NEW YORK — New Yorkers came out in force on the first weekend of early voting, with over 165,000 people in the five boroughs casting ballots on Saturday and Sunday — nearly 70,000 more than the last midterm elections four years ago.

Statewide, about 435,000 people cast their ballots over the weekend. Early voting runs until Nov. 1.

The numbers so far also blow the primary elections numbers from earlier this year out of the water, as just over 31,000 New Yorkers cast their votes in the primary over the first two days of early voting. And the numbers are on par with the early turnout during the high-interest mayoral election last year, according to data from the city’s Board of Elections.

In New York, the governor’s race has sparked high interest. The possibility of Democrats seizing control of the U.S. House and Senate halfway though President Trump’s second term is also adding fuel to this year’s midterms, though the city itself has little in the way of competitive Congressional contests.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who was out campaigning with Gov. Kathy Hochul in support of her reelection bid over the weekend, attributed the turnout to “excitement about the tangible things that the governor has delivered,” like the steps towards establishing free childcare.

“What I think is exciting so many New Yorkers is that they also have something to vote for, and whether that’s childcare, whether that’s actually a working relationship between the city and the state, or whether it’s the fact that we are taking all the kinds of steps to make a difference on problems that have long just been accepted as New York City issues,” Mamdani said at a Manhattan press conference on Monday.

On voters’ ballots are races for governor, comptroller and state attorney general, along with state and local representatives and five ballot initiatives supported by the mayor.

Hochul appears to have a solid lead over her challenger, Republican Bruce Blakeman — with polls generally putting her ahead by double digits.

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