New York primaries see mayor's progressive push amid low turnout and heated races

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is using his recent mayoral victory to support three progressive congressional candidates in New York City, targeting incumbents Daniel Goldman and Adriano Espaillat and the open seat of Nydia Velázquez. By 3 p.m. on Tuesday, about 330,000 voters – including early voters but excluding mail-in ballots – had cast ballots, roughly half the number recorded at the same time in last year’s mayoral primary, according to the Board of Elections.

In the Manhattan district that includes Broadway and a concentration of Fortune 500 firms, a crowded Democratic primary features a Kennedy descendant, former mayor Michael Bloomberg’s super-PAC spending, and nearly $40 million from AI-industry groups. The race for Representative Jerrold Nadler’s seat is expected to be one of the most expensive congressional contests.

Elsewhere in the state, a Republican primary runoff for governor in South Carolina sees both candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump, while Maryland and Utah hold House primaries with notable super-PAC involvement on issues such as Israel and cryptocurrency.

The primaries have also sparked controversy in the 13th District, where candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier has faced accusations about her ethnic background and past social-media statements. She denied the claims and described the attacks as disinformation. Representative Espaillat, who voted in the district on Tuesday, condemned personal attacks on his opponent and called for a calmer campaign.

In the upstate Republican primary to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik, the race has become contentious, raising hopes among Democrats of flipping the seat. Voters will also decide whether to retain the state comptroller who has served for two decades.

Turnout and results are being tracked by state election boards, with unofficial tallies expected to be posted shortly after polls close in each jurisdiction.