From the Bronx to Soho: New York’s voices in a decisive election – Elections in the United States 2024 – Cadena 3 Mundo

From a window in Soho, in the heart of New York, two flags flutter in the wind: the flag of the United States and the state of New York, where 20 million people live.

In this “concrete jungle where dreams come true” – as Alicia Keys says in “Empire State of Mind” – there is also tension. Citizens are counting down to define a country’s course between two different paths.

This Sunday is the last day of early voting, and those who don’t arrive by six in the evening will have to wait until Tuesday, November 5 to vote in person. On the busiest streets of New York, people seem to be elsewhere. In fact, most of them are tourists. But on the margins, more expectations are seen in the pace of debates on key issues on restaurant televisions or in spoken conversations.

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There are no grains. The election is polarized. It is black or white. It is better to say red or blue: Kamala or Trump. In the state of New York, the election seems to have been decided for the Democrats: the last Republican nominated was Ronald Reagan in 1984.

In the Big Apple it is not easy to get certificates. Most people refuse to talk about the elections, especially those who support Trump, and that may be one of the keys to these elections: the shame vote.

Still, walking through Times Square I meet Ken, an African-American from the Bronx, who told Chain 3 his unequivocal stance: “<a href="http://www.world-today-news.com/donald-trump-whats-behind-the-us-presidents-baltimore-attack/" title="Donald Trump: What's behind the US President's Baltimore attack”>Kamala Harris is the best presidential candidate I’ll be voting for on Tuesday. If you want to continue chaos and anarchy, vote for the other person.” Kenny doesn’t directly refer to Trump, but his reference shows the wounds of four years that he describes as “madness”. His statement reveals a division that seeks Democratic continuity, and above all for Trump not to return.

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On Fifth Avenue I run into Taylor, a young man from New Jersey, wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap as he moves around in his wheelchair. “I’m going to vote for Trump because of his border policies,” he says confidently. “If they want to come in, they have to do it legally and that’s how it works. “Taylor reveals another reality, that of those who believe that border security and strict immigration control are essential, issues that Trump promises to continue to strengthen.

New York has seen a frenetic coming and going of candidates in these decisive days. Last night, Kamala Harris surprised audiences by appearing on the iconic show “Saturday Night Live,” where she came face to face with Maya Rudolph, her double in paradise.

Donald Trump, with a completely different strategy, continues a trip to North Carolina, a key state in his campaign, with a calendar that includes nine events starting on October 1. His path to 270 electoral votes depends, to a large extent, on consolidating this state, which supported him in 2020 with only 1.3 percentage points. Yesterday, in Gastonia and Greensboro, and at a stop in Salem, Virginia, Trump reiterated his vision of a strong and safe America, as he sought to strengthen votes in the regions that right, a crucial piece of strategy.

Both candidates combine rallies with appearances with megastars. Taylor Swift and Oprah Winfrey, Robert De Niro and Beyoncé have endorsed Harris, while Elon Musk, Mel Gibson and musician Kid Rock have publicly expressed themselves in favor of Trump.

Today the city is paralyzed by the New York Marathon. In Central Park, where the runners arrive, I manage to talk about politics with Laslo, a young American from Hungary who summarizes another of the keys in this election: the vote against. Although he identifies with the Democrats, his vote is, in his words, “against Donald Trump.” “He could explain for hours,” he says. “You only have to listen to what he says about the Israelis or how he presents himself. He is completely out of control.” His disagreement with politics is not small, but it is terrible that he does not like Trump.

More than 71 million Americans have already participated in early voting. New York City is a sea of ​​intertwined ideologies, religions and cultures, where every voice counts and every vote defines the future. With the iconic buildings of Manhattan in the background and the streets full of stories, this Tuesday, November 5, millions of people will exercise their right and choose the destiny of the country.