Governor's race heats up with only days until the election

Candidates are trying to hit as many stops as possible in these final days. Governor Kathy Hochul campaigning today in Peekskill with Democratic congressional nominee Kate Connolly. Connolly is challenging sitting Congressman Mike Lawler. And this battle for New York's 17th congressional district is one of the most closely watched races in the country. But this is the first time that the governor has campaigned with Connolly for this crucial seat in the Hudson Valley. Hochul was also asked about this social media post by Nicki Minaj, who called Hochul a, quote, evil woman. This is serious. And if people want to support me, they're welcome to. In fact, Nicki Minaj supported me back when I ran for lieutenant governor the last time. So you can ask her what what she's been, what what how she's been poisoned by Donald Trump. And I just say, you know, too much time at Trump rallies is pretty bad for people's mental health. Meanwhile, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman making two campaign stops today, first in the Bronx. Blakeman joined former lawmaker Reverend Ruben Diaz Sr. He then made a campaign stop in Harlem and was joined by former NBA New Jersey Nets star Jason Williams. Blakeman was asked if he should have distanced himself more from President Trump in this race, but Blakeman says he has no regrets. There's areas where I agree with the president. There's areas where I disagree with the president. The fact of the matter is I'm running for governor. Kathy Hochul has made the people of this state miserable. I don't have any regrets about that or anything else that I'm doing to try and make our state a better place. Kathy Hochul should regret the fact that she's made it unaffordable to live here. Meanwhile, early voting numbers across New York continued to outpace the governor's race four years ago in 2022. So far in the first five days of early voting, more than a million New Yorkers have cast their ballots, nearly double the number of people who voted early in the same time period four years ago. Right now, more registered Democrats are voting early compared to Republicans, according to preliminary early voting numbers. Here in the city, early voter turnout is the highest in Brooklyn. Lawrence Levy, a suburban politics expert at Hofstra University, explains what these numbers could mean. Democrats coming out far more than Republicans early on Long Island isn't a bad sign for Democrats, but the local Republican organizations have a terrific, what they call pulling operations, getting their voters to the polls. And in prior years, they've been able to overcome the early voting example. Far and away, more Democrats are coming out to the polls early. This is a problem for Republicans. It doesn't mean they can't make it up on election day. Last day of early voting is Sunday and the election is Tuesday.