Early voting begins in New York: What to know and the key races to watch – ABC News – Breaking News, Latest News and Videos

Early voting begins in New York: What to know and the key races to watch  ABC News – Breaking News, Latest News and Videos

Saturday is the first day of early voting in New York and Empire State voters could help decide which party will control the House over the next two years. Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler are hoping to keep their seats. Saturday is the first day of early voting in New York and Empire State voters could help decide which party will control the U.S. House of Representatives over the next two years. Republicans are seeking to fend off attempts by Democrats to flip congressional seats in the suburbs north of New York City and in the Adirondack Mountains near the Canadian border. New Yorkers will also decide whether Democrats Kathy Hochul and Letitia James should each be elected to an additional term in their respective roles as governor and attorney general.

Hochul became the state's first female governor in 2021 after then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned amid sexual harassment allegations — accusations he denied. She was New York's lieutenant governor at the time. Unlike most New York governors, Hochul is not from New York City or its suburbs, but hails from the Buffalo area — a more than six-hour drive away. A moderate Democrat, she was largely unknown to voters in the metropolitan area, where much of the state's population resides, until Cuomo's resignation. She defeated Republican Lee