Show summary Hide summary
Early voting in New York begins Saturday and runs through Nov. 1, with Election Day set for Nov. 3, giving Empire State voters a say in high‑stakes contests that could help determine which party controls the U.S. House for the next two years and will decide key statewide offices. Republicans are seeking to hold suburban and upstate seats while Democrats aim to defend Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James and to flip vulnerable House districts.
Statewide races: Hochul vs. Blakeman; James faces Komatireddy
Incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul, who became New York’s first female governor in 2021 after then‑Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned amid sexual‑harassment allegations that he denied, is running for another term against Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Hochul, a moderate from the Buffalo region who won a full term in 2022, has spent significant time campaigning downstate and has recently worked with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on initiatives such as expanded childcare access; Mamdani campaigned with Hochul and posted supportive videos on social media, the campaign said.
Blakeman has centered his campaign on combating crime and lowering taxes. He has received an endorsement from President Donald Trump and campaigned with the president at a Syracuse rally in early October, the campaign has said. A recent Quinnipiac University poll of likely New York voters found 55% backing Hochul and 41% supporting Blakeman.
Bolivian scientists launch balloons 30 km up to measure greenhouse gases above the Andes
Early voting opens in New York as key races get underway
In the attorney general’s race, incumbent Democrat Letitia James is defending her seat against Republican Saritha Komatireddy, a former chief of staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration. James gained national attention for a 2022 lawsuit against former President Trump, his company and family members alleging inflation of net worth; that legal effort produced a $454 million civil fraud judgment that an appeals court threw out in 2025, according to court records cited in coverage of the case. Komatireddy has promoted a “just fight crime” message whose campaign materials have attracted attention on social media.
Suburban showdown around New York City
One of the year’s most closely watched House races is in New York’s 17th Congressional District in the lower Hudson Valley, where Republican Rep. Mike Lawler is defending his seat against Democrat Cait Conley. The district stretches from affluent suburbs to towns with large numbers of public‑safety workers and includes a wide mix of voters, the reporting notes. Trump held a rally with Lawler in the district in May, while former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg campaigned with Conley in September.
Nearby, the 3rd Congressional District — which covers parts of Nassau County and Queens — pits Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi against Republican Michael LiPetri, a former state assemblyman who has run for Congress before. Both districts are seen as vulnerable battlegrounds that could influence the balance of power in the House.
Upstate contest and an opening in the North Country
Democrats are also targeting New York’s 21st Congressional District, a large upstate district that stretches from the Mohawk Valley to the Canadian border and includes industrial and rural communities. The seat was long held by Rep. Elise Stefanik, who after briefly exploring a run for governor dropped out of that race and announced she would not seek reelection to the House. The Republican nominee, Anthony Constantino — a sticker‑company CEO who received Trump’s endorsement in the primary — faces Democrat Blake Gendebien. Voters in parts of the district have cited tariffs and U.S. relations with Canada as prominent local concerns.
State and national strategists on both sides have emphasized the importance of turnout during the early‑voting period and on Election Day, saying New York’s mix of suburban, downstate and rural districts could shape not only state leadership but the balance in Congress.
Early voting schedules and polling‑place locations vary by county; voters are advised to consult their local election boards for official hours and ballot information.
