 "New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. (Photo: AP)")
Around 735,000 people have cast early ballots in the New York mayoral election, nearly four times as the last election, according to the city’s Board of Elections.
The rise in early voting suggests heightened interest among voters — particularly young voters.
Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, is the frontrunner in surveys and has a comfortable lead over his rivals — Andrew Cuomo, the disgraced former governor of New York state, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
In two recent surveys, Mamdani had a 7 per cent (Atlas Intel, October 25-30) and 16 per cent lead (Beacon Research/Shaw & Company Research, Oct. 24-28).
Top Democrats like former President Barak Obama, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Senator Bernie Sanders, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul have endorsed Mamdani. US President Donald Trump has put his weight behind Cuomo and warned he could funding for New York upon Mamdani’s election.
Trump on Sunday told CBS News that he was “not a fan of Cuomo”, but “if it’s going to be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m going to pick the bad Democrat all the time”. He added it would be hard for him to continue sending funds to New York if Mamdani won.
Young people vote early
Out of 735,000 voters who cast early ballots, around 151,000 ballots were cast on Sunday, the final day of early voting.
Turnout among young people lagged early in the week as about 80,000 people under 35 voted from Sunday to Thursday, but that number jumped from Friday to Sunday as over 100,000 voters under the age of 35 cast ballots, including more than 45,000 on Sunday, according to The Times.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMamdani is seen as a leading figure in the younger generation of leftist Democrats. His politics is more aligned with that of Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He has promised to tax millionaires to produce funds for expanded social programmes.
Throughout his campaign, Mamdani has sought to docus on affordability and quality of life issues. He has promised voeters with universal childcare, freezing rent in subsidised units, and free public buses and city-run grocery stores.