Voters head to polls after frantic final day of campaigning in New York mayoral race

The candidates for New York City mayor spent a frantic final day campaigning across the city, as voters prepared to head to the polls today in one of the most closely watched races in the city's history.

- Anna Betts New York Joseph Gedeon Washington

Curtis Sliwa giving a speech on the campaign trail. Top, Andrew Cuomo

Zohran Mamdani, the front-runner, whose campaign has centred on affordability, has maintained a commanding lead, with most polls showing him ahead by double digits.

The 34-year-old Democratic nominee, a state assembly member from Queens, began his day yesterday by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise. He was joined by the New York attorney general, Letitia James; the city comptroller, Brad Lander; as well as several city and state lawmakers and throngs of supporters.

Mamdani finished the walk at City Hall, where he told a news conference: “We stand on the verge of ushering in a new day for our city.” He was scheduled to join volunteers before they began a final day of canvassing in Astoria, Queens.

Andrew Cuomo, the former Democratic governor running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the primary, kicked off the last day of his campaign with an interview on the Spanish-language radio station La Mega before heading to a campaign stop in the Bronx. He reportedly planned to visit all five boroughs yesterday.