Early voting in the Big Apple kicked off Saturday with New Yorkers beginning the process of deciding the city’s next mayor ahead of the Nov. 4 general election — and whether the so-called “capital of capitalism” should be led by a socialist.
Lefty Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and an avowed socialist, is the presumptive favorite to replace Mayor Adams, oversee the city’s $115 billion budget and nearly 300,000-member workforce.
Helping his cause: ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Dem running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, who are expected to split votes among moderates and conservatives.
Adams, a centrist Democrat, suspended his sagging re-election campaign last month as fundraising lagged following a federal probe, even though he was cleared of corruption allegations. The incumbent mayor remains on the ballot as an independent – as does lawyer Jim Walden.
NYC’s 5.1 million registered voters can cast early votes for mayor and other races citywide by visiting polling sites through Nov. 2, with the polls open most days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Oct. 28-29 (10 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and Oct. 31 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
Gloria Resto, a retired 77-year-old, said she’s voting for Cuomo because he appears to be President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate in the race – and because she doesn’t trust the anti-Israel Mamdani’s socialist platforms.
“There are some things that [Cuomo] did that I don’t approve of, but then I have to weigh the difference between him and Mamdani,” said Resto, after being among the first to cast their ballots at the Co-op City Dreiser Loop Community Center Auditorium polling site in the Bronx Saturday morning.
“I love Jewish people. I don’t put people in boxes. I love everybody. And [Mamdani], I don’t believe him. He’s saying things that he wants you to believe.
“And then he says, he’s going to tax all white people… What are you talking about? So all of those things. Cuomo was the better person. Even though he didn’t do good to the nursing homes [during the COVID pandemic], I’m just putting that aside and thinking about what he’s gonna do for all of us.”
However, James Vargas, a retired 62 year old, said he’s voting for Sliwa.
“Sliwa, he’s a Guardian Angel; he wears a red hat,” he said. “Seems like he wants to help the city. I don’t trust the Democrats. I don’t trust Republicans. We’re in a mess. Maybe he’ll do some things, see what happens. Otherwise, we vote him out.”
Throughout the campaign, the mayoral candidates have bickered on how to deal with hot-button issues such as crime, homelessness, affordability, and relations with Israel and Trump.
Polls showed Mamdani trouncing Cuomo by nearly 20 points, 46.7% to 28.6%, with Sliwa a distant third with 16.2%, according to a new survey of voters released Friday by Victory Insights.
The poll also shockingly revealed that a “whopping” 26.5% of respondents are thinking about fleeing the Big Apple if the Israel-hating, 34-year-old socialist wins and becomes the youngest mayor of America’s largest city in more than a century.
Colleen McGee, a 58-year-old administrative assistant, showed up at Museum of the Moving Image polling site in Astoria at 7:30 a.m. – making her first in line there when the polls opened at 9 a.m.
She said she greatly appreciates the New York’s early-voting option, which began in 2019 and has been growing more popular yearly.
“During work week, if you work every day, I work in the city, I have to be at work at 6 o’clock in the morning,” said McGee, who declined to say who she voted for.
“I can’t vote and then get to work and get there on time, it’s easier……the early voting is great. I’m at my own pace.”
Besides voting for mayor, New Yorkers will also weigh in on the citywide offices of comptroller and public advocate; the City Council’s 51 seats; the borough president and district attorney posts in each of the five boroughs; and lower-level state and city judicial posts.
Many races are unopposed or noncompetitive, with registered Democrats holding a more than 6 to 1 advantage over Republicans in NYC.
Some of the more competitive Council races include Republican incumbent Kristy Marmorato trying to fend off Democrat Shirley Aldebol for a seat representing northeastern parts of the Bronx; two of term-limited Councilman Bob Holden’s staffers, Republican Alicia Vaichunas and Democrat Phil Wong, fighting for the right to represent parts of central Queens; and Democrat Kayla Santosuosso squaring off against Republican George Sarantopoulos in a “purple” stretch southern Brooklyn which reaches from Bay Ridge to Coney Island. Santosuosso is chief of staff for term-limited incumbent Justin Brannan.
Other races to watch include soft-on-crime Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg facing off against Republican Maud Maron and Diana Florence, a longtime DA office staffer running as an independent.
Voters can also weigh in on five citywide ballot proposals — including three that give mayors more power over housing development while reducing much of the sway individual council members can now exercise on rezoning and related issues in their districts.
They’ll also get to decide on a statewide measure to retroactively bring into compliance an expansion of the Olympic Complex in upstate Essex County near Lake Placid by mandating the state buy 2,500 acres of land to add to the Adirondack Forest Preserve.
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