NEW YORK CITY - New Yorkers are heading to the polls on Tuesday to voice their opinions on a number of high-profile primary races, including one in a district covering parts of Westchester County and the Bronx.
Voters and experts alike are looking out for the contest between Rep. Jamaal Bowman, one of the most liberal members of Congress, who is trying to fight off a strong Democratic primary challenge from moderate county executive George Latimer. This particular race has put a spotlight on the party's divides over the Israel-Hamas war, ABC News reports.
Other congressional contests are also drawing interest, including one in eastern Long Island, where a media and political luminary made a late entry into the Democratic primary against an established candidate, according to The New York Times.
Here's what else you should know.
Where can you vote?
Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. Voters can find their local polling places on the Board of Elections website.
New York is a closed primary state, so Democrats and Republicans can vote only in their own parties' primaries. Unaffiliated or independent voters cannot participate in the primary. The last day to register to vote ahead of the primaries was June 15, and early voting ended Sunday.
Israel-Hamas war is a central issue in the race
The campaign cycle has exposed many of the divides currently facing the Democratic party, the primary one being the Israel-Hamas war.
Bowman, for instance, has vocalized his support for a ceasefire regardless of any conditions and is against U.S. military aid.
"My opponent and AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] are the ones destroying American democracy," he said over the weekend.
Latimer, on the other hand, has been running on a more centrist position, affirming Israel's right to existence and self-defense.
What's at stake
This primary could test the durability of the Democratic Party's progressive faction. If Bowman loses, he will be the first member of the House's left-wing "squad" to be unseated.
This race may also serve as a road map for groups seeking to influence a race through outside spending. Latimer has received $14.5 million in support from the AIPAC.
The contest has called the attention of some Democratic big names, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who have campaigned on Bowman's behalf.
Similar divisions can also be seen in the State Legislature, where progressives feel that their Democratic colleagues have not done enough for working-class people of color, while more mainstream lawmakers are skeptical that what they see as left-wing agitators could enact lasting change.
Such tensions are seen across the boroughs. For instance, in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, Assemblywoman Stefani Zinerman is fending off a challenge from Eon Huntley, a first-time candidate who is supported by the Democratic Socialists of America.
Similarly, in East Harlem, Assemblyman Eddie Gibbs is facing off Xavier Santiago, the head of the local community board. The race has focused debates over representation, particularly looking at Gibbs, a Black man, who has maintained that efforts to defeat him are centered on having a Latino represent the district, which is 41 percent Hispanic.
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