Polls open in closely watched governors' races in US states of Virginia, New Jersey

By Ahmet Salih Alacac

WASHINGTON (AA) - Voters in the bellwether US states of Virginia and New Jersey headed to the polls Tuesday for what are seen as key off-year races for the states’ governors' seats.

Polling stations opened at 6 am local time (1100GMT) and are set to close at 7 pm in Virginia and 8 pm (1600-1700GMT) in New Jersey. The two contests — in states currently led by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Democratic Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey, neither of them seeking reelection — are expected to gauge both parties’ momentum ahead of the 2026 midterms, and some 10 months into President Donald Trump’s second term.

In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill holds a narrow 0.9-point lead over Republican Jack Ciattarelli, according to an Oct. 25-30 AtlasIntel poll. Former President Barack Obama joined Sherrill at a Nov. 1 rally as Democrats lead Republicans in early voting by 41 points, CNN reported.

In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger leads Republican Winsome Earle-Sears 56% to 44% in a Hill/Emerson poll.

Campaigning for the two Republican candidates, President Donald Trump hosted two tele-rallies on Monday to urge supporters to go to the polls.

Tuesday also includes a closely watched mayoral election in New York City, where frontrunner Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani faces former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.