Polls opened Saturday for in-person early voting in two of the most closely watched elections of the year — the New York City mayoral race and New Jersey’s gubernatorial contest — both seen as key indicators for Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterms.
In New York City, voters are choosing among Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent Democrat. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who dropped out of the race last month, has endorsed Cuomo.
Across the Hudson, New Jersey voters will decide between Republican Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and Democratic U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill in a race that could signal voter sentiment on affordability, taxation, and the national direction of the Democratic Party under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Analysts say the outcomes will test how Democrats navigate internal divisions between their progressive and moderate wings, as well as which messages resonate most with voters concerned about economic pressures and cost-of-living issues.
“New 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,” said Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University.
In Queens, at an early voting site inside Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital — where Mamdani resides and Cuomo was born — voters streamed in steadily on Saturday morning.
Deepa Paulus, 28, an artist and registered Democrat, said she voted for Mamdani because of his focus on housing affordability.
“He has a lot of really good ideas for the future of New York,” Paulus said. “It’s hard to actually implement change, but I feel hopeful.”
Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, has energized younger and left-leaning voters with ambitious proposals including universal free childcare, fare-free public buses, and a rent freeze for roughly 1 million residents of rent-regulated apartments.
Others, however, favor Cuomo’s record of experience. Alix Mondesir, a 67-year-old retired lawyer, said that while Mamdani’s “idealism spoke to my heart,” Cuomo’s experience as governor was decisive.
“We can’t go on hopes,” Mondesir said. “We need someone who’s handled the budget and survived political fire.”
Cuomo has framed Mamdani’s policies as fiscally unrealistic, portraying himself as a steady hand capable of managing the city’s finances. The former governor — who resigned in 2021 amid multiple sexual harassment allegations — has also criticized Mamdani’s stance on Israel, calling it divisive.
Mamdani, who would become New York City’s first Muslim mayor, has condemned Israel’s war in Gaza, describing it as genocide. His comments have drawn attacks from Cuomo and Sliwa, who have accused him of antisemitism — a charge Mamdani rejects.
In New Jersey, the contest between Sherrill and Ciattarelli is expected to hinge on suburban voters, particularly on issues like tax relief, housing costs, and economic recovery.
The race could serve as a bellwether for Democrats nationally — showing whether a moderate message still resonates in swing states as the party seeks to define itself ahead of the next presidential cycle.
With early voting now underway, both states have become proving grounds for how Democrats hope to counter Trump’s populist appeal and reassert their footing before 2026.
