Hello on this soggy, muggy primary day! After the polls close at 9 p.m. tonight, we'll find out whether Mayor Zohran Mamdani has the political juice to launch a pair of democratic socialists into Congress, or whether New York's Democratic power structure still has the muscle to keep their turf.
Will the Mamdani-anointed State Assemblymember Claire Valdez win and represent the "Commie Corridor" in Congress? Or will Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, son of Los Sures, prevail in the race that has gotten increasingly nasty? (Also: Julie Won spoiler alert?)
Can Darializa Avila Chevalier move past her own social media history and the racist attacks coming from her opponents to dethrone Representative Adriano Espaillat uptown? Or will $7 million in super PAC cash and an "anti-gentrification" narrative fend off the newcomer?
And what about the raft of Mamdani-backed state candidates? (And the DSA-endorsed ones he declined to support?) Oh and we can't forget Lander vs. Goldman, or Jessica vs. Jessica, or any of the important-but-obscure district leader races happening in Brooklyn that could determine the soul of the Democratic Party in Kings County. Want to read all our previous election coverage this cycle? Go here.
Hell Gate's live blog will be humming all day, as our reporters fan out across the city to talk to voters and keep an eye on the polling sites. Also, be sure to tune in tonight to Hell Gate's primary election livestream, starting at 8 p.m.!
UPDATE 10:27 A.M.
The New York City Board of Elections shared voting totals as of 9 a.m. this morning, and turnout across the city continues to be low. According to the BOE, about 25,000 voters cast their ballot on Tuesday morning:
— NYC Board of Elections (@BOENYC) June 23, 2026
The City Reporter has some analysis of the early voting numbers:
New voters failed to show up at the polls during early voting for New York City’s June primary election amid overall low turnout. Only 172,743 New Yorkers cast ballots in the nine-day early voting period that ended Sunday. Of that number, only 11,573 ballots were cast by new—and generally younger—voters, New Yorkers who registered after the 2024 general election. That’s 6.7 percent of the early voting total, while Boomers and Millennials turned in comparatively higher numbers, according to an analysis by The City Reporter.
UPDATE 8:30 A.M. | Jackson Heights
Down the block from PS 69 on 37th Avenue, canvassers supporting State Senator Jessica Ramos and a canvasser from 1199 SEIU, which is supporting her opponent, Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, were arguing as they handed out leaflets to potential voters.
"Steve Cohen is funding her campaign! She took money from him," said a supporter of Ramos, referring to the $850,000 that flooded into a super PAC supporting González-Rojas during the race's final days. (Cohen, the billionaire Mets owner who is in the process of building a casino next to Citi Field, has not responded to questions about whether he is the source of the dark money.)
"No she didn't," responded the SEIU member. "She didn't take the money. It's an independent expenditure, he can do what he wants with the money. He chose a side. Ask him why he spent the money, I only know why we endorsed her."
One tangible impact of the late spending on the race? A deluge into people's mailboxes. A Jackson Heights resident told Hell Gate that they received nine mailers supporting González-Rojas just yesterday, and that wasn't including the ones from the Working Families Party, which also supports her.
Despite the furor surrounding the casino, one 50-year resident of Jackson Heights was ready to turn on Ramos.
"She embraced Cuomo, which determined my vote," said Fanny, referring to Ramos's endorsement of Andrew Cuomo during last year's mayoral race. "I don't know Jessica González-Rojas, but a lot of people I like are backing her."
Indeed, González-Rojas is supported by almost every other elected official in the area, including Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
For first-time voter Zinat, she was just happy to be able to cast a vote at all. She became a citizen last year.
"I was so excited and everyone in there was so helpful," Zinat said as she held up her "I Voted" sticker outside of the polling site. "I already knew who I was going to vote for, so it was easy."
Who did Zinat vote for? She wasn't telling.
—Max Rivlin-Nadler