New York’s Election Race Nears Its End

Candidates for New York City mayor spent the final day of campaigning in a whirlwind of rallies and appearances across the city. On November 4, voters will head to the polls in one of the most closely watched races in the city’s history.

Leading the race is 34-year-old Democrat Zohran Mamdani — a state assemblyman from Queens who has built his campaign around affordable housing and urban life. Polls show him widening his lead over rivals, now reaching double digits.

On Monday morning, Mamdani began his day with a sunrise walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, joined by state Attorney General Letitia James, City Comptroller Brad Lander, several lawmakers, and a group of supporters. Outside City Hall, he told reporters, “We are standing on the threshold of a new day for our city,” before heading to Astoria, Queens, to join volunteers for the final round of canvassing.

Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary in June, started his morning with an interview on the Spanish-language radio station La Mega before heading to the Bronx. His schedule for the day included visits to all five boroughs.

Trailing far behind is Republican Curtis Sliwa, founder of the volunteer group Guardian Angels, known for its “unarmed crime prevention” patrols. He spent the morning at Coney Island and planned an online meeting with supporters later in the evening.

All three candidates spent the weekend crisscrossing the city, trying to mobilize voters and win over the undecided. The race has drawn attention not only across the United States but also from the international press — largely because of its potential implications for the Democratic Party and the upcoming midterm congressional elections.

Mamdani met actively with residents of Harlem, Brooklyn, and Queens. On Saturday night, he appeared at several clubs where, as seen in videos, he danced to “Empire State of Mind” and urged young people to vote. On Sunday, he greeted runners at the New York City Marathon, watched the Buffalo Bills game at a Queens bar alongside Governor Kathy Hochul, who endorsed him, and later was seen at Madison Square Garden chatting with fans during the New York Knicks game.

Cuomo, meanwhile, spoke at two Bronx churches, met voters in local cafés, and took part in events in Brooklyn and Queens, where he led a neighborhood parade in Cambria Heights. Sliwa held campaign stops across Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, and South Brooklyn.

According to the city’s election commission, early voting broke all previous records: more than 735,000 ballots were cast before Election Day — four times as many as at the same stage in 2021, reports The New York Times.

Over the weekend, Donald Trump also weighed in on the race. In an interview with 60 Minutes, the U.S. president said he would prefer a Cuomo victory. “It would be hard for me as president to send big money to New York. If the city is run by a communist, that money just goes to waste,” Trump said, mistakenly labeling Mamdani a communist. “I’m no fan of Cuomo, but if it’s between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’ll always take the bad Democrat.”

Mamdani’s campaign responded with a social media post reading: “Trump endorsed Cuomo!” — followed by the caption: “Congratulations, Andrew Cuomo. We know how long you’ve been waiting for this.”

Throughout the campaign, Mamdani and Cuomo traded sharp attacks — clashing over ideology, experience, and sources of funding. Mamdani accused his rival of being beholden to major donors and lobbyists, while Cuomo called his opponent inexperienced and unrealistic.

As the race neared its end, the rhetoric intensified. Cuomo, seeking to regain political relevance after resigning as governor in 2021 amid allegations of sexual harassment (which he denies), labeled Mamdani an “extremist” and warned that under his leadership “New York won’t survive.”

Polls open on Tuesday, November 4, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time.