Early voting kicked off over the weekend and runs everyday through Sunday. So far, only a small fraction of New Yorkers have voted. NBC New York’s Melissa Russo reports on the final stretch.
There may be more than a week left until Election Day, but it appears that the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers already agree on who who they believe should be the next person to lead NYC.
In a PIX 11/Emerson poll released Monday afternoon, Eric Adams is shown to have a commanding — albeit not entirely surprising — lead over Curtis Sliwa, as 61 percent of likely voters said they would support Adams, the Democrat, over his Republican opponent. Sliwa got 25 percent of likely voters' support, according to the poll.
There were 14 percent who said they were undecided, although when those voters were put with the candidate they were leading toward, Adams' lead over Sliwa only grew further, jumping up to a 40-point advantage, 70 percent to 30 percent.
The poll showed Adams leading in all age categories and racial groups throughout New York City, and holding a significant lead in all boroughs except Staten Island, where Sliwa held a 61-28 advantage.
The priority in voters' minds also did not come as a surprise, as the PIX 11/Emerson poll showed that the most common issue voters would like to see addressed first is crime (34 percent). Other top priorities include homelessness (19 percent), jobs (11 percent), and healthcare (eight percent). Those who said they would be voting for Sliwa put a higher emphasis on crime, as 58 percent of likely Sliwa voters said crime should be the next mayor's priority.
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While more people said they felt safe riding the subway (34 percent) compared to those who don't (24 percent), the majority of likely voters polled (57 percent) said that the city is heading in the wrong direction, and and even larger majority (61 percent) did not approve of the job Bill de Blasio has done as mayor.
That poll comes after three days of early voting already in the books, with about 45,000 votes already having been cast, according to an unofficial count from the New York City Board of Elections. It is tough to determine what the early voting numbers indicate in terms of possible turnout, however, as this election marks the first time early voting has been available in a mayoral race. Some fear turnout could be down, with voters possibly staying home as they see the race as a possible runaway.
"I really do care, but I know who's going to win. But I'm still going to vote.
There are still seven days of early voting left to go before Election Day itself on Nov. 2, and both candidates remain very busy trying to drum up support entering the final week in the race for New York City mayor.
Adams and his entourage projected confidence while hitting shops along Fifth Avenue in Sunset Park, meeting with supporters face to face. The mayoral candidate bought a vegan croissant from the Panaderia Mexican Bakery, where one person said the next mayor should help lower taxes.
Republican rival Sliwa of the Guardian Angels said he plans to escalate against Adams in Tuesday's second and final debate.
"I’ve run across so many Democrats who say, 'Curtis why are you knocking yourself out? Isn’t Eric Adams already the mayor? Because he’s announced himself as mayor, everyone assumes he’s gonna be mayor," Sliwa said.
In order to overcome the long odds that he faces to get elected, Sliwa said he's doing the kind of campaigning that "no republicans have ever done: In the projects, streets, subways, all the places where you have voters who would ordinarily assume would be a slam-dunk for Democrats."
Sliwa is also using his knack for getting publicity, releasing a video Monday morning of himself trolling Adams at a swanky nightclub where he claims Adams hangs out in designer clothes with billionaire Trump supporters.
For his part, Adams didn't respond to the taunting.
"When he’s finished talking about what clothing I wear, he should talk about those who can’t afford clothing," the Brooklyn borough president said.
