The presidential race at the top of your November ballot may be getting the most attention this year. But don’t sleep on the rest of the contests that need your vote.
A handful of state-level races look competitive in the five boroughs. And you’ll see congressional candidates on your ballot, too.
Early voting begins on Saturday, Oct. 26 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 3. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Make sure you’re ready: Read up on all six ballot proposals in New York City, and check your polling location and sample ballot on the city Board of Elections website. (Once you enter your address and can see your polling place, select “To verify there is an election for your district, click here” to view your sample ballot.)
Here are the races we’re watching in New York City right now:
Senate
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand vs. Mike Sapraicone
The incumbent Democrat faces a challenger in retired NYPD detective Mike Sapraicone, but she has a wide lead over him according to recent polling. Still, she’s spent serious money on television ads in the race to make sure she comes out on top.
New York’s other Senator, Democrat Chuck Schumer, is not up for reelection this year and will not appear on your November ballot.
House of Representatives
Much has been reported about how control of the House may be decided by swing races in New York State, including in the Lower Hudson Valley and southern Nassau County on Long Island. But none of those key races are within the five boroughs of New York City.
You may see a House candidate on your ballot, but none of the 13 congressional districts that fall wholly or partly within New York City are particularly close.
Two districts with very tough-fought primaries are now less dramatic: Jamaal Bowman’s district (NY-16) in Westchester and a sliver of the northwest Bronx will likely be won by Democrat George Latimer, who beat out Bowman in June. Disgraced Republican George Santos’ former district (NY-3) on Long Island and a part of eastern Queens will likely be won by Democrat Tom Suozzi, who won a special election for his former seat and who is favored over Republican Mike LiPetri.
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Albany: State Senate
State Senate District 11
Incumbent Toby Ann Stavisky (D and WFP) vs. Yiatin Chu (R and CON)
Queens neighborhoods College Point, Whitestone, Douglaston, Glen Oaks, Hollis Hills, Bellerose Manor and parts of Bay Terrace, Astoria, Oakland Gardens and Jamaica Hills. Also includes Rikers Island and LaGuardia Airport.
Toby Ann Stavisky has held office in the state Senate for over 20 years, but faced a credible challenge in the last election cycle. After redistricting changed her district from District 16 to District 11, Stavisky’s Republican challenger received 43% of the vote.
Her current opponent, newcomer Yiatin Chu, is seeking to flip the seat as a representative of the area’s growing Asian American community and has been active in the movement to preserve the city’s admission tests for local specialized high schools.
According to the most recent state Board of Elections campaign disclosures, Chu has raised significant funds, and with $101,100 in public matching funds heading into the final month of campaigning and $118,561.75 cash on hand. Stavisky, as the incumbent, began the race in a better financial position than Chu and currently has $198,616.61 on hand and has received $104,500.57 in public matching funds according to state finance records.
State Senate District 17
Incumbent Iwen Chu (D and WFP) vs. Stephan Chan (R and CON)
Southern Brooklyn, including parts of Dyker Heights, Bay Ridge, and Bensonhurst.
Iwen Chu was the first Asian American woman to serve in the New York State Senate and won her seat two years ago in a tight race. Her opponent this year is Steve Chan, a former NYPD sergeant, who is running to increase public safety, strengthen U.S. borders, and expand gifted and talented and other specialized high school programs in the city.
Chu and Chan are fairly neck-and-neck when it comes to fundraising: Chu has received $182,735 in public funds while Chan has received $189,923, and Chu currently has $227,922.52 in the bank compared to Chan’s $241,336.04, according to the BOE records.
State Senate District 23
Incumbent Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D) vs. Marko Kepi (R)
North Shore of Staten Island and southern Brooklyn neighborhoods including Brighton Beach.
Scarcella-Spanton was elected in 2022 as the successor to Diane Savino, who occupied the seat for nearly two decades and now works for the mayor. City and State gives Scarcella-Spanton a decent chance at winning this year with the benefit of her incumbency and a presidential contest to bring out voters, but Republican challenger Marko Kepi could pull ahead in the district — which despite its long history of Democratic control is one of the most Republican areas in the city.
Kepi has received no public matching funds, while Scarcella-Spanton has received $188,920, according to campaign finance records. Scarcella-Spanton has significantly out-fundraised Kepi, and currently has $165,827 compared to Kepi’s $15,229.
Albany: State Assembly
Assembly District 23
Incumbent Stacey Pheffer Amato (D and We The People party) vs. Thomas P. Sullivan (R, CON, and Common Sense party)
Queens, including Ozone Park, Howard Beach and parts of the Rockaways.
Military veteran and financial advisor Tom Sullivan lost to Stacey Pheffer Amato by only 15 votes in 2022, and now he’s ready for a rematch. Pheffer Amato is a moderate Democrat and hopes to hold on to her seat in what the Queens Daily Eagle expects to be the “most closely watched local general election in Queens.”
In terms of funding, Pheffer Amato has the incumbent’s advantage: she currently has $383,889.69 in the bank compared to Sullivan’s $82,253.41. Both have received public funds totaling $175,000 according to the BOE.
Assembly District 40
Incumbent Ron Kim (D and WFP) vs. Philip Wang (R and CON)
Queens, including Flushing, Murray Hill and Linden Hill.
Incumbent Kim narrowly held on to his seat in 2022, and won his primary in June. Now, the experienced political operative Kim will take on a new challenger: Republican chiropractor “Dr. Phil” Wang.
Wang is part of a new group of Asian American Republican candidates that includes Steve Chan and Yiatin Chu. All three candidates emphasize party planks like rethinking bail reform, curbing illegal immigration and maintaining specialized high school entry exams.
Kim spent a lot of money on his June primary campaign and currently has only about $18,000 in the bank according to the BOE. In comparison, 11 days before the June primary, he reported having about $100,000. Kim has received $179,462 in public funds. Wang has raised significantly less, and has only received $39,081.50 in public funds and $28,886 in cash in hand as of his most recent filing.
Assembly District 46
Incumbent Alec Brook-Krasny (R and CON) vs. Chris McCreight (D)
Southern Brooklyn, including Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and parts of Coney Island.
Incumbent Brook-Krasny represented District 46 as a moderate Democrat from 2006 to 2015, when he resigned mid-term to take a private sector job as the chief financial officer for Quality Laboratory Services in Sheepshead Bay. Two years later, he was indicted in a scheme relating to the overprescription of opioids, but those conspiracy and fraud charges were ultimately dismissed.
The district turned red for the first time in 2022 when Brook-Krasny won, this time running as a Republican. Brook-Krasny’s challenger, McCreight, is a first-time candidate, but is no stranger to politics. He was the former chief of staff for City Councilmember Justin Brannan, who won his race against another Democrat-turned-Republican last year.
McCreight currently has a bit more cash in hand than Brook-Krasny, with $173,315 total funds compared to Brook-Krasny’s $147,707, according to the latest state campaign finance records. McCreight received a total of $165,967 in public matching funds, and Brook-Krasny received $127,470.88.
Judges
There is only one competitive race for a judge in New York City this year. That contest is for Queens Surrogate’s Court between Cassandra A. Johnson (D) and Stephen Weiner (R, CON, and Common Sense).
It’s rare to have a truly competitive judicial race in the five boroughs, which has to do with the city’s county party system and the remnants of the political patronage system of last century. Want more information about that?
We break down everything you need to know about the 2024 judicial races here.
