It’s up to you, New York, New York.
Early voting kicked off Saturday in the Big Apple, with New Yorkers facing the stark decision of whether the City that Never Sleeps should be led by an anti-Israel socialist.
Gloria Resto, a retired 77-year-old who was among the first in line at a Co-op City polling site, said she voted ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo because she doesn’t trust the frontrunner, Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani or his socialist platforms.
“There are some things [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 on line at the Co-op City Dreiser Loop Community Center Auditorium polling site in The Bronx Saturday morning.
New Yorkers started the process of choosing the city’s next mayor and other elected office holders Saturday when early voting kicked off ahead of the Nov. 4 general election. Brigitte Stelzer
Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa could be seen casting his vote. Robert Miller
“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.”
Connie Fortunato, a retired 79-year-old, also said she’s willing to look past the scandals that led to Cuomo resigning as governor in 2021.
“Cuomo! I always liked Cuomo,” she said.
“You know, people do things they shouldn’t do. Everybody gets a pass. Give the man a pass. Nobody’s perfect.
“He really does know what he’s talking about when he talks. This guy in Mamdani or whatever his name is? He’s gonna put this country in a lot of hot water.”
But staunch lefties like Richard Lawson, Jr., 84, said they voted for Mamdani because of his dislike for President Trump.
“This is important — I’m voting for anybody that’s not for Trump,” he said.
“So Mamdani, I’ll take him. He’s asking for things that the people: need, rent, wages, child support,” added Lawsoon, failing to mention the president is no ally of Cuomo or Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
Residents can visit polling sites to vote early through Nov. 2. Brigitte Stelzer
James Vargas, a retired 62-year-old, said he’s voting for Sliwa.
“Sliwa, he’s a Guardian Angel; he wears a red hat,” Vargas 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.”
Sliwa voted early for himself on Saturday at the Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side.
Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, is the presumptive favorite to replace Mayor Eric Adams and oversee the city’s $115 billion budget and nearly 300,000-member workforce.
Helping his cause: Cuomo, a Dem running as an independent, and Sliwa 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.
Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and an avowed socialist, is the presumptive favorite to replace Mayor Eric Adams. Matthew McDermott
“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.”
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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.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who shockingly lost the Democratic primary, is running as an independent for mayor. Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post
She said she greatly appreciates 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.
Guardian Angels founder Sliwa has resisted calls to step aside. Robert Miller for NY Post
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 is squaring off against Republican George Sarantopoulos in a “purple” stretch of southern Brooklyn, which reaches from Bay Ridge to Coney Island.
Santosuosso is chief of staff for term-limited Democratic incumbent Justin Brannan.
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.