Democratic, Republican governor candidates face primaries Tuesday

ALBANY — New Yorkers get their last chance to vote Tuesday in the state Democratic and Republican primaries to choose their party’s nominees for governor, lieutenant governor and some local legislative posts.

Tuesday is the traditional Election Day as well as the last day absentee ballots must be postmarked and mailed to county boards of election. Polls will be open statewide from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Voters may look up their polling site through a state Board of Elections online portal at https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/.

Early voting began on June 18 and ended Sunday.

Gov. Kathy Hochul seeks a full, four-year term to the job she ascended to in August when Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo resigned amid sexual harassment accusations. Hochul, 63, from the Buffalo suburb of Hamburg, had been Cuomo’s lieutenant governor for seven years.

Hochul faces New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, 46, of Brooklyn and Rep. Tom Suozzi, 59, of Glen Cove. The winner becomes the Democratic nominee for governor in the general election on Nov. 8.

Seeking the Republican nomination are former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, 55, of South Salem; former Trump administration staffer Andrew Giuliani, 36, of Manhattan; business owner Harry Wilson, 50, of Scarsdale, and Rep. Lee Zeldin, 42, of Shirley.

In New York, the lieutenant governor candidates run separately from the governor candidates in primaries. The winner of the lieutenant governor primary will become the running mate for his or her party’s nominee for governor.

There is only a Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. Hochul’s appointed lieutenant governor, former Hudson Valley Rep. Antonio Delgado, 45, of Rhinebeck, is also seeking his first full term. He faces Ana Maria Archila, 42, of New York City; and Diana Reyna, 48, of Brooklyn.

Archila is campaigning with Williams. She has been an activist for the rights of women, immigrants, racial minorities, workers and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In 2018 she made national news by confronting Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) at a Senate office building elevator to berate him for his expected vote to confirm Brett Kavanagh to the U.S. Supreme Court despite allegations of sexual assault against him.

She would be New York’s first Latina and LGBTQ-plus candidate to win statewide office.

Reyna is running with Suozzi. She was deputy borough president in Brooklyn working for now-Mayor Eric Adams and was a New York City Council member. In 2002 when she was elected to the city council she was the first Dominican American woman elected to office in the state.

In Suffolk County, County Clerk Judith Pascale, 74, of Moriches, is challenged by Vincent Puleo, 68, of Nesconset. He is the Smithtown clerk.

In the 4th Assembly District, which includes Brookhaven, two Republicans are seeking their party’s nomination to take on veteran Assemb. Steven Englebright (D-East Setauket) in November. Republican Edward Flood, 40, of Port Jefferson Village is an assistant town attorney for the Town of Brookhaven. He faces Thomas Wiermann, 48, of Port Jefferson Station, who is a former physical education and health teacher with the New York City Department of Education.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.