NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Polling places opened Saturday for the start of in-person voting for two of the year\u2019s most closely watched elections: the New York City mayor\u2019s race and the contest to pick New Jersey\u2019s next governor.<\/p>\n
New Yorkers are choosing between Democrat Zohran Mamdani<\/a>, Republican Curtis Sliwa and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat on the ballot as an independent. The incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, is also on the ballot but dropped out of the race<\/a> last month and recently threw his support<\/a> behind Cuomo.<\/p>\n The New Jersey governor\u2019s race<\/a> features Republican state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli against Democratic U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill.<\/p>\n The off-year elections are key tests for Democratic Party leaders as they try to decide what kinds of candidates, priorities and political messaging might best counter Republican President Donald Trump<\/a> \u2019s agenda ahead of the crucial 2026 midterms.<\/p>\n The races, to that end, have spotlighted affordability and cost-of-living issues as well as ongoing divisions within the Democratic Party, says Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University in New Jersey.<\/p>\n \u201cNew York City pits the progressive wing against the establishment old guard in Mamdani versus Cuomo, while New Jersey is banking on moderate candidate Mikie Sherrill to appeal to its broad middle,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n On Saturday morning, a steady stream of voters turned out at an early voting site at Creedmoor, a psychiatric hospital in the New York City borough of Queens where Mamdani lives and Cuomo was born and raised. <\/p>\n Deepa Paulus, a 28-year-old artist, was among a number of younger voters who cast their ballot for Mamdani, citing his pledge to tackle housing and other affordability issues in the high-cost city.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has a lot of really good ideas for the future of New York, and I feel very hopeful when I hear him talking,\u201d the registered Democrat said. \u201cI know it\u2019s hard to actually implement changes like that, but I\u2019m excited to see what he does.\u201d<\/p>\n Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has electrified liberal voters who are drawn to his proposals such as universal, free child care, free buses, and a rent freeze for New Yorkers living in about 1 million rent-regulated apartments. <\/p>\n However Alix Mondesir, a 67-year-old retired lawyer, said he voted for Cuomo even as he conceded that the \u201cidealism of Mamdani spoke to my heart directly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe bottom line is we can\u2019t go on hopes. We have to go on someone that shows that they can handle the budget, that they\u2019ve been in the fire and that they\u2019ve survived,\u201d the registered Democrat said. \u201cI don\u2019t want a guy learning on the job. I want a guy with a proven track record.\u201d<\/p>\n Cuomo has portrayed Mamdani\u2019s policies as naive and financially irresponsible. He has appealed to voters to pick him because of his experience as the state\u2019s governor, a position he gave up in 2021 after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cuomo has also assailed Mamdani, who would be the city\u2019s first Muslim mayor, over his criticism of Israel. <\/p>\n Mamdani, who has weathered anti-Muslim rhetoric<\/a> during the contest, says Israel\u2019s war in Gaza amounts to genocide<\/a>. Cuomo and Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels public safety patrol group, equate Mamdani\u2019s position with antisemitism<\/a>.<\/p>\n The New Jersey gubernatorial candidates, in their final debate<\/a> earlier this month, sparred over the federal government shutdown, Sherrill\u2019s military records, Trump\u2019s policies and the high cost of living in the state. The winner would succeed Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who is term-limited. <\/p>\n New York has allowed early voting since 2019, and it has become relatively popular. In June\u2019s mayoral primary, about 35% of the ballots were cast early and in person, according to the city\u2019s campaign finance board<\/a>. New Jersey adopted early voting in 2021.<\/p>\n Early voting is also underway in other states.<\/p>\n In Virginia, voters began casting early ballots on Sept. 19. The state\u2019s closely-watched governor\u2019s race pits former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger<\/a>, a Democrat, and Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears<\/a>. <\/p>\n One of those candidates will become Virginia\u2019s first female governor. During a debate earlier this month, they clashed over cultural issues such as the rights of transgender children<\/a> in sports and school bathrooms.<\/p>\n Early voting runs through Nov. 1 in Virginia and Nov. 2 in New York City and New Jersey. Polling sites in all three states will then open widely for Election Day on Nov. 4. <\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n