Early voting begins in New York: What to know and the key races to watch

Saturday is the first day of early voting in New York and Empire State voters could help decide which party will control the U.S. House of Representatives over the next two years.

Republicans are seeking to fend off attempts by Democrats to flip congressional seats in the suburbs north of New York City and in the Adirondack Mountains near the Canadian border.

New Yorkers will also decide whether Democrats Kathy Hochul and Letitia James should each be elected to an additional term in their respective roles as governor and attorney general.

Statewide races

Hochul became the state's first female governor in 2021 after then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned amid sexual harassment allegations -- accusations he denied. She was New York's lieutenant governor at the time.

Unlike most New York governors, Hochul is not from New York City or its suburbs, but hails from the Buffalo area -- a more than six-hour drive away. A moderate Democrat, she was largely unknown to voters in the metropolitan area, where much of the state's population resides, until Cuomo's resignation. She defeated Republican Lee Zeldin in 2022, winning a full term in Albany.

In the time since, Hochul has spent a significant amount of time downstate, recently collaborating with current democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on initiatives like expanded childcare access. Mamdani campaigned with Hochul on Friday and has released videos on social media in support of her campaign.

Hochul's Republican opponent in 2026, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, has worked to tie Hochul to Mamdani throughout his campaign, issuing a statement at one point that referenced the "Hochul-Mamdani agenda."

Blakeman has centered his gubernatorial campaign on fighting crime and lowering taxes in New York State. He has received President Donald Trump's endorsement and been adamant in his support of the president, even campaigning with him at a rally in Syracuse in early October.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll of likely New York State voters found that 55% would support Hochul and 41% would Blakeman.

In the attorney general's race, incumbent Letitia James is facing a challenge from Republican former Drug Enforcement Administration Chief of Staff Saritha Komatireddy. James gained national attention through her 2022 lawsuit against Trump, his company and members of his family alleging net worth inflation. The lawsuit led to a $454 million civil fraud judgment that was thrown out by an appeals court in 2025. 

While Komatireddy has not historically been a household name in the state, many of her campaign materials using the "just fight crime" branding have gained significant attention on social media.

Suburban showdown

One of the most high-profile races in the country is in New York's 17th Congressional District in the lower Hudson Valley, where incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler is being challenged by Democrat Cait Conley.

The district is home to everyone from former President Bill Clinton to New York City investment bankers to thousands of police officers.

Trump attended a rally with Lawler in the district in May while former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg came to the district in September to campaign with Conley.

The race in the 17th Congressional District is not the only potentially competitive race within a stone's throw of Manhattan. In the 3rd Congressional District, which straddles Nassau and Queens, incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi is being challenged by Republican Michael LiPetri, a former state assemblyman who has run for Congress twice before.

Democrats seek an upstate upset

In New York's 21st Congressional District, which stretches from the historically industrial Mohawk Valley along the Erie Canal to the Canadian border, Democrats are hoping that 2026 is their best chance to flip the seat currently held by Republican U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik.

Stefanik previously planned to seek the Republican gubernatorial nomination, but ended up dropping out of the governor's race and announcing she would not seek reelection to the House.

Republican Anthony Constantino, a sticker company CEO endorsed by Trump, is facing off against Democratic farmer Blake Gendebien in the district. Trump endorsed Constantino in the Republican primary over a state lawmaker who had been endorsed by the head of New York State's Republican Party.

Tariffs and American relations with Canada have been top of mind in parts of the district.

Early voting concludes on Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 3.