After hard-fought battles in both of their respective primaries, and now months of campaigning as their party's candidate, the race to be New York City's mayor entered its final day for Democrat Eric Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
But neither was done campaigning on Monday. Adams and Sliwa were borough hopping, with the goal of getting out the vote — Sliwa had plans to hit all five, while Adams had multiple stops in Manhattan after starting out the morning in Queens.
While greeting commuters in Jamaica, Adams denied that he was overconfident, but was showing some clear confidence in his position.
"People know me: Up at 5 a.m., Meditate, exercise, green smoothie and just hit the road. This is what I do," he said. "I am not new to this, I am true to this. I've been doing it for a while."
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Adams was making his final pitch to voters in Harlem Monday night.
Over nine days of early voting in the city, fewer than 170,000 New Yorkers turned out to vote. Sliwa said that the low turnout in places like Staten Island doesn't spell bad news for him.
"It's generally Democrats who vote early. Republicans, they like November 2nd, I'm waiting to vote for November 2nd," he said.
Former New York Gov. George Pataki boarded a flatbed truck to campaign for Sliwa on Monday. Aside from repealing the city's vaccine mandate if he wins and pledging to rehire those who were sidelined for refusing to get the vaccine. Sliwa made another campaign promise as well.
"If I'm lucky enough to become mayor, the beret goes," Sliwa said. "One of the reasons I wear the beret is because I'm losing my hair."
Sliwa said he will take off his hat — and will bring a cat — when he votes tomorrow on the Upper West Side, where he lives with at least 15 rescue cats in his apartment. But the night before the election, the Guardian Angels founder was donning his signature look as he rallied supporters outside Juniper Valley Park.
"Eric Adams has not been coronated, he's not been anointed," Sliwa said, as he promised to reduce crime.
Polls across the five boroughs open at 6 a.m. Tuesday, and will stay open until 9 p.m. The long delays in declaring a winner — like what was seen after the primaries — are not expected this time around as the formula is much simpler, and there should be a mayor-elect declared Tuesday night.
