Polls back open in New Jersey after morning bomb threats

Nearly two dozen poll sites across eight counties in New Jersey temporarily closed Tuesday morning after receiving bomb threats via email, according to numerous reports. 

“We received by email early this morning a number of threats to polling places across about eight counties,” New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin told Bloomberg. “Law enforcement responded immediately at each polling place. They’ve secured the polling places, and voters can vote safely. At this time there is no indication that any of those threats were credible and almost all of them have been reopened.” 

Derek Sands, spokesperson for Bergen County – the state’s most populous county – said police investigated the threats and determined they were non-credible. Sands called the threats “malicious,” saying such “intimidation-driven acts intended to disrupt the democratic process,” The New York Post reports.  

Other counties disrupted by the potential danger include Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Passaic – most of which lean Republican, according to The Post.  

“I want to reassure every voter that we are not going to tolerate anyone trying to interfere with our elections,” Platkin said. “Voters should have full confidence that today’s elections will be free, fair and they can cast their votes safely” 

Additionally, three red-leaning districts in Cumberland County have turned away voters due to technological failures.  

Mayor Michael Rothman of Downe Township said several machines were “down” since the polls opened at 6 a.m. He said at least four residents were “turned away” without any other voting options, adding that they said they couldn’t come later. 

Voters are casting ballots in a tight governor’s race garnering national attention.  

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-New Jersey faces Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a former state representative, who narrowly lost the governor’s race to current Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021.  

President Donald Trump has endorsed Ciattarelli and encouraged voters to “VOTE REPUBLICAN IF YOU WANT MASSIVE ENERGY COST AND CRIME REDUCTIONS.” 

According to recent polling, Sherrill leads Ciattarelli by seven percentage points, but several counties are currently trending more red than previous election years.  

In Hunterdon County, Ciattarelli is up by 30 points, compared with the 25-point lead he had in 2021. Cumberland County reports a nearly 11-point Republican lead, compared with the narrow 0.3 margin in 2024. 

Meanwhile, another gubernatorial election is being held in Virginia, where Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, faces Democrat Abigail Spanberger. The two women compete to make history as Virginia’s first female governor. Current polls indicate Spanberger holds a substantial lead over Earle-Sears. While Trump has not directly endorsed Earle-Sears, he said “A vote for the Democrats is a DEATH WISH!” 

The state is also electing an attorney general. Former Virginia delegate Jay Jones, a Democrat, is challenging incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares for the office. Despite national coverage of Jones’ previous violent text threats against a Republican lawmaker, he currently leads Miyares by two percentage points in recent polls.  

In New York City, socialist Zohran Mamdani is hoping to replace Eric Adams as mayor, battling former Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent. Mamdani has promised free housing, government-owned grocery stores and raising taxes on the rich.  

More than two thousand residents have already voted, and some predictions anticipate New York City could see two million votes cast. 

Trump endorsed Cuomo over the GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa, with hopes of defeating “Communist Candidate” Mamdani, who blamed Trump for the New Jersey bomb threats, saying Trump is trying to “repress the voice of Americans across this country.” 

“I think it’s quite sad to see that we have someone at the top of the ticket on an election day today saying such things about the President when he obviously had absolutely nothing to do with those strikes,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at Tuesday’s press briefing.