Election 2021 Live: Phil Murphy reelected NJ governor, NYC chooses a new mayor
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Former police captain Eric Adams easily won the race for New York City mayor, but Phil Murphy just narrowly won reelection for New Jersey governor on Wednesday.
RESULTS
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NEW YORK CITY
NYC MAYORAL RACE
Democratic Eric Adams easily won the race for New York City mayor.
Former New York City police captain and Brooklyn Borough president Eric Adams, a Democrat, was heavily favored over Republican Curtis Sliwa in Tuesday's race to become the next mayor of the biggest U.S. city.
Adams, who will be the city's second Black mayor, ran as a moderate in a crowded primary field.
Sliwa, founder of 1970s-era Guardian Angel anti-crime patrol, conceded the race, saying he would support the new mayor.
WATCH | Eric Adams' full victory speech:
MANHATTAN DA'S RACE
Civil rights lawyer and former federal prosecutor Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, is projected to become Manhattan's first Black district attorney after defeating Republican attorney Thomas Kenniff.
Bragg was heavily favored in a part of the city where Democrats drastically outnumber Republicans.
He will succeed retiring District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and take on high-profile cases including the prosecution of former President Donald Trump's company and its longtime finance chief on tax fraud charges.
Bragg has promised to improve transparency and trust and look to alternatives to prosecution for some low-level offenses.
Kenniff, a former prosecutor, had said he'd be a "more traditional" tough-on-crime prosecutor.
NYC COMPTROLLER RACE
Brad Lander, a three-term New York City councilman, is projected to win the New York City Comptroller race against Republican Daby Carreras.
"New Yorkers voted overwhelmingly for a just and equitable recovery, a thriving city that works for all neighborhoods, and one that's more prepared for crises to come. As New York City's next Comptroller - our budget watchdog, pension fiduciary, and chief accountability officer - I'll fight hard every day to build that city," Lander said.
STATEN ISLAND BOROUGH PRESIDENT
Vito Fossella, a Republican former congressman who left office over a decade ago, won election Tuesday to a local office in Staten Island.
Fossella left Congress in 2009 following a 2008 drunken driving arrest and revelations he had fathered a child during an extramarital affair in Virginia. At the time, he was New York City's only Republican in Congress.
Fossella defeated Democrat Mark S. Murphy in the race for borough president of heavily Republican Staten Island.
He gave a victory speech at the Staten Island GOP headquarters and declared, "It's good to be back!" Murphy conceded the race.
Fossella received a key endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who remains popular in some parts of the Republican-leaning borough.
CLICK HERE to find out more about the candidates and ballot proposals.
LONG ISLAND
NASSAU COUNTY EXECUTIVE
Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman declared victory over Democratic incumbent Laura Curran.
"We went against a very, very popular well-funded incumbent," Blakeman said. "And we're in a great position right now."
In a statement overnight, Curran said she's not conceding and that many votes still needed to be counted.
"There are many thousands of absentee ballots that still must be counted, with more coming in," she said. "This is not over, and we must trust the process. Every Nassau resident who participated in this election is owed the opportunity to have their voice heard. I have faith in Nassau County and the good work we have accomplished over the last four years. The residents of Nassau have taught a masterclass in resilience, and I have plenty in reserve. We may not know the winner of this election, but I do know one thing - tomorrow, we get right back to work delivering for the incredible residents of Nassau County."
NASSAU COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Republican Anne Donnelly defeated Democrat Todd Kaminsky.
"Thank you for caring enough about Nassau County to want to keep it safe," Donnelly said. "And thanks for backing the candidate who backs the blue...I'm excited to get to work and make a difference, as I've tried to do for the last 32 years."
Kaminsky conceded the race and thanked his supporters.
"Last night's result was not what we wanted, but I am so proud of the campaign we ran and the people who volunteered their time and energy to knock on over 100,000 doors across Nassau County," Kaminsky said. "Long Islanders want safe communities and government free from corruption. In my role as a Senator, I will continue to serve my constituents and remain committed to those critical priorities and others to move Nassau forward."
SUFFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
incumbent District Attorney Tim Sini conceded the race to Republican challenger Ray Tierney, a former federal prosecutor. Suffolk voters also elected a Republican supermajority to the County Legislature.
Results are not yet confirmed, but it appeared there would only be five Democratic winners in 18 legislative district races.
"This is a red wave," Sini said.
NEW JERSEY
NEW JERSEY GUBERNATORIAL RACE
New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy narrowly won reelection Wednesday, eking out a victory that spared Democrats the loss of a second gubernatorial seat.
He's the state's first Democratic governor to get a second straight term in 44 years, defeating Republican former Assembly member Jack Ciattarelli.
Ciattarelli waged a formidable campaign in the heavily Democratic New Jersey, his spending nearly equaling the governor's and outpacing the GOP's performance four years ago. But Murphy's advantages, including 1 million more registered Democrats, proved too much for the Republican to overcome.
NEW JERSEY LEGISLATURE
All 120 seats in New Jersey's Legislature were on the ballot, and with them Democratic control of the Assembly and Senate.
Democrats control the Assembly with 52 seats to Republicans' 28. In the Senate, Democrats have 25 seats to the Republicans' 15. Republicans haven't controlled the Legislature in two decades.
New Jersey's Legislature consists of 40 districts, which each send one senator and two Assembly members to Trenton. Assembly members serve two-year terms, while senators serve four-year terms except for the first election after the census, which comes this year, when they serve two-year terms.
NEW JERSEY BALLOT QUESTIONS
Voters were asked two questions this year. One asked whether to allow betting on New Jersey college teams or teams from other states whose games are played in New Jersey.
A separate question asked whether organizations that are permitted to hold raffles should be able to keep the money to support themselves.
Currently, only veterans and senior citizen groups may use the net proceeds from those games to support their groups. Other groups that are permitted to conduct raffles may use the proceeds from those games only for certain purposes.
CLICK HERE for more voting resources in New Jersey.
CONNECTICUT
STAMFORD MAYOR
Democratic state Rep. Caroline Simmons was elected Tuesday as mayor of Stamford, Connecticut, as former MLB manager and player Bobby Valentine conceded defeat in what ended up being a close race decided by absentee ballots.
She will be the first woman to serve as mayor of Stamford, the state's second-largest city. Simmons called it "a special day for Stamford women. Together we made history."
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The 35-year-old legislator, who previously defeated the two-term incumbent Democratic mayor in a September primary, credited voters with seeking "a brighter future" for Stamford, as it continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
VIRGINIA GOVERNOR RACE
A tight race for governor unfolded between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin in a campaign that has become partly a referendum on President Joe Biden's first year in office.
McAuliffe addressed supporters in the Washington suburbs, vowing to "count all these votes."
Kristin Davison, an aide to Youngkin, appeared onstage at a separate event and said his campaign would continue to track the incoming votes but was pleased with the way things appeared to be headed.
The evening's results, though, may ultimately be interpreted as an early judgment of Biden, who captured Virginia last year by a comfortable 10-point margin and easily won New Jersey. The closeness of governor's races indicated just how much his party's political fortunes have changed in a short period.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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