NBC News: “Republicans have spent more on TV ads in recent weeks on the race for attorney general — where past violent text messages by the Democratic nominee have roiled the race — than the higher-profile contest for governor, where the GOP candidate is the underdog.”

“Campaign finance rules in Virginia allow outside groups to donate directly to candidates, so the bulk of Republicans’ ad spending in these two races have come from Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the gubernatorial nominee, and Attorney General Jason Miyares.”

Politico: “If Zohran Mamdani prevails, the president gets a hard-left foil to demonize as he uses federal power to punish deep-blue cities.”

“If Andrew Cuomo pulls off a comeback, Trump will gain new leverage over an old rival who is facing a potential Department of Justice inquiry into whether he lied to Congress.”

A new Manhattan Institute poll finds Zohran Mamdani remains on track to win the New York City mayoralty—drawing 46% support compared to Andrew Cuomo’s 31% and Curtis Sliwa’s 21%.

“The city set to host Donald Trump’s future presidential library is also home to the hottest election in Florida — a 13-way mayoral brawl that could test whether Democrats have any pulse left in the state,” Politico reports.

” The election has received far less attention than the mayoral contest in New York City or the governors’ races in Virginia and New Jersey. But it’s laced with gripping storylines: indictments, dynasties, savage one-liners, taxpayer-funded lawsuits and even a court-thwarted effort to push the election back a year — a move that would have allowed current officeholders to blow through term limits. Some rivals openly show their disdain for each other. Others accuse fellow candidates of wanting the job as a stepladder or grift.”

A new Suffolk University poll finds Andrew Cuomo has cut Zohran Mamandi’s lead in the New York City mayor’s race by 10 points, after trailing by 20 points in Suffolk’s September poll.

Mamdani leads Cuomo 44% to 34% ahead of the Nov. 4 election, with Curtis Sliwa in third place at 11%. Some 7% of voters surveyed were undecided.

“Virginia Democrats are bracing for the possibility of split-ticket results in the governor and attorney general races, which could pose a significant impact on policy and issues like redistricting,” The Hill reports.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) claimed she thought the crowd was chanting about the Buffalo Bills when she was booed at New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s rally on Sunday, Mediaite reports.

Said Hochul: “I thought they were saying, ‘Let’s go Bills.’ I wasn’t sure. I mean, when you’re up there, I heard some noise. I heard a lot of cheers. But later on, it became clear to me that there is a — I know there’s a passion for that.”

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) claimed that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) endorsing Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor marked the “end of the Democratic Party as we’ve known it,” Mediaite reports.

Said Johnson: “After a months-long pressure campaign from the far left, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries finally relented. He gave in and he gave his endorsement to the socialist running to be mayor of New York City.”

He added: “The House Democrats have chosen a side… There is no longer a place for centrists and moderates in their party.”

“More than 160,000 New Yorkers flocked to the polls this weekend to give an energetic kickoff to the start of early voting in the bitterly contested election for mayor, with the candidates’ attack lines hovering over an unusual three-way race,” the New York Times reports.

“The pace of early voting so far suggested high turnout for an off-year election, reflecting heightened interest in the contest.”

President Trump claimed in a social media post that Democrats “shipped” millions of ballots to California to rig the vote on early redistricting.

Playbook: “The Nov. 4 elections are almost upon us — and while the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey offer more useful barometers of how the parties are faring, it’s the mayoral contest in New York City that is grabbing all the headlines.”

“Frontrunner Zohran Mamdani packed out the iconic Forest Hills Stadium last night at an extraordinary rally alongside fellow socialist stars Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Nearly 13,000 people turned out to see the trio take the stage in Queens, further cementing Mamdani’s reputation as a genuine superstar of the left. Mayoral rallies do not normally look like this.”

“The Trump administration said on Friday that the Justice Department will monitor polling sites in California and New Jersey ahead of the Nov. 4 election, amid requests by Republican Party officials in those states,” the New York Times reports.

“Although election monitoring by the Justice Department is not uncommon, it will likely heighten tensions as voters weigh in on some of the nation’s most closely watched races. President Trump has pushed the Justice Department to pursue parts of his agenda, including going after his political enemies, which has eroded its traditional independence.”

“House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will endorse Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor Friday,” Politico reports.

“The nod is coming after months of pressure and just before early voting begins Saturday.”

“The government website of Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) highlights that she has ‘traveled over 28,000 miles across the Commonwealth since coming into office’ and ‘headlined numerous events across the Commonwealth and across the nation,'” NOTUS reports.

“But her official lieutenant governor schedule tells a different story.”

“Unredacted calendar documents obtained this month by NOTUS via the Virginia Freedom of Information Act show large gaps — sometimes weeks, other times months — where Earle-Sears lists no meetings, events or governmental engagements on her official schedule.”