October 25, 2025

The buzz is real as polling places opened on Saturday for early voting in two of the most thrilling elections of the year: the New York City mayor's race and the fight for New Jersey's next governor seat. In New York, voters face a colorful lineup: Democrat Zohran Mamdani—the democratic socialist shaking things up with bold promises like universal free child care, free buses, and a rent freeze affecting about one million rent-regulated apartments. The Republican contender is Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels safety group. And then there's former Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat running as an independent after dropping out of the mayoral race. The current mayor, Eric Adams, also appears on the ballot but stepped away last month and recently gave his thumbs-up to Cuomo. Mamdani’s vision has struck a chord with liberals hungry for change, but Cuomo fired back, calling Mamdani's ideas "naive and financially irresponsible." Cuomo is also fighting tough questions from his past—he resigned as governor in 2021 after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment. Beyond the numbers game, the campaign heated up with disagreements about Mamdani’s criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Mamdani described those actions as genocide. Cuomo and Sliwa countered by equating his stance with antisemitism, turning the race into a real political rollercoaster. Next door in New Jersey, the showdown features Republican state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli battling Democratic U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill. Both clashed in their final debate over hot topics like the federal shutdown, Sherrill’s military record, Trump’s policies, and the skyrocketing cost of living. The winner will take over from Governor Phil Murphy, who can’t run again due to term limits. Early voting has been a growing trend. New York made early voting popular since 2019—35% of votes in the mayoral primary were cast early and in person. New Jersey jumped on board in 2021. Voting is already rolling in other states too, like Virginia, where former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (Democrat) and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (Republican) are battling to become Virginia's first female governor. Their debate went head-to-head on cultural issues including transgender children's rights in sports and school bathrooms. Mark your calendar: early voting continues until November 1 in Virginia, and November 2 in New York City and New Jersey. Then, the grand face-off on Election Day, November 4, when all polling sites open wide for voters to decide which way the states will swing. This election season is serving a spicy mix of drama, policy battles, and historic fights. Will new ideas win or will experience rule the roost? Stay tuned and get ready to vote!

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Tags: Early voting, New york city mayor race, New jersey governor race, Zohran mamdani, Jack ciattarelli, Mikie sherrill,