BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Two of the candidates in the race for Buffalo Mayor held early voting rallies Saturday to drum up support.

Byron Brown kicked off day one of voting surrounded by his supporters. The incumbent mayor is running a write-in campaign for an unprecedented fifth term.

“This is what we have been working for, this is the day – the start of early voting all across the City of Buffalo,” Brown said. “As you know, this campaign is about the future of our city.”

Before voting at the Delavan Grider Community Center, Brown spent the day traveling throughout the City of Buffalo alongside some local leaders.

“We have a choice here, and the two choices are whether we want to continue to move forward and continue to experience the progress that we have under Mayor Brown, or whether we want to start to go backwards in a devastating fashion,” said Common Councilmember Chris Scanlon.

Meanwhile, hundreds of India Walton supporters gathered inside Town Ballroom for her early voting rally.

“A vote for India Walton is a vote for change. A vote for India Walton is a vote for transparency. A vote for India Walton is a vote for accountability. A vote for India Walton is a vote for us,” the Democratic nominee told the crowd.

But she wasn’t alone. Actress Cynthia Nixon, who ran and lost to Andrew Cuomo in the 2018 Gubernatorial Primary, was in town to stump for Walton, and so was Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The Bronx representative has been in the Queen City since Friday. She said Walton’s political story is like her own, which is why she’s here in support.

“We are here to bear witness to the fact that we are not along – that together we are powerful. But we have to change that and we have to take that energy and put it into action,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

The candidates have each said every vote in this race will matter. In June’s primary, Walton upset Brown with just over 1,000 votes.