The most polarizing election in a generation wraps Tuesday, and even in a solidly blue state like New York, candidates for Congress and the state Legislature in a handful of battleground districts will be fighting for every last vote. With emotions running high, security precautions were being implemented in New York City and elsewhere ahead of possible civil unrest. Some Manhattan businesses have boarded up their windows as a precaution, including Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square and high-end retailers in SoHo. The NYPD asked business owners to clear sidewalks of items that could be used as barricades or projectiles, like chairs, tables, construction barrels and trash cans. There are tough fights underway on Long Island and in central New York in congressional districts nearly evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. Polls close at 9 p.m. Tuesday. A record 3.5 million votes had already been cast as of Monday. That included more than 2.5 million votes cast in early voting and at least another 1 million absentee ballots turned in as of Friday, according to the state Board of Election. Any ballots postmarked by Tuesday will be counted. The winners in some blowout contests could become available right away, but with so many votes cast by mail, close races could take weeks to decide. New York counties aren’t allowed to start counting absentee ballots until Nov. 6 at the earliest. Many typically wait a week. The weakened state of the Republican Party in the New York City metropolitan area is setting up Democrats for some expected easy victories, including a pair of candidates who could make history as the first two openly gay Black people elected to Congress. But outside political committees have poured at least $72 million into other, more competitive House races in the state, roughly double the amount those types of groups spent on similar races in 2018. Democrats could also gain a veto-proof majority in the state legislature by winning just two more seats in the 63-seat Senate. A victory like that could give lawmakers more leverage with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, now a dominant force in state politics. The election is also an important one for the Working Families Party, a minor party that has a track record of supporting progressives challenging Democratic incumbents in party primaries. Under new state rules, it could lose its automatic place on the ballot if not enough people vote under its ballot line. Some big-name Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, have been urging voters to vote for Biden on the Working Families line in order to help the party meet the threshold. Here’s a look at New York’s most closely-watched races: HOUSE 1 Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin is trying to fend off a challenge on eastern Long Island from Democrat Nancy Goroff. Zeldin is seeking a fourth term. He praised President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as “phenomenal” during a speech to the Republican National Convention. Goroff is a chemistry professor who took a leave from Stony Brook University to seek office for the first time. ___ HOUSE 2 Republican Assemblyman Andrew Garbarino and Democrat Jackie Gordon face off in a race to succeed U.S. Rep. Pete King, a popular Republican who is retiring. The contest on Long Island’s South Shore […]
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