Voters across the country are heading to the polls today for a slew of key off-cycle races, including governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia and the New York City mayoral election.

Follow MarketWatch's live coverage of the government shutdown's damage to the U.S. economy as the closure approaches record-breaking length.

The former New York governor faces Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.

As of 6 p.m., about 1.85 million people, including early and mail-in voters, had cast ballots in the hotly contested race among Zohran Mamdani, Andrew M. Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa. Polls close at 9 p.m.

Elections in New Jersey, Virginia, California and elsewhere are the first big opportunity since Trump's 2024 victory to gauge voter sentiment.

Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa trail behind, with polling and betting markets suggesting Mamdani is the likely victor. According to Polymarket, Mamdani holds a 91 percent chance of winning, compared to 9 percent for Cuomo and less than 1 percent for Sliwa.

A UPS cargo plane with three crew members on board crashed Tuesday near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.

The shutdown of the federal government continues, approaching a 35-day record set during President Donald Trump's first term. Republican and Democratic lawmakers remain at a stalemate on finding a government funding solution.