In the New York City mayoral race, early voting is in full swing with strong turnout over the weekend.
More than 160,000 New Yorkers have already cast their votes and the candidates have not finished campaigning as they wait to present their final arguments with just over a week until Election Day.
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayoral candidate, shared the stage in Queens on Sunday night with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders.
More than 10,000 people filled Forest Hills Stadium.
“One of them was wearing a MAGA hat for Mamdani…” Mamdani said. “But that’s the beauty of the general election: learning to care about the affordability crisis and seeking to make life a little easier for New Yorkers.”
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo says he feels the energy too, but says it’s for him.
At a senior center in Harlem on Monday, with a portrait of former President Barack Obama over his shoulder, Cuomo said record early voting numbers are tilting in his favor.
Voters 55 and older accounted for more than half of the turnout, marking a dramatic shift from the primary, when voters ages 25 to 34 dominated.
“In the primary, turnout was totally different than they thought,” Cuomo said. “Much younger and the younger vote was a much higher percentage.”
Meanwhile, former Gov. David Paterson hinted he will back Cuomo, saying socialists have repeatedly mistreated the Black community.
“They walk around like they’re going to be the saviors of blacks, Hispanics and other communities, but they’re not,” Paterson said.
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa says what matters more than endorsements is that his two opponents are soft on crime.
“Andrew Cuomo is the architect of cashless bail and Zohran Mamdani is his apprentice,” Sliwa said.
Sliwa says Paterson won’t change any voter’s mind.
“If I were Gov. David Paterson, who I know well, I would stop being embarrassed,” Sliwa said. “Because this guy can’t figure out from one day to the next who he supports.”
Meanwhile, when asked if the rise in older early voters is hurting his campaign, Mamdani said affordability — the central issue of his campaign — is also a major issue for them.
“Affordability is something that is robbing them of the ability to age in this city,” Mamdani said.
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