New Yorkers are set to head to the polls today in a mayoral election that could redefine the city's political landscape.
In a dramatic shift signaling a new chapter for America's largest city, 34‑year‑old progressive leader Zohran Mamdani has surged past even Donald Trump's shadow in the race for mayor of New York City, redefining not just the contest, but the politics of the city itself.
Mamdani, a Democrat and self‑described socialist, has captivated younger voters and grassroots organisers with a bold agenda: rent freezes, fare‑free buses, and city‑owned grocery stores.
Amid mounting speculation early voting had ended in New York City on Monday, and the initial numbers show the highest early voting turnout for a non-presidential election in the city.
The New York City Board of Elections reported 735,317 early voting check-ins over the past nine days, reports CBS News. According to the report, the number is more than four times the total from the 2021 mayoral race, which reported only 169,879 early voting check-ins for the general election.
New York City mayoral candidates also made a final push Monday to turn out voters, reports Daily Sabah. Ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa have all spent the race's final stretch campaigning at a frenetic pace across the city's five boroughs as they make their case to succeed outgoing Mayor Eric Adams.
Cuomo, Mamdani's chief rival of this race is trying to make his return to political office after resigning as governor four years ago following a barrage of sexual harassment accusations that he denies.
Now running as an independent, the 67-year-old has in recent days shifted to wooing Republican voters to bolster his centrist base, pitching himself as the only candidate who can stop Mamdani.
Sliwa, the creator of the Guardian Angels crime patrol group and a longtime fixture on New York's airwaves, seeks to spoil both Democrats' chances.
He's been heavily canvassing the streets and subways in his signature red beret to spread his message of public safety.