US elections live: Voters to give verdict on Donald Trump

Virginia is set to elect its first female governor, with Abigail Spanberger widely expected to be the winner in a state regarded as an important electoral bellwether.

The former Democratic congresswoman and ex-CIA officer has consistently outpolled her Republican opponent Winsome Earle-Sears, the state’s current lieutenant-governor.

The Virginia governor’s race is one of the most anticipated off-year elections taking place in the US. Four years ago, Republican former Carlyle Group executive Glenn Youngkin shocked the political establishment when he triumphed over Democratic politician Terry McAuliffe in a state that Joe Biden carried by 10 points during the 2020 presidential election.

The race for New Jersey governor is a tight — and expensive — one that could shed light on how Democrats and Republicans are faring in the eyes of the electorate nine months into Donald Trump’s second term as president.

In the most recent presidential election, Kamala Harris defeated Trump by six points in New Jersey. But voters in the state complain about its high living costs and have handed the Democratic incumbent governor, Phil Murphy, poor ratings.

This year’s race pits former Republican state lawmaker Jack Ciattarelli, who narrowly lost to Murphy four years ago, against Democratic congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, and the two are running neck and neck.

Ciattarelli has painted Sherrill as a continuation of Murphy’s leadership, while she has sought to give the race a national slant and tie her opponent to Trump.

Of all the mayoral races taking place across the US on Tuesday, the contest that appears set to put democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in charge of America’s biggest city will be the most closely watched.

Mamdani’s star has risen since June, when he toppled former New York state governor Andrew Cuomo and incumbent New York City mayor in a Democratic primary contest. Cuomo has since decided to run in today’s general election as an independent but still trails Mamdani in polls. Republican party candidate Curtis Sliwa remains in third place.

Mamdani has proved divisive. His policy platform, which is focused on affordability, has energised younger voters but worried the wealthy and corporations, who could be hit with higher taxes in order to pay for a sweeping expansion of public services.

His criticism of Israel has exposed cracks in the Democratic party. Republicans, including Trump, have also attacked him, with the US president threatening to withhold federal funding for the city if Mamdani is elected mayor.

Welcome to the Financial Times’ live coverage of US elections, with voters in more than 30 states casting their ballots on roles as local as school board governors and as prominent as judges, mayors and governors.

The results are expected to shed light on the political mood of the country almost a year to the day after Donald Trump won a second presidential term.

Among the hundreds of polls taking place, races in five states are regarded as having national significance.

These — in California, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia — are expected to provide some of the clearest signs of how the Republican and Democratic parties are resonating with voters nine months into Trump’s second term as president. They also come a year out from the 2026 midterm elections, when control of the upper and lower houses of Congress will be at stake.

Follow the FT’s live blog for coverage and results through the evening.