Brooklyn — and the rest of New York State — will be voting in several elections whose victors will not only govern over your neck of the woods, but the entire state. Here are the statewide races that will be on the ballot:
• Incumbent Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand — who this year wraps her first full, six-year term representing the Empire State in Washington, D.C., after being appointed to replace Hillary Clinton when she vacated the seat to serve as former President Barack Obama’s Secretary of State in 2009 — is facing off against Republican challenger Chele Chiavacci Farley, a private-equity executive and first-time political hopeful who last year became chairman of the New York State GOP’s Finance Committee.
• Two-term incumbent Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo is running for a third-term as the state’s top pol — following in the footsteps of his father, Mario Cuomo — but in order to claim the honor and retain his seat, the governor must first win a race that includes challenges from Republican Marc Molinaro, who will also be on the Conservative and Reform party tickets, and Green Party nominee Howie Hawkins.
• Cuomo’s second-in-command, one-term incumbent Democratic Lieutenant Gov. Kathy Hochul, is battling it out against Republican Julie Killian in a race to become the state’s number-two pol for the next four years.
• Brooklynite Letitia “Tish” James, who in November won the Democratic nomination for New York State Attorney General after years in office as the city’s Public Advocate and a former Fort Greene Councilwoman, faces competitors including Republican Keith Wofford, Green Party candidate Michael Sussman, and Independence Party nominee Vincent Messina in a contest to elect the top prosecutor to replace Acting Attorney General Barbara Underwood, who took office when former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned in disgrace earlier this year amid accusations of physical and sexual abuse.
