WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – A consequential mayoral race is nearly over in New York City. The race is not only capturing the attention of New Yorkers, but leaders around the country including President Donald Trump.
Three candidates are vying to take over for the outgoing Mayor Eric Adams who dropped his bid after an initial effort at reelection. The race is between clear favorite Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, former Democrat Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani defeated Cuomo easily in the Democratic primary earlier this year, but Cuomo saw an opening to run as an independent. He still lags in the polls as he tries to run on his record with decades of experience while painting the 34-year-old Mamdani as inexperienced and soft on crime.
Mamdani has called for defunding the police in the past, but is running his campaign on affordability in the most expensive city in the U.S. His calls for cheaper housing and free buses have struck a chord with younger and more progressive New Yorkers. The only candidate running as a Democrat also earned the endorsement of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and other prominent progressives.
President Donald Trump has weighed in on the race to lead his hometown multiple times, floating the possibility of pulling federal funds from New York if Mamdani is elected. While the president has criticized Cuomo in the past, in a recent interview he said if the choice is between a bad Democrat and a communist, which is what he calls Mamdani, he wants the bad Democrat to win.
New York has seen significant early voting turnout with nearly 750,000 ballots cast ahead of Election Day. This confirms many in New York and around the country view this as a consequential turning point in the history of the nation’s largest city.
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