, Allison, told Fox News. “That’s probably about my biggest issue.”
“McAuliffe was here before, and I really didn’t like all the things that were going on there,” the mother of three also said.
McAuliffe, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, has repeatedly said critical race theory isn’t being taught in Virginia schools. Meanwhile, the state’s Department of Education relies on and recommends a book that says teachers must embrace critical race theory, Fox News previously reported.
McAuliffe’s Republican opponent, Glenn Youngkin, said he’d ban the critical race theory from public schools if elected.
Another parent, Kate, said McAuliffe’s comment that parents shouldn’t tell schools what to teach “was the catalyst for his polling numbers going down so dramatically.”
"I, as a parent, think that parents are the only opinion that matters when it comes to our kids’ education,” she told fox News.
Education has been a hotly debated issue in the deadlocked election.
FAIRFAX, Va. – A Democratic voter said Terry McAuliffe is “perfect on education” and told Fox News that Glenn Youngkin took his opponent’s comments “out of context.”
“Unfortunately, Youngkin took a lot of [McAuliffe’s] stuff about education way out of context, and he’s made a huge number of parents angry,” the voter said. “And I think that that’s definitely going to hurt [McAuliffe].”
McAuliffe, a Democrat, previously said parents shouldn’t tell schools what to teach.Youngkin, his Republican rival, quickly leveraged the remarks.
McAuliffe later backtracked on his comments.
“The thing is, he’s great on education,” the voter told Fox News. “He’s perfect on education.”
“He was a good governor before,” she continued.
“Trump said ‘he’s going to tell him everything we tell him to do,’” the voter told Fox News. “And that’s very scary to me.”
Trump has not appeared in person at any of Youngkin’s rallies, and the candidate has kept distance from the former president.
Despite the hype around the races for chief executive of their states, voters in New Jersey and Virginia are voting for more than just governors Tuesday.
In Virginia, the offices of attorney general and lieutenant governor are both up for grabs. For the lieutenant governor, Republican state legislator Winsome Sears and Democrat state legislator Hala Ayala are facing off to become the first female to hold that office in Virginia history.
In the attorney general race, incumbent Democrat Mark Herring is working to fend off Republican state legislator Jason Miyares. Miyares, an ex-prosecutor, has played up the fact his family fled Cuba in 1965 and his life, which he says is an American success story. Herring, meanwhile, has attacked Miyares as out of step with left-leaning Virginia on issues like gun control and abortion.
If GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin wins his race and has long enough coattails, he could potentially pull the underdog Republicans across the finish line.
Virginia is also holding elections for local offices the state House of Delegates. Democrat legislative majorities helped the state pass several major victories for liberals in recent years, including gun control laws. Republicans are looking to chip away at that advantage.
New Jersey is also electing its lieutenant governor Tuesday, along with its state Senate and General Assembly.
Incumbent Democrat Sheila Oliver is running for reelection as lieutenant governor against GOP challenger Diane Allen.
FALLS CHURCH, Va. – A Republican voter said the left’s censorship reminds her of life during World War II.
“It reminds me of the second World War … because of the very aggressive people,” she told Fox News.
The voter specified that she was referring to censorship from the left, but declined to specify who, exactly, was aggressive “because you might get in trouble if you say something.”
Virginians head to the polls Tuesday to determine who will take control over the governor’s mansion. Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe were deadlocked heading into Election Day, with Youngkin holding a slight edge.
“I came to this country because things were wonderful when I came in 1960 and now it’s like going downhill,” the voter told Fox News.
LEESBURG, Va. – On the eve of the Virginia gubernatorial election, supporters of Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin piled into the Loudoun Parents Matter Rally at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds and told Fox News how they feel going into election day.
“Extremely confident, I am looking forward to tomorrow,” Anne, a Fairfax County mother, told Fox News.
Loudon County resident Steve Jones told Fox News: “Last year in our neighborhood we probably had 50% signs for [Donald] Trump, 50% signs for [Joe] Biden.”
“This year we see very few [Terry] McAullife signs and the Youngkin signs are everywhere,” he continued. “I mean they literally have got to be at least five to one and maybe even more … I see a lot more enthusiasm on the Republican side this time around. A lot more.”
Cheryl Onderchain, a mother of three, told Fox News: "You've got people here of all ages, a lot of parents for Youngkin signs.”
“Parents are fired up,” she continued. “Glenn’s our candidate. He's going to be our next governor."
With a wet and chilly forecast, voters in New Jersey and Virginia might consider bringing a rain jacket in case they have to wait in line to cast their ballots in the states' major gubernatorial elections Tuesday.
In Virginia, on-and-off showers are expected for much of the state into the afternoon. In Alexandria, Va., rain should continue for much of the morning with a high of 52 degrees at 10 a.m., according to FOX Weather. The rain should taper off in the late afternoon.
Farther south in Roanoke, Va., the rain should clear out by the early afternoon as temperatures hover in the low 50's, per FOX Weather.
Voters in Camden, N.J., can expect similar conditions, with temperatures in the low 50s and rain until about 3 p.m. Farther north in Newark, N.J., rain is not expected, though it will remain overcast into the early evening, according to FOX Weather.
Virginia was once a breeding ground for presidents. From George Washington to Woodrow Wilson, the Old Dominion has sent eight men to the White House, more than any other state in the country.
Today, Virginia is better known for the damage it can do to a presidency. With one exception, the state has chosen a governor from the opposite party of the current president at every gubernatorial election in the last 40 years. At best, a loss in Virginia generates a bad news cycle and anxiety about midterms for those in the Oval Office. At worst, it is a sign that the president’s days in power are numbered.
Statistics like these and a late polling surge should give Republican challenger Glenn Youngkin some confidence going into election night. But the one exception mentioned above is Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who won his first term as governor in 2013, following former President Obama's second victory in 2012.
McAuliffe, now seeking his second term, entered the race as favorite in a state that has leaned blue during the Trump era, and has enjoyed the consistent support of the Democratic machine. Even so, he leaves the trail lagging in the latest Fox News Poll and therefore more uncertain than ever about his political future.
The results in a handful of key counties will decide the fate of the two candidates.
President Biden and Democrats in general will be watching the Virginia election returns closely Tuesday to see if Republican Glenn Youngkin can pull off a shock win over Democrat Terry McAuliffe.
Amid tanking poll numbers for Biden and worries among Democrats that they won't be able to hang onto their narrow congressional majorities in 2022, a McAuliffe loss could send the party's political apparatus into panic mode.
For some, the panic already has started.
"The Virginia gubernatorial election is way too close for comfort, but it hasn’t yet sparked the kind of mass Democratic panic and flurry of organizing that we saw in the California recall election last month," the "What a Day" email newsletter by the progressive Crooked Media said last month. "Consider this a friendly invitation to commence your productive freakout."
One of the things Democrats are concerned may drive voters to Youngkin is their failure to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill. Progressives in Congress stymied efforts by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Biden both in September and October to pass the bill. They were demanding more work on Democrats' massive reconciliation spending bill first.
Congressional Democrats are back this week trying to come to a deal both bills. But if McAuliffe loses, some have speculated it would make it less likely moderates will vote for reconciliation -- a tough vote that would tie them to an unpopular president.
For Republicans, meanwhile, a Youngkin win could provide a blueprint for how they can take back the House and Senate in 2022.
The GOP nominee focused on schools and social issues in an effort to get parents behind his campaign and make inroads with crucial suburban voters. Youngkin also walked a tightrope when it comes to former President Donald Trump: Discreetly distancing himself from that brand of politics while trying to avoid directly rebuking the former president or his false election conspiracy theories.
Trump's continued presence as the leader of the GOP puts Republicans in moderate districts in a tough spot. But if that strategy can work for Youngkin in Virginia, it could work in a lot of other places too.
A defeat for Democrats in Virginia could also spur more retirements among Democrat congressional incumbents, cause vulnerable Democrats to potentially try to distance themselves from Biden and force the party to reassess whether it wants to focus so much on Trump going forward.
Virginia's deadlocked gubernatorial battle between former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin is firmly in the national spotlight.
The commonwealth, a one-time general election battleground that’s still very competitive between the two major parties, is one of only two states that hold races for governor in the year after a presidential election, guaranteeing outsized attention from coast to coast. And the state’s gubernatorial contest is seen as a key barometer ahead of next year’s midterm elections, when the Democrats will be defending their razor-thin margins in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
"On Tuesday, people will be looking at it as a bellwether of what is to come," Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the number-three House Democrat, said last weekend as he campaigned with McAuliffe.
The latest polls indicate a margin-of-error race between McAuliffe and Youngkin, a first-time candidate and former private equity CEO, in a state that President Biden carried by 10 points last November and where Republicans haven’t won statewide in a dozen years.
But Virginia’s election for governor is just one of many interesting showdowns in the 2021 ballot from coast to coast.
Voters are headed to the polls in both Virginia and New Jersey Tuesday in key gubernatorial races that may be a bellwether for the 2022 midterm elections and the Biden presidency.
Polls opened at 6 a.m. in both states. They will remain open until 7 p.m. in Virginia and 8 p.m. in New Jersey.
Republican Glenn Youngkin is facing Democrat former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in Virginia, and has significant momentum largely thanks to his campaign's focus on schools and support among K-12 parents. But it's been years since a Republican won statewide in the increasingly blue commonwealth.
Playing second-fiddle Tuesday is the gubernatorial race in the even farther-left New Jersey, where Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli is aiming to unseat Democrat incumbent Phil Murphy.
The race is expected to be much closer than President Biden's blowout against former President Donald Trump in 2020 thanks to a much more challenging political environment for Democrats. But it's not exactly considered a toss-up like the Virginia race.
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on May 1, 2018 (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Former President Donald Trump spoke with supporters in Virginia via a "tele-rally" on Monday evening right before the critical Virginia governor race, encouraging his "great, giant, beautiful base" to vote for Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin.
"This is your chance to break the grip on the radical Left, that they have on the commonwealth," Trump said in the phone call. "You can send a very strong message to Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, AOC plus three. You’ve got to send a message to this really corrupt media."
"Tomorrow, I’d like to ask everyone to get out and vote for Glenn Youngkin. He’s a fantastic guy," the former president added.
Joe Biden won Virginia by ten points last year, and McAuliffe has repeatedly attacked Youngkin by tying him to Trump.
While McAuliffe brought President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Barack Obama out to campaign with him, Youngkin has mostly focused on Virginia issues, and he did not bring Trump to Virginia.
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Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin gestures as he speaks to supporters during a rally in Chesterfield, Va., Monday, Nov. 1, 2021 (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin told Fox News on Monday that his campaign expects to do "really well" in Tuesday’s highly anticipated gubernatorial race against Democrat Terry McAuliffe, offering a message of unity in a final push to energize voters ahead of the critical showdown.
Youngkin told "The Story" host Martha MacCallum that his campaign expects a "surprisingly good" turnout among early voters, despite the process usually favoring Democrats by large margins in the past.
"Historically early voting has been 75 to 80% Democrats," Youngkin said, "so for us to be so strong in the early voting just reflects the fact that there’s not any enthusiasm on my opponent's side."
The Republican candidate spent the weekend touring the furthest reaches of Virginia’s southwest corner, which included a prayer breakfast, a worship service, a barbecue at the home of a powerful state lawmaker, a meet-and-greet, and an evening get-out-the-vote rally in Abingdon.
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