By LINLEY SANDERS, AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX and HYOJIN YOO, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic candidates saw victories across key races Tuesday, and there were signs there’s plenty of room for the Democratic Party to make up ground among groups that moved toward President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

That finding comes from the AP Voter Poll, a sweeping survey of more than 17,000 voters in New Jersey, Virginia, California and New York City that explains who voted in each election and their views on top issues in their state.

Even with major wins, the survey also exposed fault lines for Democrats. Young men were less likely than young women to support Democrats in the governor’s races, and Jewish voters in New York City appeared wary of supporting Democratic nominee, Zohran Mamdani.

Here’s a look at how key demographic groups in 2025 voted, according to the AP Voter Poll.

Vast majority of young voters in NYC voted for Mamdani

Mamdani, 34, will be the city’s youngest mayor in over a century. Young voters in New York City overwhelmingly backed him in his generational showdown with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

About three-quarters of New York City voters under 30 cast a ballot for Mamdani. They were a relatively small portion of the city’s electorate, and they also were much more likely than older voters to say it was their first time voting in a mayoral election.

Older voters were more likely to back Cuomo than Mamdani, but a significant share still backed the Democratic nominee. About 2 in 10 Mamdani voters were under 30, while voters for Cuomo and Sliwa skewed much older.

Mamdani has identified as a democratic socialist throughout his campaign, following the brand of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. About one-quarter of New York City voters said they identified as a democratic socialist, with about 4 in 10 voters in New York City under 30 saying they identify this way.

People wait to cast their ballot at the Horatio Williams Foundation in downtown Detroit, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Sherrill performed well among Black, Asian and Hispanic voters

Democrats’ strong performances with non-white voters in New Jersey and Virginia were promising for the party, after Trump made inroads with Black and Hispanic voters in 2024.

About 7 in 10 voters in New Jersey were white, and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill won about half that group. But she made up for it with a strong showing among Black, Hispanic and Asian voters. The vast majority — about 9 in 10 — of Black voters supported Sherrill, as did about 8 in 10 Asian voters.

Hispanic voters in New Jersey were more divided, but about two-thirds supported Sherrill; only about 3 in 10 voted for the Republican nominee, Jack Ciattarelli.

The pattern was similar in Virginia, where Democrat Abigail Spanberger performed well among Black voters, Hispanic voters and Asian voters, even though she didn’t win a majority of white voters.

Muslim voters supported Mamdani, while most Jewish voters supported Cuomo

Mamdani will be New York’s first Muslim mayor, and he won the vast majority of Muslim voters. About 9 in 10 Muslim voters supported Mamdani, according to the AP Voter Poll. They made up a very small voter group in the city: about 4% of New York City voters were Muslim.

No other candidate had such uniform support from a religious group, but Cuomo claimed the support of about 6 in 10 Jewish voters, while only about 3 in 10 cast a ballot for Mamdani.

Jewish voters’ support for Cuomo was the culmination of months of anxiety and division within the country’s largest Jewish community, as many voters and leaders expressed concern about Mamdani’s harsh criticism of Israel.

About half of Jewish and Muslim voters in New York City said the candidates’ positions on Israel were “a major factor” in their vote.

Voters form a line at a polling station on the UCLA campus Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Young voters broke hard for Democrats — but especially women

Most voters under 30 voted for the Democratic candidates in the New Jersey and Virginia governor’s races, and the New York City mayoral campaign, but young women were particularly likely to support Democrats.

About 8 in 10 women under 30 supported Sherrill in New Jersey, compared to just over half of men under 30. That was similar in Virginia, where roughly 8 in 10 women under 30 voted for Spanberger and about 6 in 10 men under 30 did.

There were gender divides among older voters as well, but they weren’t as large. Just over half of women ages 65 and older, for instance, supported Sherill, compared to about 4 in 10 men ages 65 and older.

Federal government worker households supported Spanberger

Disruptions to the federal workforce over the past year, including the ongoing government shutdown, were felt particularly in Virginia. About 2 in 10 Virginia voters said they live in a household with someone who is currently employed by the federal government or as a federal contractor, according to the poll.

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Voters with a federal government worker in their household were likelier than other voters to support Spanberger. About two-thirds of voters who live in a household with a current federal employee or contractor voted for Spanberger, compared to just over half of voters in households without a family member who works for the government.

About 6 in 10 Virginia voters also reported that their family’s finances had been affected “a lot” or “a little” by federal government cuts this year. About two-thirds of those voters supported Spanberger, while about 6 in 10 voters who said they hadn’t been affected by the cuts supported Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.

Veteran households voted against Sherrill, but she won anyway

Veteran households did not back Sherrill — but she won without their support.

Sherrill is a Navy veteran who faced questions surrounding a cheating scandal during her time at the U.S. Naval Academy. She won about 4 in 10 voters from a U.S. military household, while about 6 in 10 voters in veteran households voted for her opponent, Ciattarelli. Veteran households made up about one-quarter of voters in New Jersey.

Even more Virginia voters, roughly 4 in 10, said someone in their household had ever served in the U.S. military. Spanberger won about half of veteran households in Virginia.

The 2025 AP Voter Poll, conducted by SSRS from Oct. 22 to Nov. 4, includes representative samples of registered voters in California (4,490), New Jersey (4,244), New York City (4,304) and Virginia (4,215). The AP Voter Poll combines data collected from validated registered voters online and by telephone, with data collected in-person from election day voters at approximately 30 precincts per state or city, excluding California. Respondents can complete the poll in English or Spanish. The overall margin of sampling error for voters, accounting for design effect, is plus or minus 2.0 percentage points in California, 2.1 percentage points in New Jersey, 2.2 percentage points in New York City and 2.1 percentage points in Virginia.

By ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered prosecutors in the criminal case of former FBI Director James Comey to produce a trove of materials from the investigation, saying he was concerned that the Justice Department’s position had to been to “indict first and investigate later”

Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick instructed prosecutors to produce by the end of the day on Thursday grand jury materials as well as other evidence that investigators seized during the investigation. The order followed arguments in which Comey’s attorneys said they were at a disadvantage because they had not been able to review materials that were gathered years ago.

Comey is charged with lying to Congress in 2020 in a case filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies. He has pleaded not guilty.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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By MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press

While some people last Friday dressed in Halloween costumes or handed out candy to trick-or-treaters, a group of U.S. data scientists published a list of “dearly departed” datasets that have been axed, altered or had topics scrubbed since President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year.

The timing of the release of the “Dearly Departed Datasets” with “All Hallows’ Eve” may have been cheeky, but the purpose was serious: to put a spotlight on attacks by the Trump administration on federal datasets that don’t align with its priorities, including data dealing with gender identity; diversity, equity and inclusion; and climate change.

Officials at the Federation of American Scientists and other data scientists who compiled the list divided the datasets into those that had been killed off, had variables deleted, had tools removed making public access more difficult and had found a second life outside the federal government.

The good news, the data scientists said, was that the number of datasets that were totally terminated number in the dozens, out of the hundreds of thousands of datasets produced by the federal government.

The bad news was that federal data sets were still at risk because of loss of staff and expertise by federal government workers who lost their jobs or voluntarily departed under Elon Musk’s cost-cutting blitz, and data that reflected poorly on the Republican administration’s policies could still be in the cross-hairs, they said.

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The “dearly departed” figures which were killed off include a Census Bureau dataset showing the relationship between income inequality and vulnerability to disasters; a health surveillance network which monitored drug-related visits to emergency rooms; and a survey of hiring and workhours at farms, according to the review.

The race and ethnicity column was eliminated from a dataset on the federal workforce. Figures on transgender inmates were removed from inmate statistics, and three gender identity questions were taken out of a crime victims’ survey, the data scientists said.

Kaohly Her, St. Paul’s new mayor, answered a series of questions on her candidacy for a Pioneer Press survey earlier this fall.

In her responses she touched on immigration enforcement issues, safer neighborhoods, housing as well as establishing an Urban Wealth Fund to allow the city to manage its assets — land, buildings and infrastructure — in ways to create more revenue streams.

Here’s what she said qualified her to be mayor, her thoughts on the role of government and her priorities as mayor.

What qualifies you to hold this position?

I have been a State Representative for seven years. Before that, I spent years working in the private sector in investments and finance, running a small non-profit empowering women and girls, overseeing operations and grant distribution for the largest community foundation in our state, serving as the first Board Administrator for the Saint Paul Public Schools, and leading as the Policy Director during Mayor Carter’s first term. In between my professional experience, I found time to be a stay-at-home mom and care for my aging parents struggling with healthcare needs, while trying to build wealth as a first-generation refugee. My experience spans private, public, foundation, and nonprofit sectors. Those experiences, coupled with my personal experiences, have prepared me to solve problems at the intersection of these sectors, rather than in the silos of traditional elected leaders. As a result, I can handle complex situations and bring people together to find solutions that we may not all agree with, but that can help us move forward for the greater good. My relationships at the city, county, state, and federal levels will bring more dollars to the city and ensure that we reach collaborative and innovative solutions to the most significant problems facing our city. Responsive communication and proactive leadership are sorely missing in City Hall right now, and I will work to bring those values back.

What would your top priorities be if elected?

I have four main priorities based on what I’ve been hearing from people while doorknocking across the entire city: a vibrant economy, safe neighborhoods, affordable and abundant housing, and defending our neighbors from the federal government. Building a vibrant economy is critical as our neighborhoods lose essential retailers, such as grocery stores. Without those businesses in place, the property tax burden will increasingly fall on the shoulders of renters and homeowners. This impacts those with limited fixed incomes, such as seniors and students, the most. Guaranteeing safe neighborhoods encompasses more than violent crime. Equally important is protecting access to our city resources for our kids to use, addressing the public health crisis of addiction and mental health, and supporting critical services like EMS, which is delivered entirely by our firefighters in Saint Paul. Building affordable and abundant housing will help us welcome even more neighbors, increase our tax base, and bring down the cost of living for everyone. Finally, our communities are at risk from our own federal government. People from immigrant and refugee communities are scared to leave their homes. The city needs to do more than just passively say we’re not collaborating with ICE; we need to provide real-time alerts for residents to inform them when ICE is in their neighborhoods, forbid agents in our community from hiding their faces, and teach our residents how to be constitutional observers.

What do you think is the primary role of government?

It is essential to recognize that the various levels of government have distinct responsibilities. Local governments are responsible for meeting the basic needs of their residents. It must maintain the infrastructure to deliver essential public services, public safety, and development. To make Saint Paul work for its residents, we need to get the nuts and bolts of running a city right, so that we can welcome residents, businesses, and development to expand our tax base and get our city moving again. Funding our city to deliver these services can no longer just fall on the shoulders of our residents through increased taxes. I have several plans to protect core city services, attract more development, and invest in our city as a destination for experiences. I propose diversifying our revenue streams beyond taxes by establishing an Urban Wealth Fund. Furthermore, our city must have transparent budgeting that not only meets the one-year requirement by charter but also projects our budget for an entire term, including future liabilities and city operations. Finally, we must be willing to coordinate with other levels of government to eliminate duplicate services and execute our core responsibilities effectively.

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How do you work to understand, and then learn from, opinions that differ from your own and people who disagree with you?

I am known as someone who can build consensus at the State Capitol. As the Chair of the Pensions Commission under Speaker Melissa Hortman, I was tasked with addressing a looming financial threat to our state. I worked with unions, pension funds, employers, Democrats, and Republicans to build consensus around this tough issue. At the end of the process, even if some people didn’t agree with the outcome, they respected the fact that they felt they were not only listened to, but heard. In the end, the bill passed as the largest pension bill in state history, garnering bipartisan support. My leadership style is to bring everyone to the table and hear their perspective. I’ve already committed to meeting with every city council member within my first month as mayor, so I can listen to the priorities they are bringing to the table. When we all feel heard, we’re better off for it. Disagreements are challenging, but they are also opportunities. The key is the willingness to engage even when it is hard. I am someone who does not shy away from conflict and who is always open to tough conversations. I carry that with me into this work and let that guide me.