It has been fuel for some of his critics, but the mayor heads to his old neighborhood to break a sweat. His day typically starts with an 11-mile drive from Gracie Mansion to the YMCA in Park Slope. De Blasio has urged all New Yorkers to do more to go green, but given his long drives to the gym in an SUV, that has struck some as hypocritical. The mayor has argued that even if he took the subway, the SUVs in his security detail would still have to make the trip.

The city council speaker is a crucial position in New York City government, but it's separate from the mayor's office. The public advocate, meanwhile, is meant to be a city watchdog, and is next in line to succeed the mayor should the mayor not be able to complete his or her term. The position is seen as a stepping stone to the mayor's office, and the current public advocate, Letitia James, has been floated as a possible candidate in 2021 — although she has political ambitions in Albany at this time.

Cynthia Nixon may be trailing significantly in the polls in the governor's race, but she is credited with pushing Gov. Andrew Cuomo to the left. For example, after Nixon came out in support of legalizing marijuana, Cuomo, and other elected officials in New York, faced pressure to support legalization because black and Hispanic New Yorkers have been arrested at disproportionate rates. Cuomo has in the past called marijuana a "gateway drug," but the governor now appears to be moving forward with plans to try and legalize the drug in New York, crafting a group to draft legislation for a regulated marijuana program.