“We lost ground with many of our communities,” DNC Vice Chair Shasti Conrad told Fox Digital of the Democrat Party following its 2024 election losses. “The Asian American community was one of them. Where we found that … more votes that did go towards Donald Trump, not overall, but in terms of a change from, you know, 2020 to 2024 there was a dip in the support for Democrats.”

“I’ve certainly seen there’s been a greater play from the Republican Party to reach Asian American voters, particularly in these last several years,” Conrad added. “And, you know, while there’s also been a lot of anti-Asian rhetoric and anti-Asian hate that has come from the Republican Party, there’s also been a real sort of tapping into fears around the economy, around the impact of taxes on the Asian American community, and that there have been more Republicans that have actually, you know, gone to Asian community spaces.”

The year 2025 is an off-season election year, with only Virginia and New Jersey holding gubernatorial elections, and New York City holding a highly-anticipated mayoral race.

MAGA STAR JOINS CIATTARELLI ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN NEW JERSEY AS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP GOVERNOR’S OFFICE

Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli face off in a gubernatorial debate as they vie to become New Jersey’s next governor. (Heather Khalifa/The Associated Press )

New Jersey is a longtime Democrat stronghold, previously voting for a Republican presidential candidate during former President George H.W. Bush’s 1988 election. Trump, however, made inroads with New Jersey voters in the 2024 election, sparking renewed enthusiasm among Republicans to flip the state red.

New Jersey voted to elect former Vice President Kamala Harris as president in the 2024 race, but post-election data showed Trump and the GOP flipped five counties red. All in, Trump cut his 2020 loss from 16 points to six in 2024.

Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill was elected the party’s nominee for governor and will face off against Republican Jack Ciattarelli at the polls Nov. 4.

FORTNIGHT TO ELECTION DAY: 5 KEY 2025 RACES TO WATCH

New Jersey has a massive Asian American population at just more than one million people in a state of roughly 9.5 million total residents. The 2024 voting data shows there were 584,236 eligible Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters in the state.

Conrad, who is also the chair of the Washington State Democratic Party, told Fox Digital that the lack of outreach to the voting bloc could hurt the Democrat Party’s efforts to retain the governorship. She said she reminds party members that “there are a million Asian Americans in New Jersey” and that “we as Democrats, have not invested as much as we could have into the community at our own peril.”

(Left to right) Sophia Danenberg, Shasti Conrad and Junelle Cavero attend “Our Future, Our Freedom” a DNC celebration concert in Chicago in 2024.  (Jeff Schear/Getty Images )

AAPI voters “are the fastest growing demographic in this country, and we are growing in states that we need to win in,” she added. “We are growing in the South. We’re a growing population in North Carolina, in Georgia, in Texas.”

On the national stage, 57% of Asian voters backed Harris in 2024, but Trump also improved his margins with the voting bloc compared to 2020. Trump saw one-in-four Asian votes cast in his favor in 2024 compared to earning 30% of the Asian vote in 2020, according to Pew data.

The DNC leader said the party needs to meet AAPI voters in their community, whether it be at temples and churches or Asian-owned businesses, and hear their concerns directly.

The voting bloc brings a multitude of cultural backgrounds and, subsequently, is a very nuanced group. Conrad noted the diversity of the group when listing off common top voting concerns among AAPI voters, including the economy and immigration — most notably how it relates to H-1B visas.

Conrad said Republicans have met with Asian voters at their churches and businesses and at other cultural events in recent history, with the party increasingly throwing its support behind Asian candidates, as well.

“They’ve just have done more,” Conrad said about the GOP. “And they’ve also been running more Asian candidates, which is … sometimes it’s confusing to voters, in particular the Asian American community, where there’s a lot of pride in having leadership that, you know, that is from the community.”

She called on Democrats to include Asian voters in their common campaign platforms focused on Black, Latino, rural and young voters.

CRIME AND IMMIGRATION DIVIDE NEW JERSEY VOTERS AFTER EXPLOSIVE CIATTARELLI-SHERRILL DEBATE

Indian American signs For Donald Trump rally In Edison, New Jersey, Hindu Indian-American rally for “Humanity United Against Terror.”  (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

“When we’re talking the importance of really building that coalition, we have to continue to say and include Asian Americans in that as well,” she said. “And I think sometimes we get left off, as you know, not even considered or thought about or remembered as a really important community to engage with.”

Sherrill campaign spokesperson Sam Chan told Fox News Digital when asked about their AAPI outreach that “throughout the campaign, Mikie has partnered directly with Asian communities, and shared her vision to lower costs, bolster support for small businesses, and ensure people have the opportunity to achieve the American dream here in New Jersey.”

“As governor, Mikie will work to ensure Trenton serves everyone,” Chan continued. “Mikie will work to make it easier to start and grow a small business and lower costs, ensure our schools are fully funded, and stand up for our constitutional rights and uphold the law. Mikie’s Save You Time and Money Agenda will help business owners launch and expand their ventures, while her State of Emergency on Utility Costs will end the rate hikes and reduce electric bills.”

Chan also took a shot at Trump in the remarks, saying Ciattarelli “cheers along Trump as he attacks our communities, rips away billions from our schools and transit system, and jacks up prices with his unaffordable tariffs, Mikie is running to fight for all New Jerseyans.”

Fox News Digital also spoke with Parul Khemka, a New Jersey Democrat running for re-election on the Livingston Board of Education, who said the Sherrill campaign has increasingly attended cultural events, including a Diwali celebration.

“Even within Bergen County, there’s a big east Asian population, so she’s tapped into that as well. It’s just, New Jersey is a little bit funky. You’d think that it’s one party, one thing … But different counties have their own different attributes, so you have to figure it out as you go along.”

Sherrill, she added, was involved in cultural events in her congressional district, which includes portions of Essex, Morris, and Passaic Counties in North Jersey, and that her office has historically been approachable.

TRUMP NOT ON BALLOT, BUT PRESIDENT FRONT AND CENTER IN 2025 ELECTIONS

Khemka said that top priorities for the AAPI community commonly include education, immigration and visas, and the economy and affordability, while also noting the massive voting bloc is nuanced and diverse. She said AAPI voters have always leaned more to the left, from her view, but that voters moved more to the right as Trump campaigned on getting the economy back on track following spiraling inflation.

President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally in Wildwood, N.J., Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Matt Rourke/The Associated Press)

Democrats, Kehmka said, are positioned to better appeal to AAPI voters as they understand the nuances of the voters’ political concerns as opposed to broad issues.

“The Democratic Party obviously does a little bit better than the Republican Party to understand these nuanced issues, and they do not paint everybody in the same brush,” she said, adding that the AAPI community in New Jersey could make or break Democrats retaining the governor’s mansion.

The Sherrill campaign, for example, has deployed multilingual phone banking and canvassing programs in towns with high levels of Asian voters, with Sherrill, herself, also meeting with voters in their communities.

Conrad said that the Sherrill campaign has built more inroads with AAPI voters in recent months, pointing to outreach events over the weekend that included DNC chair Ken Martin also traveling to the Garden State to rally support for the ticket.

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“We did an AAPI oriented canvas. And then … DNC Chair Ken Martin hosted an AAPI roundtable to meet with AAPI leaders and to show that engagement. I have heard, even just in a month’s time, I had heard a big change from the community about feeling like they were, you know, being engaged more directly by the Sherrill campaign, and we’re feeling better about it,” Conrad said.

“I do think that that work is happening,” she added, praising efforts by the DNC’s AAPI caucus, specifically South Asians for America, rallying Democrat support ahead of New Jersey’s and Virginia’s high-stakes elections.

The New Jersey gubernatorial election is slated for Nov. 4.

Fox News Digital reached out to Ciattarelli’s campaign Thursday for comment on AAPI outreach and has yet to receive a reply.

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A local election candidate is making waves for a bizarre protest at a township meeting this week when he dressed up in martial arts gear and unleashed a series of flying kicks and punched through several of his own protest signs.

The man, identified in previous theatrical stunts as Will Thilly, is running as an independent for the Cranford Township Committee in New Jersey and has been railing against the mayor on taxes, development policy and civic unity.

Independent candidate Will Thilly performs a kung fu routine during a Cranford Township Committee meeting in New Jersey, kicking through protest signs as part of a staged demonstration. (CranfordTV35)

NEW JERSEY DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR HOPEFUL ATTENDS ‘NO KINGS’ PROTEST, VOWS TO FIGHT TRUMP ‘TOOTH AND NAIL’

About 45 minutes into the streamed meeting, Thilly approached the podium in his blue-colored gear, yellow belt and black headband and began clapping.

He then broke out singing “Eye of the Tiger” and asked the bemused crowd to join in.

That’s when two helpers on either side of the floor unfurled a sign that said “Unfair Taxes,” and Thilly proceeded to kung fu kick through it. One man in the crowd can be seen laughing, and another man held his head in his hands, while a despondent elderly couple got up and left.

But Thilly and his crew weren’t finished here.

His pals unfurl three other signs that said, “Closing Our Pools,” “Overdevelopment” and “Divisiveness,” with Thilly kung fu kicking through each of them.

The two men then unfurl another sign that says “Let Love Rule,” which was also adorned with hearts.

“Mr. Thilly, please address your comments to the township committee,” Mayor Terrence Curran can be heard saying.

Unfazed, Thilly then says, “This is love.” He walked toward it and the two men embrace him, wrapping him in the sign.

Independent candidate Will Thilly performs a kung fu chop during a Cranford Township Committee meeting in Cranford, N.J. (CranfordTV35)

BLUE STATE GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEES TRADE BARBS OVER CRUCIAL ISSUE WEEKS AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY

Moments later, Thilly took the microphone and aired his grievances to the mayor, accusing him and the township committee of mishandling a controversial 30-year PILOT tax-exemption deal for a 250-unit apartment complex.

“You also voted for the 30-year tax exemption and PILOT at 750 Walnut on Oct. 8 last year. Then, this July, you said you never voted for that deal, that I was lying,” Thilly said.

“The fact that you, our mayor, cannot remember that you voted for the single largest financial deal and loss in our town history is grounds for that agreement’s annulment. … This is the real reason our taxes are going up so much.”

He alleged that the agreement costs the town millions in lost revenue and contributes to rising property taxes, claiming officials have “censored” meetings and canceled a candidates’ debate “for the first time in history.”

Fox News Digital requested comment from Curran but did not immediately receive a response.

Thilly isn’t new to theatrics. Last month, a video of the independent candidate breakdancing at another meeting went viral, drawing more than 1.6 million views, according to CBS News New York.

Independent candidate Will Thilly gestures toward a banner that says “Let Love Rule” during a Cranford Township Committee meeting in Cranford, N.J., Oct. 21, 2025. (CranfordTV35)

In that appearance, Thilly moonwalked across the floor and performed a backspin before using his allotted five minutes to complain about rising taxes, according to CBS News New York.

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“We were told the referendum was gonna bring it up for an average household about $400, I think, and mine went up like 900 bucks,” Thilly said, per the outlet.

After his speech, he moonwalked out.

Curran dismissed that stunt as “completely a distraction,” per CBS.

Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.

You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.

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“Early voting starts this Saturday. We turn out, we win. Let’s finish strong,” Ciattarelli told supporters at a packed diner in this small city in north-central New Jersey.

Ciattarelli, aiming to pump up the Republican base as the polls tighten, was joined on the campaign trail Wednesday morning and afternoon at three diner stops by Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, a top House ally of President Donald Trump.

“Jack’s been running a great campaign. I’ve been watching it from down in the Sunshine State. But it’s about winning. We got to help everybody get across the line,” Donalds said in a joint Fox News Channel and Fox News Digital interview.

BATTLE FOR GOVERNOR IN THIS CLOSELY WATCHED RACE MAY BE HEADED FOR A PHOTO FINISH

Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli, left, is joined by GOP Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida at a diner in Linden, New Jersey. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News )

Ciattarelli, who’s making his third straight run for Garden State governor, and who nearly upset Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, says things are different this time around.

“Because of the closeness of that race in ’21, people are paying closer attention this time around,” Ciattarelli said.

In a state where registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans despite a GOP surge in registration this decade, four public opinion polls released over the past two weeks — from Fox News, Quinnipiac University, Fairleigh Dickinson University and Rutgers-Eagleton — indicated Ciattarelli narrowing the margins with Sherrill in the race to succeed the term-limited Murphy.

FIVE KEY RACES TO WATCH WITH TWO WEEKS UNTIL ELECTION DAY

“I think we’re in a great position,” Ciattarelli emphasized. ” As you know, many of these polls have a dead heat. And that’s in a state in which Republicans typically under poll because we are the minority party. And when you have the endorsement of Democratic mayors across the state, it says people want change. That’s exactly what we’re going to deliver when we win this race.”

Donalds, who has Trump’s backing as he runs for Florida’s governor next year, touted that in New Jersey, “the wind is at our back.”

Asked why he made the trip, the congressman said, “It’s about New Jersey and making sure that the people of the Garden State get out and vote. That’s all that matters right now.”

Donalds was the second major MAGA star to parachute into New Jersey. Last week, Ciattarelli was joined at a diner packed inside and outside with supporters by Ohio gubernatorial candidate and former White House contender Vivek Ramaswamy.

Republican gubernatorial candidate in Ohio Vivek Ramaswamy headlines a campaign event for Jack Ciattarelli, on Oct. 15, 2025, in Saddle Brook, New Jersey. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

“A lot of Trump voters do not vote for anybody else, so getting guys out that they like will get them out to vote,” former Rahway, New Jersey, GOP chairman Patrick Cassio told Fox News.

“Four years ago, 400,000 Republicans didn’t vote. So, think about that. He picks up half of that, he wins. The math is pretty simple,” Cassio said.

Democrats took aim at Ciattarelli for teaming up with MAGA surrogates.

“Jack Ciattarelli is ramping up his outreach to the furthest MAGA fringes, this time with Byron Donalds — who doesn’t think people need health insurance and wants a 6-week abortion ban. With two weeks to go until Election Day, Jack’s choice to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him tells you everything you need to know about why he couldn’t be more wrong for New Jersey,” New Jersey Democratic State Committee spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki charged in a statement.

New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial showdowns in the year after a presidential election, and the contests traditionally grab outsized attention and are viewed as political barometers ahead of the following year’s midterm elections.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS

And this year, they’re being viewed, in part, as ballot-box referendums on Trump’s unprecedented and explosive second-term agenda.

While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past 10 elections.

And Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by only six percentage points, a vast improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier.

President Donald Trump, seen speaking at a campaign event in Wildwood, New Jersey, May 11, 2024, will headline a tele-rally for Jack Ciattarelli, the 2025 Republican gubernatorial nominee in the Garden State. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

While it’s still not clear if Trump will physically hit the campaign trail in New Jersey sometime during the next two weeks, Fox News confirmed that the president will hold a tele-rally with Ciattarelli ahead of Election Day.

Asked if he wants Trump to join him in person on the campaign trail, Ciattarelli didn’t directly answer.

THE POLITICAL BOMB TRUMP EXPLODED IN THE NEW JERSEY SHOWDOWN FOR GOVERNOR

“The White House is working in close partnership with us, and what they’ve said is ‘we’ll do whatever it is that we think we can do to win.’ The president is very busy. So he’s got a lot going on. We’re happy to work in partnership with the White House to deliver a win here,” Ciattarelli said.

While Trump isn’t on the ballot, he’s loomed large over the New Jersey gubernatorial election.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli, on the stage moments at the start of their second and final gubernatorial debate, on Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)

At this month’s second and final debate, Sherrill charged that her GOP rival had “shown zero signs of standing up to this president. In fact, the president himself called Jack 100% MAGA, and he’s shown every sign of being that.”

FINAL FACEOFF: CIATTARELLI, SHERRILL, CLASH ON DEBATE STAGE

Asked whether he considered himself part of the MAGA movement, Ciattarelli said he was “part of a New Jersey movement.”

When asked to grade the president’s performance so far during his second term, Ciattarelli said, “I’d certainly give the president an A. I think he’s right about everything that he’s doing.”

“I think that tells us all we need to know about who Jack Ciattarelli’s supporting. I give him an F right now,” Sherrill responded, as she pointed to New Jersey’s high cost of living.

In the weeks since the final debate, Sherrill has highlighted that Ciattarelli gave Trump an A rating.

Rep. Byron Donalds joins Jack Ciattarelli on the campaign trail at a diner in Linden, New Jersey, on Oct. 22, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

But Donalds argued that Sherrill’s focus on linking Ciattarelli to Trump would backfire.

“I think that’s a stupid strategy,” Donalds said. “Let me tell you why. He secured the border. That’s what the American people want, even people in New Jersey. He’s done that. Our economy is sound and getting better every single day. That’s what all Americans want.”

Sherrill, a Naval Academy graduate who flew helicopters during her military service and who was first elected to Congress in 2018, is getting plenty of company on the campaign trail. This past weekend she was joined by two of the biggest names in the party — Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Wes Moore of Maryland — who are considered potential 2028 White House contenders. And former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, two more potential presidential candidates, are on deck.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill holds a news conference at a commuter rail station in Secaucus, New Jersey, on Oct. 16, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

And Sherrill’s campaign announced on Tuesday that the most popular Democrat in the country — former President Barack Obama — will headline a rally with her in Newark on Nov. 1, the final weekend before Election Day.

But Ciattarelli’s campaign claimed that Obama’s upcoming appearance on the New Jersey campaign trail is a sign of weakness for the Democrats.

“National and New Jersey Democrats are in full-blown panic. At this point, we expect them to import anyone they think can excite Democrats because Mikie Sherrill excites no one,” Ciattarelli campaign chief strategist Chris Russell argued in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Former President Barack Obama speaking at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced on Tuesday that it’s upping the ante, infusing more money into the New Jersey Democratic Coordinated Campaign, on top of the $3 million it’s already dished out in the Garden State.

“This November will set the tone for years to come, and it’s our moment to show Donald Trump and the Republicans that their time in power is coming to an end,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.

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New Jersey traditionally elects a governor from the party out of power in the White House, which this year would favor the Democrats.

But Garden State voters haven’t elected a governor from the same party in three straight elections in over a half century, which would favor the Republicans.

One of those political trends will be derailed in two weeks.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.”

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Billboards that say “New Yorkers aren’t moving up, they’re moving out!” and “New Jersey isn’t moving up, families are moving out!” popped up Thursday in high-traffic areas of New York and New Jersey.

Unleash Prosperity told Fox News Digital it plans on leaving its warning signs in place until Nov. 19.

“We’re running this billboard campaign to alert people, the citizens of those states, that you’re losing your most precious resource in New Jersey and New York. And you know what that precious resource is? Your people, your citizens, your businesses and the money that they spend,” Steve Moore, the founder of Unleash Prosperity and a former Trump administration economic advisor, told Fox News Digital.

GOP ACTIVIST REVEALS WHY NEW JERSEY IS NOT ‘JUST A DEMOCRAT STATE’ IN PUSH TO FLIP GOVERNORSHIP

Unleash Prosperity is sending a warning to New York and New Jersey as more residents move out. (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Unleash Prosperity’s Vote With Your Feet campaign tracks data from the IRS and other agencies to create interactive maps showing how population and wealth are moving across the country. The campaign site has interactive maps depicting the movement of people and money, as well as their politics.

Moore said that while the first “big wave” of migration the group tracked in the U.S. occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, as residents of closed blue states moved to open red states, the pattern goes beyond that.

“Our study looks over the last 10 years. So, it’s not just the COVID effect,” he explained.

The former Trump administration economic advisor said “there’s no question” that the country’s politics will become more polarized if the population shift continues. Moore said it used to be that New Yorkers going to Florida would vote for Democrats in the Sunshine State. But now, he said, those moving out of New York and New Jersey are doing so for ideological reasons as well as economic ones. He also noted that Florida and Texas have become more red, not more purple, as people flee blue states.

Unleash Prosperity’s latest campaign uses billboards to warn New Jersey and New York residents that their neighbors are leaving en masse. (Unleash Prosperity)

FLORIDA SENATOR CALLS ON NEW YORKERS WHO ‘HATE SOCIALISM’ TO MOVE SOUTH WITH AERIAL AD

Moore declined to comment on specific candidates running for New York City mayor or New Jersey governor, but he said that politicians looking to hold those offices should know that “raising taxes in New Jersey or New York would be a disaster.”

“I believe if New York were to raise its income taxes — [like] some of the politicians are talking about — that Wall Street would no longer be located in New York City. It would move out,” he said. Moore touched on New Jersey as well, saying that many residents are fleeing the state because of its high taxes.

“New Jersey is the third highest taxed state in the country — one of the highest income taxes, one of highest business taxes — and small businesses and big businesses can’t do business there anymore. So, the policies need to be reversed,” he told Fox News Digital.

The four states that have lost the most people and the most income are New York, California, New Jersey and Illinois, according to Moore. He pointed to a common denominator that all four states share — “very, very high taxes.”

In addition to taxes and politics, Moore said crime and bad schools are other factors pushing blue state residents to flee. He said he sees crime as another kind of tax.

Billboards launched by Unleash Prosperity Oct. 23, 2025, warn New York and New Jersey residents about the mass exodus from their states. (Unleash Prosperity)

“I think crime is a tax. And if you can’t feel safe walking down the streets of your neighborhood, you’re going to want to leave,” he said.

Moore also said that if blue states were to allow school choice — a move that some say would allow low-income families to give their children better educational opportunities — they would see fewer residents leaving.

Moore said red state lawmakers, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, have handled crime control well and have kept taxes low, something he said are the keys to their success. He said lawmakers in blue states should aim to be more pro-business, to fight crime and to get rid of “all of the things that make cities today unlivable.” He pointed to the example former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani set when the Republican cleaned up the country’s most populated city.

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While he had criticisms of lawmakers in blue cities and states, Moore pointed to examples of Democrats who were doing well with population retention: San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and Houston Mayor John Whitmire.

Moore described Lurie as a “very pro-business, moderate Democrat” and said he is “cleaning up” the city and that people are returning. Moore said Whitmire was a “no-nonsense” lawmaker who is fighting crime, cutting expenses and keeping taxes low.

“That’s what Democratic mayors and governors should be doing if they want to save their cities and states,” Moore said.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

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The whale reportedly struggled through at least two nights trapped before passing.

The 29-foot humpback was first spotted off the coast of Holgate around 3 p.m. local time Friday.

Marine research group Gotham Whale had also reported seeing the whale struggling to hunt in waters near Rockaway.

GREAT WHITE SHARK LURKING NEAR NORTHEAST VACATION SPOT, DRONE VIDEO SHOWS

The marine center confirmed that a team had spotted the whale in shallow water off the west side of Holgate. (Google Maps)

In the press release posted online, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center explained how they were working to tow the young whale Tuesday after it had sadly died.

The center also detailed how on Friday a team had spotted the whale in shallow water off the west side of Holgate, where the whale then appeared to be beached on a sandbar.

The whale was identified as a young humpback when they eventually reached it.

The team described how the whale was lethargic and in very thin body condition, with “wounds consistent with a previous propeller strike” present across both the left and right dorsal sides of the whale.

75-FOOT BOAT SURFS WAVE, RUNS AGROUND IN HAWAII

The marine center said the whale was lethargic and in very thin body condition when they examined it. (Marine Mammal Stranding Center)

The whale’s prognosis by medical examiners was also extremely poor, and it was unlikely to survive, the release said.

“Sedatives were administered to keep the animal comfortable until operations could resume safely the following daytime low tide,” it said.

The center confirmed online that the whale “was monitored until well after dark on Saturday 10/18 by the MMSC Stranding Team, our network partners Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, and NJ Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officers.”

MONTAUK YACHT DEATH: TIMELINE REVEALS BIKINI MOGUL’S FINAL DAYS IN HAMPTONS BEFORE MYSTERIOUS DEMISE

The 29-foot humpback was first spotted off the coast of Holgate. (Google Maps)

The monitoring was said to have continued into the night and before the team discovered that the animal had sadly passed away.

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“Our entire team is deeply saddened by every deceased animal that we investigate, but the ones that hit the hardest are animals like this young whale who never got the chance to contribute to their species,” the press release concluded.

Fox News Digital has reached out to MMSC and Gotham Whale for further comment.

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture. 

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The New York State Board of Elections said early voters are given nine days to vote in person prior to Election Day, starting on Oct. 25 and ending Nov. 2. The race to become the next mayor of the Big Apple is drawing national attention.

On Friday, Democrat mayoral nominee and frontrunner Zohran Mamdani scored an endorsement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. Earlier this week, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent mayoral candidate, was formally endorsed by current New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

“Tomorrow, I vote on the first day of early voting,” Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa said Friday on “The Will Cain Show.” “That should put a nail into the coffin for anybody who thinks I’m dropping out.”

MAMDANI ACCUSES CUOMO OF ‘ISLAMOPHOBIC RHETORIC’ AS CONTENTIOUS NYC MAYORAL RACE COMES DOWN TO THE WIRE

Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, center, speaks during a mayoral debate with the independent candidate, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in New York. (Angelina Katsanis/AP)

Sliwa has been facing pressure to drop out of the race to boost the chances of Cuomo defeating Mamdani.

Meanwhile, the New Jersey Division of Elections said every county in the state “will designate in-person early voting locations that will be open Saturday, October 25, 2025 – Sunday, November 2, 2025 (the in-person early voting period).

“In 2021, historic legislation established in-person early voting in New Jersey. This law makes our state even more voter-friendly and strengthens our democracy by expanding opportunities to exercise your right to vote.”

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SENDS FEDERAL ELECTION WATCHERS TO CALIFORNIA AND NEW JERSEY COUNTIES AMID REPUBLICAN REQUESTS

Democrat Mikie Sherrill, left, and Republican Jack Ciattarelli are competing to become the next governor of New Jersey. (Getty Images)

In the Garden State, Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli are competing for the governorship. Current Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy leaves office in January.

“Our polling’s looking good. I think we’re feeling really good right now,” Sherrill touted as she spoke with Fox News Digital after headlining a major party gathering this week in this northern New Jersey township.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, left, and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor, pose during the second half of an NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, at Madison Square Garden in New York.  (Frank Franklin II/AP)

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“I think we’re in a great position,” Ciattarelli also said in a Fox News interview after a campaign stop at a diner in Linden, New Jersey.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has notably made a lane to the right of far-left Democratic Party figures like New York Assemb. Zohran Mamdani, will rally with Spanberger in the crucial Hampton Roads area.

The former Virginia congresswoman plans to hold multiple rallies in the Tidewater alone before Election Day, including another with former President Barack Obama across the ‘roads’ in Norfolk.

“Governor Shapiro this weekend is headed to New Jersey and Virginia to help elect Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger; two more Democratic governors who will focus every day on getting stuff done, delivering results for hardworking families and protecting freedom in their states,” Shapiro campaign spokesman Manuel Bonder told Fox News Digital on Friday.

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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro gestures to fans at the Pitt/WVU game at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Brien Aho/Getty Images)

Shapiro also plans to stump for Rep. Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey as she hopes to keep Trenton in Democratic hands.

Shapiro – who has announced he will run for reelection to Harrisburg in 2026 and has not officially indicated interest in a presidential bid – is one of several Democrats whose names repeatedly come up in such conversation – including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Kentucky Gov. Andrew Beshear.

He was also the reported runner-up to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in Kamala Harris’ 2024 veepstakes.

Shapiro lambasted antisemitic behavior at the University of Pennsylvania following the Hamas attack on Israel, while separately adding of Mamdani’s view of the Jewish State:

“You have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can’t leave room for that to just sit there.”

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While Shapiro has faced criticism from Republicans in his own state for supporting former Gov. Tom Wolf’s COVID-era shutdowns and for the current budget impasse, he’s also been a rare Democrat to earn praise from some in the GOP.

Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee in New Jersey’s sweeps, namedropped Shapiro favorably enough times that Newark Mayor Ras Baraka – then running for governor – suggested he cross the Delaware and run in the Keystone State instead.

“[Pennsylvania doesn’t] have a property tax crisis [like New Jersey], they don’t have a business climate crisis, they don’t have an energy crisis,” Ciattarelli said, contrasting the two neighbors.

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Pennsylvania Republicans, however, disputed some of those descriptions, with state Rep. Russ Diamond, R-Lebanon, and Sen. David Argall, R-New Ringgold, recently drafting bills to eliminate property taxes altogether.

State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, who challenged Shapiro in 2022 and is being urged by the conservative wing to do so again in 2026, also blasted Shapiro’s budget proposals as “fantasy,” warning in a statement that “eventually, the funds from ‘we the people’ will run dry.”

Shapiro has also been vocal on election law itself, rebuking the president over a Truth Social post potentially foreshadowing an end to mail-in balloting.

“Donald Trump can sign whatever the hell executive orders he wants. . . . But he can’t change the Constitution with an executive order, and the Constitution gives the authority to set our election rules to the states.” Shapiro said.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. 

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant. 

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

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