New York City’s heavily watched Democratic mayoral primary election appears headed for an upset victory for Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who held a commanding lead among the crowded list of candidates.
With 91% of the vote tabulated, as of 11:00 p.m. local time, Mamdani secured 426,780 votes, 43.5% of the total. He came in a full 7 points above his nearest rival, Andrew Cuomo, dealing a blow to the former governor’s attempt to revive his career after resigning from office in disgrace four years ago.
It’s unlikely the official Democratic Nominee will be known for several days, as NYC uses a ranked choice system that kicks in when no candidate surpasses 50% of the total. But Mamdani is the clear favorite to secure the nomination.
Cuomo, who stepped down as Governor after an official investigation determined he had sexually harassed multiple women including employees, appeared to acknowledge that likely outcome in a concession speech, telling supporters that Mamdani won and that he called to congratulate him. “Tonight was not our night. Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo’s spokesperson later denied that Cuomo had conceded, despite having explicitly called Cuomo’s speech a concession earlier in the night, and said they would be waiting until all ranked choice tallies are completed.
The race in many ways was the Democratic Party’s current generational struggle in microcosm. Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, Muslim and first-generation American who immigrated from India with his parents as a child, was endorsed by progressive Democratic Party luminaries such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Cuomo meanwhile was championed by a collection of older, more conservative party figures such as former president Bill Clinton and consultant James Carville, as well as hard right conservative activist Laura Loomer.
For reasons that aren’t clear, Cuomo was also endorsed by several people who previously called on him to resign over the sexual harassment allegations.
The winner of the NYC Democratic Mayoral primary is usually the overwhelming front-runner in the general election, thanks largely to the weakness of the Republican Party in the city. That could be somewhat in doubt this time, as Cuomo previously vowed to run as an independent if he were to lose the primary.
However, in his remarks Tuesday, Cuomo seemed to suggest he may be rethinking an independent bid, saying in part “I want to give some thought” to what comes next.
Scandal–plagued current Mayor Eric Adams has already effectively left the Democratic Party and is planning to run as an independent this fall, but he is not expected to win.
Mamdani won in part by forming shrewd alliances with other mayoral candidates, most notably New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. The pair cross-endorsed one another and campaigned together, and Lander, who is Jewish, proved crucial in defending Mamdani from unsupported accusations of antisemitism. In his concession speech, Lander told supporters, “We are not going to let anyone divide Muslim New Yorkers and Jewish New Yorkers.”
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