Zohran Mamdani speaks at a press briefing in Union Square amid early voting in New York City’s mayoral race. Background: the West Indian Day Parade on Eastern Parkway, part of the city’s diverse electorate | Images by Ron Adar & Howard Weiss / Shutterstock

Voters in New York City began casting ballots Saturday as early voting opened in the city’s high-stakes mayoral race, where self-described Muslim socialist Zohran Mamdani continues to lead independent candidate and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

The campaign took a sharp national turn after U.S. Vice President JD Vance criticized Mamdani for remarks made at a Friday rally referencing his Muslim aunt’s fear of wearing a hijab after 9/11.

“According to Zohran the real victim of 9/11 was his auntie who got some (allegedly) bad looks,” Vance wrote on X.

Mamdani, who has described himself as a Muslim socialist, said he wanted to “speak to the Muslim who works for our city” and to others who “feel they carry a stain that can never be cleaned.”

His comments drew swift backlash after Cuomo and WABC host Sid Rosenberg questioned whether Mamdani could lead the city in a crisis. “He’d be cheering,” Rosenberg said. Mamdani accused Cuomo of “Islamophobic rhetoric.”

Cuomo Courts Conservatives

Cuomo appeared earlier in the week on 77 WABC Radio’s Sid & Friends in the Morning, urging Republican and conservative listeners to back him instead of Sliwa.

“I need your listeners to vote for me,” Cuomo said. “I don’t have horns.”

The former governor, who is running as an independent, praised Sliwa’s familiarity with the city’s subways and said he would consider offering him a job if elected.

“I haven’t even thought about it, to tell you the truth, but yes, that would be something that I am interested in,” Cuomo told The New York Post.

Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels anti-crime patrol, rejected calls to drop out.

“I suggest Andrew Cuomo come off his high horse,” Sliwa told USA Today. “If he wants to win this election, go out and campaign for your voters.”

Pressure Builds From Business Leaders

Prominent investors and business executives are urging Sliwa to step aside to consolidate the anti-socialist vote behind Cuomo.

“If @CurtisSliwa drops, @andrewcuomo can win. If he doesn’t, we are toast,” hedge-fund billionaire Bill Ackman posted on X.

A Patriot Polling survey conducted Oct. 18–19 shows Mamdani leading with 43% support, followed by Cuomo (32%) and Sliwa (19%). A newer AARP Gotham Poll released Oct. 25 found nearly identical results — Mamdani 43%, Cuomo 29%, Sliwa 19% — confirming the socialist’s double-digit advantage.

Analysts note that if Sliwa withdrew, Cuomo’s support could close the gap to within four points, underscoring the strategic pressure for Republicans and moderates to unite.

Economic Fears Mirror Earlier DX Reporting

As previously reported by The Dallas Express in “Big Apple’s Core Shaken,” Mamdani’s platform to tax the wealthy, create government-run grocery stores, and defund the NYPD has alarmed corporate leaders and investors.

“We may consider closing our supermarkets and selling the business,” grocery magnate John Catsimatidis told The Free Press, per The New York Times.

“I will never move from New York, but there’s a lot of other people that will — and are — leaving New York,” said Warby Parker co-founder Neil Blumenthal in comments to The Times.

Business leaders warn a Mamdani administration could further strain New York’s economy, already weakened by post-pandemic losses and continued out-migration.

A National Trend

Mamdani’s rise highlights how urban voters continue to embrace radical leadership despite worsening public safety and financial instability. Business leaders warn that if New York elects a socialist mayor, the city could face a new wave of economic flight and law-and-order decline.