'He's just on it': New Yorkers laud Mamdani's energy and progressive politics on election day

The morning of the New York City mayoral elections in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, was a muted affair.

Despite the warm, bright October day, people crossing Fulton Street at the Bedford Ave intersection did not seem caught up in a local election that has grabbed headlines all over the world, though turnout has been high. 

More than 700,000 people voted during the early election voting period, which closed on Monday. At the time of writing, more than 1.2 million people had voted, including early voters, surpassing the total turnout in the previous mayoral election, which stood at 1.15 million.

In what is being seen as a high-stakes election, underdog and Democratic nominee for mayor Zohran Mamdani is taking on the old-guard political elite, represented by former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Both have starkly different visions for the city, with Cuomo relying on his family name and experience to see him through, while Mamdani's progressive politics and charisma have shaped him into a rising political star.

Mamdani is a Muslim and a Democratic Socialist, and one of the youngest candidates ever to run for mayor, at 34 years old.

Read more: 'He's just on it': New Yorkers laud Mamdani's energy and progressive politics on election day