2021 Election Results: GOP celebrates Youngkin's win in Virginia

Former Governor Terry McAuliffe conceded to his Republican gubernatorial opponent Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday morning and offered his congratulations to Virginia's next governor.

"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 in a statement. "We must protect Virginia's great public schools and invest in our students. We must protect affordable health care coverage, raise the minimum wage faster, and expand paid leave so working families have a fighting shot. We must protect voting rights, protect a woman's right to choose, and, above all else, we must protect our democracy."

McAuliffe, a Democrat who was seeking a second, non-consecutive term as governor, called serving as the 72nd governor of Virginia the "highest honor of my life." He served in the role from 2014 to 2018.

"While there will be setbacks along the way, I am confident that the long term path of Virginia is toward inclusion, openness and tolerance for all," he 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 thanked his family and campaign team, as well as supporters across the state.

Former U.S. Representative Vito Fossella, who left Congress in 2009 amid a scandal involving a secret family and a drunk-driving arrest, is projected to win the race for Staten Island Borough president.

"It's good to be back!" Fossella said in his victory speech, according to the Staten Island Advance. 

Fossella described getting a "very special" call on the way over. "I got a call of congratulations from our great president Donald Trump."

Heavily Republican Staten Island is New York City's least populous borough, and it is the only district in the city represented by a Republican in Congress. 

Fossella was married with three children when he was arrested in 2008 for drunk driving in Virginia, claiming he was going to see his sick daughter, according to the Associated Press. The woman he had a secret relationship with, a former Air Force lieutenant colonel who worked for a time as a liaison to Congress, bailed him out of jail.

After the revelations came out about his secret family, Fossella finished out his term but he didn't run for reelection.

Taking the stage to "Spirit in the Sky," Youngin clapped and celebrated along with his supporters.

"Alrighty Virginia, we won this thing!" he exclaimed. 

After thanking his wife and kids, Youngkin said Virginians stand at a "defining moment."

"Together, together, we will change the trajectory of this commonwealth," he said. "And friends, we are going to start that transformation on day one. There is no time to waste. Our kids can't wait, we work in real-people time, not government time. So on day one, we're going to work. We're going to restore excellence in our schools." 

Youngkin pledged the largest education budget in the history of the commonwealth, and choice for parents in the public education system. 

"Friends, we're gonna' embrace our parents, not ignore them," Youngkin said.

Youngkin also said he will work to suspend the most recent hike in the gas tax, eliminate Virginia's 2.5% grocery tax, and deliver the commonwealth's biggest tax refund. 

Youngkin said his campaign "came from nowhere," but was joined by people from all walks of life and it "turned into a movement."

"My fellow Virginians, this is our moment," he said. 

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy spoke to supporters early Wednesday. CBS News has characterized the race as a toss-up.

Although the state had once been considered a relatively easy victory for Democrats, Murphy remained upbeat although he acknowledged the night had been longer than he expected.

"When every vote is counted…we hope to have a celebration," Murphy said. 

Glenn Youngkin will become the first Republican elected governor of Virginia since 2009, defeating Democrat Terry McAuliffe, CBS News projects. 

Exit polls show Youngkin won with the strong support from traditional Republican groups like conservatives and White evangelicals, but he also made inroads with voters who have recently been trending Democratic in Virginia. He performed well in the suburbs and did better with White women voters than former President Trump did in 2020. 

Virginia independents swung to Youngkin -- a group that voted for President Biden by 19 points in 2020.

This was an older electorate than 2020 which helped Youngkin, but he also did better with younger voters than Trump did. In 2020, Biden won all age groups below the age of 65, and won among those 30 to 44 by 20 points. In this race, voters ages 30 to 44 split between McAuliffe and Youngkin.

McAuliffe did well among non-White voters - and Black voters particularly - but non-White voters made up a smaller proportion of the electorate than they did in 2020, and Youngkin did better among White voters than Mr. Trump did.

Youngkin made education a focal point of this campaign and it seemed to pay off: those who picked education as their top issue backed Youngkin over McAuliffe.

Roughly half of Virginia voters said parents should have "a lot" of say in what's taught in their child's school and those voters backed Youngkin over McAuliffe by three to one.   

Voters who picked the coronavirus as their top issue went big for McAuliffe but the coronavirus was outranked by issues like the economy and taxes in terms of importance and those issues favored Youngkin.

Likeability mattered too. More voters had a favorable view of Youngkin than McAuliffe.    

Former President Trump Trump endorsed Youngkin, but the former president is viewed unfavorably among Virginia voters, and that includes about one in five Youngkin voters. 

As for the current president, he was a factor among almost half of voters. And among Youngkin voters, 52% said their vote for governor was to oppose President Biden. 

Exit poll percentages may have updated since this article was published. 

The Virginia CBS News Exit Poll is a combination of in-person interviews with Election Day voters and phone and online polls measuring the views of those vote-by-mail and early voters. It was conducted by Edison Research on behalf of the National Election Pool.

— Jennifer De Pinto and Fred Backus  

CBS News has projected that Glenn Youngkin will win Virginia. 

The Associated Press projected that Michelle Wu has won the Boston mayoral race, becoming the first Asian American and the first woman to lead the city.

"What we deserve is a Boston where all of us are seen, heard, treasured, and valued," Wu said in her victory speech. "A Boston for everyone."

Wu, a Chicago native, moved to Boston to attend Harvard as an undergraduate.She also holds a Harvard law degree. 

The Associated Press projected that the ballot measure in Minneapolis that would have dismantled the police department has been rejected. The ballot measure had proposed replacing the police department with a newly created Department of Public Safety, after George Floyd was killed while in police custody in 2020.

The vote means the Department of Public Safety will not be created, and the Minneapolis Police Department will remain on the city charter.

McAuliffe, who is currently trailing Youngkin, took the stage in McLean, Virginia, without conceding. He thanked his family, campaign staffers and supporters. CBS News is characterizing the race as likely Republican.

"Let's go, let's count all these votes," he said. 

McAuliffe also briefly emphasized the importance of continuing to protect abortion rights, among other policy priorities. 

CBS News can characterize the Virginia governor's race as "likely" Republican.

Democrat Eric Adams is the projected winner of the New York City mayoral race, defeating Republican Curtis Sliwa. CBS New York's chief political correspondent Marcia Kramer joins CBSN's "Red and Blue" to discuss the race.  

CBS News has projected that Democrat Eric Adams will win the New York City mayor's race over Republican Curtis Sliwa. 

The polls closed in New York state at 9 p.m., where the two biggest cities are having mayoral races. Democrat Eric Adams is heavily favored to win New York City's mayoral race. 

In Buffalo, incumbent Mayor Byron Brown launched a write-in campaign for mayor after losing the Democratic primary in June to Democratic Socialist India Walton. A poll last week by CBS Buffalo affiliate WIVB had Brown up by 17 points. 

Polls have closed in the New Jersey governor's race between Governor Phil Murphy and Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli. CBS News political reporter Adam Brewster joins CBSN's "Red and Blue" from the Garden State with more.  

The Superior Court of New Jersey Mercer County denied a request to extend polling place hours following a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of New Jersey and the League of Women Voters of New Jersey.

Polling places closed at 8 p.m. 

The ACLU of New Jersey and the League of Women Voters of New Jersey filed the suit earlier this evening to try to keep polls open until 9:30 p.m. due to operational problems with electronic voting machines that resulted in delayed openings at polling locations, long lines and confusion. 

"Operational issues should not prevent voters from casting a ballot," said ACLU-NJ Legal Director Jeanne LoCicero. "We heard reports throughout the day that there were people being denied access to their right to vote and felt the need to take urgent action. We're disappointed that the judge didn't agree, but we will always take action to protect one of our most fundamental civil rights: the right to cast a ballot and participate in democracy." 

"Polling place delays and issues statewide caused voters to leave without casting a ballot," said Jesse Burns, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of New Jersey. "These voters showed up, waited in long lines, only to run out of time before they had to leave or were turned away." 

New Jersey law requires that polling locations be open between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. The widespread technological issues reported throughout New Jersey caused a number of voters throughout to fail to cast their ballot at their local polling locations during the scheduled hours. The late opening of many polling locations spread across the state and operational issues throughout the day resulted in dozens of voters being asked to return later or being turned away. Others left because of the long waits, giving up on casting a ballot. 

President Biden won independents by 19 pts in 2020,  but they are backing the Republican Glenn Youngkin so far, exit poll shows. 

What do these Virginia independents look like? 

They are a bit older compared to those who voted in 2020, and racially, more of them are White. 

And most are not impressed with Mr. Biden at the movement. Six in 10 independents voting in the governor's race disapprove of the job Mr. Biden is doing as president. 

These independents  also prioritize the issues of the economy and education - issues that favor Youngkin - over the coronavirus - an issue that favors McAuliffe.

— Jennifer De Pinto & Fred Backus  

With 52% of the vote in at 8:30 p.m, ET, CBS News can characterize the Virginia governor race as lean Republican.

Majorities of both Youngkin and McAuliffe voters express at least some confidence that the votes in this election will be counted accurately, but fewer than 1 in 5 Youngkin voters (about 17%) have a lot of confidence, according to CBS News exit polls. 

This figure for Youngkin voters is lower than the 34% of Trump voters in Virginia in 2020 who said they had a lot of confidence that the state's votes would be counted accurately, an indication perhaps of how distrust of elections has gained traction among some Republicans. 

— Jennifer De Pinto & Fred Backus  

Polls in Ohio are closed and voters await the results of two special congressional races. Haley BeMiller, a political reporter covering state government and politics for USA Today Network's Ohio bureau, joins CBSN's election coverage.

Polls have closed in Virginia, and votes are beginning to come in for Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin. According to exit polls, education, economy and taxes were the top issues for voters. CBS News' director of elections and surveys Anthony Salvanto has the latest.

The Virginia governor race between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin has gained national attention as the two are in a dead heat. Ed O'Keefe takes a look.

Polls have closed in New Jersey, and results will begin to trickle in shortly. Voters are picking not only their next governor, but 120 lawmakers to represent them in the state legislature. 

 More than 8 in 10 voters who support coronavirus vaccine mandates are voting for McAuliffe, and an even larger percentage who oppose mandates are supporting Youngkin. 

Voters for whom the coronavirus outbreak is their most important issue are overwhelmingly supporting McAuliffe.But the coronavirus is not first on the minds of voters in this election: Just 14% say it is most important in their vote — behind the economy, education, and taxes — and most voters who place these issues first are voting for Youngkin.

Cultural and social issues are also in play, and in some cases favor Youngkin. On abortion, 75% of voter who think abortion should be legal in most cases support McAuliffe, but Youngkin gets stronger support - 85% - of those who think it should illegal. More than half of voters - 53% - think parents should have a lot of say in what their child's school teaches, and they are voting for Youngkin by 3 to 1. And when looking at what should happen to confederate monuments on government property, most Virginia voters think they should remain in place. They are also voting for Youngkin in large percentages.

— Jennifer De Pinto & Fred Backus  

This is an older electorate than it was in 2020, and most voters 65 and older are voting for Youngkin. But Youngkin is also doing better among younger voters than Mr. Biden did a year ago, particularly among those between the ages 30 and 44. This was an age group that Mr. Biden won by 20 points, but now McAuliffe is polling even with this age group, and he's turned a slight Democratic lead among those between 45 and 64 to a slight Republican lead now.

Trump 2020 voters are backing Youngkin and Biden 2020 voters are backing McAuliffe, but right now, we see a small portion of 2020 Biden voters - roughly 6% - backing Youngkin. This is larger than the 2% of 2020 Trump voters who are supporting McAuliffe. 

 As we saw in 2020, White voters are supporting the Republican candidate and non-White voters, particularly Black voters, are strongly favoring the Democratic candidate. But there are more White voters this year than in 2020 - their share of the electorate is up from 67% in 2020 to 74% now. Youngkin also has stronger support from White voters than Mr. Trump did: 62% of White voters are supporting Youngkin, compared to 53% for Mr. Trump a year ago.

Youngkin has made inroads among both men and women voters compared to 2020 in Virginia. In 2020, Mr. Biden split the vote among men, and won women voters by 23 points. Now, Youngkin enjoys the support of 55% of men, and he trails among women by just 6 points.

In 2020, Mr. Biden made inroads with White women (doing better than Hillary Clinton in 2016) splitting their votes with Mr.  Trump. Currently, Youngkin is getting the support of a majority of White women voters. 

Currently, Democrats and Republicans are turning out in roughly the same proportion that they did in 2020, and each candidate is getting the lion's share of their party's supporters. McAuliffe has 96% of Democrats, while 97% of Republicans are voting for Youngkin.

Independents have shifted however. Though Mr. Biden won independents by 19 points, exit polls currently show Youngkin with a 5 point lead among independents However, McAuliffe won his 2013 race for governor without winning the support of a majority of independents. The electorate was +5 Democratic then. 

Conservative voters are also turning out in comparable percentages as they did in 2020, but there are fewer defectors to the Democratic camp. In 2020 a small, but not insignificant percentage of conservatives (16%) voted for Mr. Biden. Youngkin is doing a better job holding on to these voters: he currently enjoys the support of 92% of conservatives, while McAuliffe just gets 8%. 

CBS News can characterize the Virginia governor races as toss-up based on our exit polls. 

The city of Boston is on the verge of making history as it will choose a woman of color to be its next mayor. CBS Boston's political analyst Jon Keller joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" to discuss more.

CBS News political reporter Adam Brewster joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" to discuss the latest in New Jersey's gubernatorial election.

 Polls have closed in Virginia, although voters still in line at 7 p.m. may proceed to vote. 

It may take a long time to finish counting ballots, given how many people voted early. 

The polls in New Jersey don't close until 8 p.m. 

The ACLU and League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit Tuesday night asking for a 90-minute extension of polling sites in New Jersey due to technical issues with electronic poll books at some voting sites around the state. They are asking a judge to keep all polling places in New Jersey open until 9:30 p.m. ET instead of closing at 8 p.m. This would delay results until at least 9:30 p.m. The court hearing is underway. 

"Due to widespread technological issues reported throughout New Jersey, voters throughout New Jersey have been unable to cast their ballot at their local polling locations during these scheduled hours. The late opening of numerous polling locations spread across the state and ongoing operational issues throughout the day has resulted in dozens of voters being turned away, asked to return later, or leaving because of the long waits, resulting in their inability to cast a ballot. This necessitates the extension of voting hours such that voters, including Plaintiffs' members, who were unable to wait for operational voting machines during scheduled hours can vote after 8:00 p.m.," the lawsuit says.

Alicia D'Alessandro, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Secretary of State's office, said in a statement that "this morning, the Division of Elections was made aware of issues related to the operation of electronic pollbook at a small number of polling locations throughout New Jersey. Most of the state's approximately 3,400 polling locations have been operating since 6 a.m. without a reported incident. The affected sites have been or are being addressed. If any voters were unable to vote due to these issues, we encourage them to return to their polling location and cast a ballot."

Here's a look at what the Virginia electorate is shaping up to look like: 

Age: An older electorate 

This Virginia electorate looks to be a bit older than it was for the 2020 presidential election according to exit polls. Current exit poll estimates show that roughly seven in 10 voters are over 45. In 2020 in Virginia, 56% of voters were over age 45. 

Race: An electorate who is more White compared to 2020

On race, current exit polls show this Virginia electorate is more White compared to 2020. Exit polls currently show the percentage of White voters to be just over 70% , up from 67% in 2020.

Party identification 

The electorate is currently split as it relates to party ID. In 2020, the share of voters who were Democrats in the Virginia electorate was two points higher than the share of voters who identified as Republicans.

—  Jennifer De Pinto & Fred Backus

More Virginia voters trust McAuliffe than Youngkin to handle the coronavirus pandemic, while Youngkin has the advantage on handling the issue of crime. The candidates are neck and neck on who is trusted to handle the state's economy.

When asked how voters personally view the candidates, a slight majority of voters said they had a favorable view of Youngkin, while a slight majority view McAuliffe unfavorably.

And as Democrats in Congress continue to debate the infrastructure and Build Back Better bills, more Virginia voters feel the Democratic Party is too liberal than feel the Republican Party is too conservative. 

—  Jennifer De Pinto & Fred Backus

President Biden won Virginia by 10 points just a year ago, but now, more Virginia voters disapprove (56%) than approve (43%) of his job as president. 

For half of voters he is a factor in this race: with more saying their vote is to oppose him than support him. 

Currently, Biden is more of a factor for Youngkin supporters. More Youngkin voters say their vote is to oppose Biden, than McAuliffe voters say their vote is to support Biden. 

Most independents disapprove of the job Biden is doing as president. 

As for former President Trump, most Virginia voters continue to view him negatively. Mr. Trump lost Virginia in both of his presidential bids, and most Virginia voters view the former president unfavorably. 

Not unexpectedly, more of Youngkin voters than McAuliffe's view Mr. Trump favorably, but one in five Youngkin voters have a negative opinion of Mr. Trump. 

— Jennifer  De Pinto & Fred Backus

The vast majority of Virginia voters are vaccinated, and most support employers requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for their employers. But in terms of issue importance, the coronavirus pandemic comes in fourth - behind the economy, education, and taxes.McAuliffe's backers are about eight times as likely as Youngkin's to say the coronavirus is the most important issue facing Virginia. 

—Jennifer De Pinto & Fred Backus  

Youngkin has made the issue of education and school curriculum a focal point of his campaign, and just over half of voters say parents should have a lot of say in what is taught in their child's school. His supporters are particularly likely to think so  – 8 in 10 think they should have "a lot" of say. Only a quarter of McAuliffe voters say that. Pre-election polls found this issue has energized many Republicans. Slightly more Youngkin voters select education as their top issue compared to McAuliffe backers. 

— Jennifer De Pinto & Fred Backus  

The economy and jobs are the top issues on voters' minds in this election, roughly a third of voters said it is the most important issue facing Virginia, followed by education (about a quarter of voters). These are followed by taxes and the coronavirus, coming out ahead of abortion. 

The economy ranks at the top for both McAuliffe and Youngkin supporters, but there are some differences on other issues. 

Overall, most Virginia voters rate the state's economy as excellent or good,  but it's McAuliffe voters who are more inclined to view it that way than Youngkin voters. Six in 10 Youngkin voters think Virginia's economy is in bad shape. 

— Jennifer De Pinto & Fred Backus  

Mr. Biden told reporters in Glasgow, Scotland, that he believes Terry McAuliffe will win the governorship in Virginia and Governor Phil Murphy will be re-elected in New Jersey.

"I hope that every eligible voter in Virginia and New Jersey shows up and votes, and the more of them that do, the better off I think our choices are," Mr. Biden said when asked about the elections in a press conference ahead of his departure from the United Nations climate conference. "I think we're going to win." 

The president predicted the race in Virginia will be "tight" and come down to which candidate can turn out the most voters.

Mr. Biden also rejected the notion that the two races are a referendum on his performance across his first 10 months in office.

"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 said. "Even if we had passed my agenda, I wouldn't claim we won because Biden's agenda passed."

Republican Curtis Sliwa brought his newest cat with him when he voted on Tuesday, CBS New York reports. Poll workers said that he couldn't bring the kitten, a four-week-old named Gizmo, in with him. He left the kitten outside while he voted. 

Sliwa, who said Gizmo is his 17th cat, has pledged to end kill shelters if elected. "Gandhi said a society that does not treat its animals well, will not treat its human beings well," he said.

Sliwa wore a campaign jacket to the Upper West Side polling location. He was told state law prohibited him from wearing campaign gear, although he protested and was eventually allowed to wear him.

CBS New York reported that police were called later when his paper ballot got stuck in the voting machine. 

President Biden, who is in Glasgow for the U.N. climate summit will be taking questions from reporters on Election Day as he wraps up his European swing. 

Mr. Biden, who brought the message to world leaders that the U.S. is "back at the table," is likely to be asked whether the commitments made at the conference by the world — and the U.S. — will be enough to bend the trajectory of Earth's warming down to levels that will preserve the planet. Mr. Biden announced Tuesday that he'll urge Congress for $9 billion for the conservation of the world's forests and ecosystems.

Read more here.

— Nancy Cordes, Cara Korte and Kathryn Watson  

Republican Glenn Youngkin has mainly kept former President Trump at arms' length in the Virginia race, but Mr. Trump spoke briefly at a tele-rally for Youngkin on Monday night. On the call with supporters, Mr. Trump called Youngkin a "fantastic guy" and despite what the media claims "we have a great relationship."

President Biden won Virginia by 10 points, and Democrat Terry McAuliffe has tried to tie Youngkin to Mr. Trump and national issues. But Youngkin has found success tying his campaign to local issues, such as education and the economy.

Youngkin had his final rally on Monday night at a "Parents Matter" event, while McAuliffe's final event was at a brewery in Fairfax. 

— Adam Brewster and Caroline Linton  

• What: 2021 election results

• Date: Tuesday, November 2, 2021

• "Red & Blue" special edition begins: 5 p.m. ET

• Polls close: 7 p.m. in Virginia, 8 p.m. in New Jersey

• Online stream: Live on CBSN in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device.

• Follow: Live updates on CBSNews.com