How each party wins Tuesday's elections ...Middle East

Morning Report is The Hill's a.m. newsletter. Subscribe here.

In today's issue:

▪ Voters head to the polls

▪ Dick Cheney dies at 84

▪ Shutdown turning point possible

▪ Trump ramps up Nigeria threats

Thank you for signing up!

Subscribe to more newsletters here

Voters are heading to the polls today to cast ballots in elections across the country as both parties look for signs of optimism a year out from the midterms.

What success looks like in Tuesday's elections will be somewhat different for each party.

Democrats enter the day as the favorites in the two gubernatorial elections taking place in Virginia and New Jersey.

Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) seems to be in the driver’s seat in the Virginia race against GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. Spanberger has led in almost every major poll of the race, and she leads Earle-Sears in the Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) polling average by nearly 10 points, a gap that has expanded in recent days.

President Trump has not formally endorsed Earle-Sears, even as he’s become more visible in boosting Republicans and sent a few posts on Truth Social over the weekend. Trump is unpopular in the Old Dominion State, and Spanberger has sought to tie her GOP rival to him, making the lack of endorsement likely a net-plus for Earle-Sears's campaign.

The closer race to watch in Virginia is the attorney general contest, between incumbent Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), who has received Trump’s endorsement, and Democratic nominee Jay Jones, whose campaign was rocked last month by the revelation of texts he sent in 2022 wishing for violence against a Republican political opponent.

Polls have shown a tight race, with Miyares leading Jones by 2 points in the DDHQ average.

Trump held a pair of telerallies on Monday night seeking to boost Republicans in Virginia and New Jersey. He notably didn't mention Earle-Sears by name during his Virginia telerally, while urging those listening to vote GOP across the board.

“Get out and vote tomorrow for Jason Miyares, it’s so important,” Trump said on the call. “And the Republicans up and down the ballot. We have Republicans up and down.”

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) mentioned Earle-Sears on the call and the entire Republican ticket.

Democrats are looking for a sweep of the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general races while hoping to also maintain their majorities in both houses of the state Legislature.

While a win by Earle-Sears would certainly be a major upset, even if she were to keep the race within single digits that would give hope to Republicans about their chances heading into 2026.

And a closer margin may give Miyares a better chance of pulling off a victory against Jones. A win in any of the three races in Virginia would gin up enthusiasm among the GOP.

The situation is a bit different in New Jersey.

Polls in the Garden State show a closer gubernatorial race between Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) and Republican Jack Ciattarelli. Sherrill leads by about 4 points in the DDHQ average, but a greater number of polls have shown the race within the margin of error or statistically tied.

Competing historical factors could benefit either side in this race. No party has won three consecutive gubernatorial races in New Jersey since the 1960s. Coming off Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s two terms in office, Sherrill’s victory would break a 60-year precedent.

But the party opposite of the president has won every governor’s race since 1989, except for the race four years ago, which Ciattarelli nearly won, so a Ciattarelli win would also break precedent.

Republicans are looking for an upset in the Garden State. Ciattarelli outperformed polls and expectations in 2021, when he lost to Murphy by only 3 points, and polls are even closer than they were then. Still, keeping the race within a point or two, especially considering the headwinds in the national environment Ciattarelli is facing, could look like success.

Sherrill will aim to hold on by churning out Democratic votes in the traditionally blue-leaning state. Nothing less than a win will be necessary for the party to declare victory here.

The election may also be seen in the context of the government shutdown, which members of both parties are searching for a way to end.

Polls have generally shown more Americans blaming the GOP, though Democrats have been somewhat divided over the funding lapse, with several Senate Democrats bucking their party. If Tuesday's election results are seen as a referendum on either side, expect plenty of finger-pointing.

▪ The Hill: Where the polls stand in key states.

A few other elections will also be seen as measures of the parties’ standing ahead of the midterms.

A ballot measure in California to allow the state Legislature to redraw its congressional lines, in response to Republican-led states conducting mid-decade redistricting, seems almost certain to pass.

Polls have shown it well ahead, and early voting numbers have shown Democrats significantly outpacing Republicans in turnout. Proponents have also outraised opponents by a large margin.

As with Virginia, the margin will be seen as key. One point of comparison may be former Vice President Kamala Harris’s margin of victory in the presidential race in the state last year.

She won the state by about 20 points, about the same margin that the measure is leading by in the DDHQ average. If the measure can reach or surpass that margin, it will be seen as an even bigger win for Democrats.

Meanwhile, perhaps the most high-profile race of the night — the New York City mayoral race — will serve as a test of the ideological wings within the Democratic Party.

Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is the clear favorite to win against Andrew Cuomo, a moderate who’s running as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

Mamdani has led throughout the general election, though with less than majority support in polling, as many remain skeptical about the self-described democratic socialist.

A Mamdani win would nontheless energize progressives, but his margin of victory is still something to watch and whether he can reach a majority.

Trump has also gotten more involved in the race as it’s winded down. He called on New Yorkers to vote for Cuomo in a Truth Social post Monday, again threatening to pull federal funding from the city if Mamdani wins.

“I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN, than a Communist with no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE,” Trump wrote.

Tech billionaire and former Trump adviser Elon Musk also weighed into the race Monday, urging voters to back Cuomo. Mamdani hit back at both endorsements, while comparing voting for Cuomo to voting for Trump.

▪ The Hill: What to watch in the Tuesday elections. 

▪ The Hill: The key races of the 2025 U.S. elections.

Smart Take with Blake Burman

Happy Election Day! And in a not-so-celebratory follow-up: Welcome to Day 35 of the federal government shutdown, which now ties it for the longest shutdown ever. We’ve seen some movement in recent days, as some Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients will now receive partial benefits. At airports, problems are starting to mount as unpaid workers continue to call out sick.

I spoke with Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), a member of the House Transportation Committee, and asked him about a report from The Hill about Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-S.D.) optimism for a deal that could open the government and provide a vote on the Democrats’ health care priorities. “I definitely want to get past December,” Perry said. “The ObamaCare subsidies, look, I think we have to have a discussion around that. I don’t want to keep sending tax dollars from the Treasury to insurance companies, who are going to raise the rates anyhow,” he added.

Of course, firm details need to be fleshed out, and then a question comes of what that support could look like in both the House and Senate and on both sides of the aisle.

Burman hosts "The Hill" weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation.

3 Things to Know Today

1. Former Vice President Dick Cheney has died at the age of 84, his family said in a statement Tuesday. He died Monday night "due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease," his family said. Cheney served as vice president for President George W. Bush after having an extensive career in both Congress and the executive branch.

2. Far-right activist Laura Loomer has been credentialed to cover the Pentagon following its implementation of a new press policy that limited reporters’ access, The Washington Post reported. Most major news outlets refused to sign the policy and turned in their credentials.

3. OpenAI has agreed to a $38 billion deal with Amazon Web Services to receive cloud computing power, giving it access to hundreds of thousands of Nvidia chips as it develops AI models.

Leading the Day

SHUTDOWN TURNING POINT? Lawmakers are hoping that Election Day can mark a turning point in bringing an end to the shutdown as it’s about to break the record for length.

Tuesday marks the 35th day of the shutdown, tying it with the shutdown of December 2018 to January 2019, during Trump’s first term, as the longest shutdown in U.S. history. If it lasts until Wednesday, it will break the record.

That seems likely, as no major breakthroughs have happened yet after more than a monthlong funding gap. Both sides have kept to their sticking points.

But The Hill’s Sudiksha Kochi reports that members of Congress are hoping Tuesday’s elections give the jolt needed for Democrats to shift their strategy and that the government can potentially reopen soon. 

Democrats have been adamant that any deal to reopen the government include an extension of subsidies for health care under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), while Republicans have been insistent on a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded at current levels and addressing the subsidies later.

But as fatigue has set in with the government shuttered, The Hill’s  Alexander Bolton reports that a group of moderate Democrats are scrambling to find an end to the shutdown this week. Eight Democrats are central to the deal.

Still, any possible deal faces some headwinds as Trump declared during his interview on CBS News’s “60 Minutes” that he will “not be extorted.” A new poll showing Democrats leading the generic congressional ballot by 8 points could also give party leaders a boost in feeling that they’re winning the shutdown.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) expressed optimism that a deal to end the shutdown could happen by the end of the week, with the election over.

“Seems like that matters,” Thune told reporters. “I don’t know why it should.”

A bipartisan group of four moderate House members unveiled a set of principles on Monday to provide a possible path forward in lowering health care costs and extending ACA subsidies.

But a deal may also have to move the date proposed under the House-passed CR, which currently would have government funding set to expire on Nov. 21, a date that is rapidly approaching.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Monday that Republican leaders will meet to discuss extending the stopgap bill to reopen the government past mid-November. Multiple sources told The Hill that GOP leaders are discussing an extension lasting until late January.

“I hope the election tomorrow is a change, a sea change, in all this. … Maybe after tomorrow, they’ll come to their common senses again and do the right thing. We certainly pray that is true,” Johnson said at a press conference.

▪ The Hill: Trump admin will provide partial food stamps benefits.

▪ The Hill: Head Start programs in danger from funding lapse.

HILL EXCLUSIVE: A top staffer at the conservative Heritage Foundation has left the think tank after backlash over its president’s comments defending Tucker Carlson for his interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

The Hill’s Emily Brooks reports that Ryan Neuhaus, the chief of staff to Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts, left his position Friday following the uproar over Roberts’s comments.

Roberts defended Carlson’s decision to interview Fuentes, a political commentator known for making a wide range of white supremacist, misogynistic and antisemitic comments, arguing in a video posted last week that a “venomous coalition” attacking Carlson was “sowing division.”

The Heritage leader said he abhors statements that Fuentes has made, but “canceling” him isn’t the answer. After receiving pushback, he posted another statement more specifically condemning Fuentes’s antisemitism and that of his followers.

Brooks reports that Neuhaus angered Heritage staff and other conservative allies after he reposted messages supporting Roberts, including one that said some Heritage employees were “virtue signaling” after the comments and should “resign if so outraged.”

A Heritage spokesperson confirmed Neuhaus’s departure.

“Ryan was not fired. He offered his resignation, which was accepted,” a Heritage spokesperson told The Hill on Monday. “Ryan is a good man, we appreciate his service, and we have no doubt he will serve the movement in another capacity.”

Roberts’s comments caused a split within the conservative movement over whether to give Fuentes a platform as many on the right have sought to distance themselves from him and his views.

▪ Politico: Ben Shapiro slams Carlson as ‘intellectual coward.’

DOJ DEFENDS HALLIGAN: The DOJ defended the appointment of Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S. attorney, giving her a new title designed to ensure she can continue prosecutions of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D).

Department attorneys said in court filings that Halligan, whom Trump appointed to oversee the Eastern District of Virginia in September, has been named a "special attorney" for the DOJ, The Washington Post reported. They argued this allows her to conduct grand jury proceedings and sign indictments regardless of her status as U.S. attorney.

Comey and James have filed for a judge to dismiss the cases against them on the grounds that Halligan was unlawfully appointed U.S. attorney. Trump appointed her after her predecessor, Erik Siebert, resigned after reportedly finding insufficient evidence to bring cases sought by Trump.

Comey and James, who have pleaded not guilty to the cases against them and rejected them as politically motivated, argue that Siebert already served the maximum 120-day interim period as U.S. attorney allowed under law, preventing Halligan from continuing to serve in that interim role.

The DOJ argued that appointing Halligan was within Attorney General Pam Bondi's purview, but naming her as a "special attorney" suggests the department is preparing for alternative measures if it loses.

▪ The New York Times: Prosecutors urge judge to reject Comey's motion to dismiss.

TRUMP’S NIGERIA THREATS: Trump has ramped up his threats to take military action against Nigeria over allegations of the country’s leaders failing to address the killing of Christians.

Trump told reporters Sunday that sending troops into Nigeria or conducting airstrikes on the African country is possible after telling the Defense Department to “prepare for possible action.”

He labeled Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, a “country of particular concern” because of religious violence, which compels the president to consult with the designated government, draft a foreign policy action plan and consult with Congress about implementation within 90 days.

Right-wing Christian advocates had been lobbying for Nigeria to receive this designation, making Trump’s decision a victory for those advocates, The Hill’s Laura Kelly reports.

But Kelly reports that Trump’s threat of military action also has stirred some concern, as it’s beyond what some advocates were pushing for.

Analysts have noted that Nigeria’s majority-Muslim population has also dealt with violence and killing from Islamic extremists, but Christian communities have been hit particularly hard. A Dutch-based charity advocating for religious freedom in Africa found Christians were killed at a significantly higher rate between 2019 and 2024 than Muslims.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said his country is “committed” to working with the U.S. to improve cooperation on protecting members of all religions.

▪ Al Jazeera: Nigeria rejects claims of Christian genocide.

▪ The Washington Post: Trump threat prompts confusion and alarm.

When & Where

The president has no public events scheduled. A press briefing will take place at 1 p.m.

The Senate willmeet at 10 a.m.

The House will convene at 2 p.m. for a pro forma session.

Zoom In

TRUMP DISTANCES FROM PARDON: Trump is attempting to distance himself from the pardon he issued for Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who served four months in prison after pleading guilty to charges that he didn't maintain an effective anti-money laundering regime.

Trump's comments have stirred scrutiny from critics over the Trump family's business ties to the cryptocurrency company, through the family's digital finance venture, and Trump's own comments alleging that former President Biden wasn't aware of pardons he signed before leaving office.

“OK, are you ready? I don’t know who he is,” Trump told Norah O’Donnell on "60 Minutes" when asked why he pardoned Zhao. “I know he got a four-month sentence or something like that. And I heard it was a Biden witch hunt.”

Allegations of corruption largely center around a $2 billion transaction between Binance and an Emirati investment firm called MGX that was conducted using a stablecoin from the Trump family's crypt venture earlier this year.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected claims of a conflict of interest as "irresponsible."

TRUMP TARGETS MASSIE: Trump on Monday reiterated his attacks on Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a staunchly conservative congressman who’s butted heads with the president on several occasions, calling for him to be “thrown out of office."

“Third Rate Congressman Thomas Massie, a Weak and Pathetic RINO from the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, a place I love, and won big SIX TIMES, must be thrown out of office, ASAP!” the president said in a Truth Social post.

Trump boosted Massie’s primary opponent, Ed Gallrein, whom he has endorsed for the seat representing Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District.

Massie has been a thorn in Trump’s side, most recently for his advocacy in releasing the files the government has on Jeffrey Epstein. He’s also voted against some of Trump’s top priorities, including the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.

Massie has received support from Sen. Rand Paul, another Kentucky Republican who has clashed with Trump at times.

The broadside comes as the Kentucky House member is also celebrating his marriage to Carolyn Grace Moffa, a former congressional staffer who worked for Paul. Massie’s first wife died last year.

The wedding was reportedly attended by several high-profile Republicans, including Paul and Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Jim Jordan (Ohio).

GARCIA'S RETIREMENT: Longtime Illinois Rep. Jesús "Chuy" Garcia (D) is expected to announce he won't seek reelection to another term in the House.

Garcia has represented Illinois's 4th Congressional District since 2019 and serves as deputy whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He had filed to run for reelection last week, but his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, filed to run for the seat just ahead of Monday's filing deadline.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the congressman is expected to pull back his candidate petitions and declare his support for his staffer. He's been a fixture in Illinois politics, having served on the Chicago City Council, in the Illinois state Senate and on the Cook County Board of Commissioners. He also unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Chicago twice.

Elsewhere

TRUMP’S TOMAHAWK TURNAROUND: Trump cast doubt on the possibility of sending Ukraine Tomahawk missiles when he said he’s “not really” considering it despite the Pentagon reportedly giving the green light last week.

Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday that it could still happen and he could change his mind, but “at this moment, I’m not.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long sought the weapons from the U.S. to allow his military to conduct strikes that could hit deeper inside Russian territory.

CNN reported on Friday that the Pentagon approved the transfer of the long-range missiles to Ukraine. But Trump has continued to express hesitation about providing them, telling Zelensky during their meeting at the White House last month that he wouldn’t provide them, at least for the time being.

Russia has warned that providing the missiles would mark a major escalation of the war, while Zelensky has argued that not receiving them is limiting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interest in diplomacy.

▪ BBC: NATO official says alliance will stand by Ukraine.

▪ The New York Times: Ukraine gamifies the war.

Opinion

Where to look for clues on election night, writes The Hill’s Chris Stirewalt.

The political tragedy of Eric Adams, writes The Hill opinion contributor Juan Williams.

The Closer

And finally … Jon Stewart will be sticking around on “The Daily Show” for at least another year as he and Comedy Central agreed on a contract extension to last through the end of 2026.

Stewart’s current hosting gig, which he resumed after Trump won reelection last year, was set to expire at the end of next month. Some speculation had been raised about Stewart’s future at the network after Comedy Central’s parent company, Paramount, merged with Skydance earlier this year.

Stewart has been an outspoken critic of Paramount over its settlement with Trump in his lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview last year with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris and its cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS.

Stewart initially left “The Daily Show” in 2015. He now hosts the show on Monday nights and serves as an executive producer.

Hence then, the article about how each party wins tuesday s elections was published today ( Tuesday 04/11/2025 - 02:53 PM ) and is available on The Hill ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( How each party wins Tuesday's elections )

Also on site :

• Trump Wants To”Unleash Hell” In 2026; POTUS Tries To Go Full Maximus With A Misguided ‘Gladiator’ Flex
• GCE Global Solutions Corp. Announces Strategic Acquisition of GCE Payroll Advisers Inc. to Strengthen Global EOR and Payroll Platform
• Parents of Campbell Hall student killed in the school’s parking lot file wrongful death suit