“While record youth turnout across the country enabled Democrats to hold the U.S. Senate and make gains in swing districts barely won by President Joe Biden, the New York vote looked more like the pre-Trump era of apathy and disengagement.”
Nearly 1.7 million residents across the five boroughs turned up to vote for the next governor in Tuesday’s general election—up significantly from the June primary, but still lower than the number of ballots cast in the last gubernatorial race in 2018.
A patchwork of agencies, stakeholders and community groups help provide language-specific educational materials and translation services around city elections, what experts say is essential to making sure residents aren’t locked out of the democratic process.
Much of the fresh cash came from real estate developers, large-scale landlords and heads of speculating private equity firms, along with a slew of billionaires, attorneys, Eric Adams-aligned political action committees, sports gambling execs and the New York Yankees.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and Congressman Lee Zeldin have starkly different stances when it comes to energy policy and other environmental issues, at a time when New York is at a critical juncture in planning and implementing its ambitious plan to lower its carbon emissions.
Immigrant advocates say they would prefer to continue to work with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, citing past accomplishments like the Excluded Workers Fund, and worry what a potential Lee Zeldin governorship would mean for their causes.
“We must encourage our communities to vote, knowing politicians can make life-altering decisions that impact issues important for all Americans, specifically in our work for racial equity.”
Bronx incumbent Gustavo Rivera and DSA-endorsed Kristen Gonzalez both seemed likely to prevail in their State Senate races, despite being targeted by SuperPACs that spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to undermine the progressive candidates, stuffing mailboxes with flyers and running digital ads disparaging them or boosting their opponents.
By 6 p.m. Tuesday, 237,888 New York City residents had voted in the unusual August primary, where some neighborhoods were home to heated State Senate and Congressional races while others had no candidates on the ballot at all. Polls close at 9 p.m.
The legal battle over redistricting this year resulted in two primaries for New York, including Tuesday’s rare August contests for State Senate and Congress. City Limits spoke to city residents about what they’re looking out for this second summer Election Day—or if they’re looking at all.
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