Tens of thousands of Americans voted early in the New York City mayoral race on Saturday, an early turnout five times higher than in the 2021 race, statistics from the Board of Elections show.
The early voting turnout results could also spell trouble for independent candidate Andrew Cuomo as the high-voting boroughs were those that his rival, Democrat candidate Zohran Mamdani, won in the June primary.
When approached for comment regarding the early turnout results, Rich Azzopardi, from Cuomo’s press team, told Newsweek: “It’s been clear most voters don’t want New York City to be a socialist experiment with a diminished police force, no jails, decriminalized prostitution, add a weakened education system that encourages mediocrity. This is the most important election of our lifetime and the turnout thus far shows that New Yorkers know it.”
Newsweek contacted Mamdani’s press team outside of regular working hours via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The mayoral race in New York City has sparked national interest, with the outcome predicted to bring out major changes to the political direction of America’s largest city.
After Mayor Eric Adams dropped out of the race, due to various reasons including low poll numbers and a federal indictment that was later dismissed, Cuomo appeared to have a surge in support—and Adams also recently endorsed the former governor.
However, the polls have since been favoring Mamdani. A Democrat victory would also make history as he would be New York City’s first Muslim mayor, but there is still everything for both candidates to play for in the lead up to the election date on November 4.
What To Know
The Board of Elections shared that a total of 79,409 Americans cast their ballots on the first day of early voting on Saturday, with particularly high voting numbers in the boroughs that Mamdani won in the primary election held on June 24.
Mamdani won the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, and all of which had the top three highest voting turnouts—at 24,046, 22,105, and 19,045 respectively. Comparatively, the boroughs Cuomo won—the Bronx and Staten Island—had 7,793 and 6,420, respectively.
These numbers are also significantly higher than the first-day turnout in the 2021 mayoral race, when the Board of Elections reported 4,563 voters in Manhattan, 3,751 in Brooklyn, 3,441 in Queens, 2,079 in the Bronx, and 1,584 in Staten Island.
Mamdani, whose campaign is focused on affordability, universal child care, free bus services and other key areas of policy, has had a double-digit lead in the polls for some time, as well as gaining high-profile endorsements from New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, and Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent.
Based on an evaluation of a number of polls between October 3 and 23, RealClear Polling shows Mamdani to have a 17.2-point lead, with 47 percent of the support, and Cuomo with 29.8 percent.
Cuomo, who resigned as governor of New York in 2021 after being accused of sexual harassment, has previously said that his many years of public service make him the best person to run the city.
What People Are Saying
Robert Reich, a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, wrote in a post on social media on Saturday: “Early voting in the NYC mayoral election begins TODAY. If you’re a New Yorker, I urge you to vote for Zohran Mamdani—the only candidate who will stand up to the oligarchy and fight for working people.”
Independent Candidate Andrew Cuomo wrote in a post on X on Sunday: “New Yorkers, WE WILL WIN this election. Not just for ourselves, not just for our families, but for our city, our state, and our country. Early voting is underway. Cast your vote and show the power of unity in our beautiful city at the polls. Together, we’ll keep New York moving forward.”
What Happens Next
As this is only the first day of early voting, there is still plenty of time for Cuomo’s supporters to turn out on election day, but the fact that so many have already voted in the boroughs previously won by Mamdani could suggest that Cuomo faces an uphill battle.