Tuesday is New York’s primary election day.
A number of high-profile races are set to take place, including a costly and hotly contested contest between Democrats Jamaal Bowman and George Latimer in a district that includes parts of Westchester County and the Bronx.
Other congressional races are also garnering attention. On eastern Long Island, a number of media and political figures made late entrants into the Democratic primary to face off against incumbents.
Democratic-led state legislatures also face elections in November, and several state legislative primaries are expected to be close.
Here’s what you need to know:
Find your polling place
Polling stations open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. Voters can find their local polling station on the Board of Elections website.
New York is a closed primary state, meaning Democrats and Republicans can only vote in their party’s primary. Independent voters cannot participate in primaries. The deadline to register to vote before the primary is June 15, and early voting ended on Sunday.
All absentee ballots must be brought to your polling place by 9 p.m. or postmarked by June 25th.
Heavyweight showdown
The outcome of Tuesday’s election between Bowman and Latimer in the 16th Congressional District may be a harbinger of many political benchmarks.
The primary could test the durability of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing: If Bowman loses, he will be the first member of the left-wing “bloc” of the House to lose his seat.
The district may also be seen as a barometer of how its diverse electorate stands on Israel: It’s home to some of the country’s most affluent white suburbs and an influential Jewish community, but nearly half of its residents are African-American or Latino.
Bowman is one of Israel’s harshest critics in Congress and was one of the first to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, but his frequent criticism has at times veered into conspiracy theories and drawn accusations of anti-Semitism. Latimer is broadly supportive of Israel and wants the return of all hostages before any possible ceasefire can take place.
The election could provide a roadmap for groups seeking to influence elections through outside funding: Latimer has received $14.5 million in backing from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The importance of the election was reflected by the number of stars of the left who campaigned for Bowman, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. They also featured negative portrayals of Bowman, with Latimer portraying him as distracted by national politics and out of tune with the needs of his district, and Bowman consistently accusing him of being a racist.
Late-game intrigue casts shadow over two Lok Sabha constituencies
The Democratic primary in New York’s 1st Congressional District, which encompasses much of the affluent eastern Long Island area, was seen as a relatively smooth one, with former chemistry professor Nancy Goroff expected to be a sure bet in 2020 to win the nomination and the right to face off against Republican incumbent Nick LaLota.
But that all changed when former CNN political analyst John Avlon, who helped found the centrist political group No Labels, entered the race in February.
Avlon and his wife, Margaret Hoover, a conservative PBS host, bought a home in Sag Harbor and moved to the area in 2017. By contrast, Goroff, who has lived in Suffolk County for more than 20 years, has tried to paint Avlon as a carpetbagger.
She also highlights Mr. Avlon’s Republican ties, particularly his past work under Rudolph W. Giuliani, while Mr. Avlon continually draws attention to Mr. Goroff’s 10-point loss to Lee Zeldin in November 2020.
The winner will face a tough fight in November, with the Cook Political Report calling the seat a “likely Republican win.”
In central New York, State Sen. John W. Manion is facing off against DeWitt Town Council member and Air Force veteran Sarah Cree Hood. The two Democrats are vying to challenge Republican Rep. Brandon Williams, considered the weakest incumbent in New York state.
The race was marked by last-minute accusations by former staffers of fostering a hostile work environment, charges that Mannion has strongly denied and that are under investigation by the state Senate.
Democrats test party direction in congressional elections
A long-standing rift between institutional and progressive Democrats has dominated many debates in the statehouse, particularly on housing and criminal justice issues, with progressives feeling their Democratic colleagues aren’t doing enough for working-class people of color, while mainstream lawmakers are skeptical that left-wing firebrands can effect lasting change.
These tensions are on display in statewide Assembly primaries. In Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, State Assemblywoman Stephani Zinnerman is fending off a challenge from first-time candidate Eon Huntley, who is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Zinnerman has the backing of House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and state Attorney General Letitia James.
In the Hudson Valley, six-term state Rep. Didi Barrett is fighting to survive in a primary against Claire Cousins, who has questioned Barrett’s record on the environment while campaigning on the need for more affordable housing.
And in East Harlem, state Assemblyman Eddie Gibbs is facing a challenge from Xavier Santiago, head of the local community board. The race has devolved into a fight over representation, with numerous personal insults exchanged between the two candidates. Gibbs, who is black, has argued that his efforts to beat him are focused on getting a Latino to represent the district, which is 41 percent Hispanic.
Grace Ashford, Jeffrey C. Mays and Nicholas Fandos Contributed report.
