Andrew Cuomo addressed supporters after coming second to Mamdani on Tuesday. “This campaign was the right fight to wage and I am proud of what we did and what we did together,” he said.
“This campaign was to contest the philosophies that are shaping the Democratic Party, the future of this city and the future of this country.”
Cuomo said a significant chunk of the electorate had rejected Mamdani’s ambitious agenda. “It’s also important to note that almost half of New Yorkers did not vote to support a government agenda that we know cannot be met.
“We support an economy of jobs, of opportunity, of entrepreneurship. That’s what New York is and that’s what New York must remain.”
New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo speaks during an election night event at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan on November 4, 2025. New Yorkers elected leftist Zohran Mamdani as their next mayor November 4 broadcasters projected, on a day of key local ballots across the country offering the first electoral judgement of Donald Trump’s tumultuous second White House term. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP
Mamdani’s supporters celebrate
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat representative, greets Mamdani fans
ANGELINA KATSANIS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
A Mamdani candle, lit in celebration at a bar in Brooklyn
‘Far-left mob are running the show’
Republicans responded quickly to Mamdani’s projected victory earlier on Tuesday night, condemning it as a win for the far left.
The National Republican Congressional Committee said: “The Democrat Party has surrendered to radical socialist Zohran Mamdani and the far-left mob who are now running the show.
“They’ve proudly embraced defunding the police, abolishing ICE, taxing hard-working Americans to death, and replacing common sense with chaos.”
Other camps react to Mamdani’s win
“Tragic,” said Andrew Fine, an estate agent, as the news flashed across the screen at Andrew Cuomo’s election night party. “Unfortunate,” he added. “Unsurprising.”
“I think he will fade into the sunset,” said Fine, 58. “He’s served this state and the city well.”
The Ziegfeld Ballroom in midtown Manhattan had filled with supporters of the former governor and people who worked for him. There was a free bar and in the gents, above each urinal, was a screen bearing the legend: “CUOMO Ready on Day One.”
A crestfallen Cuomo supporter
HEATHER KHALIFA/AP
There were boos when Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate appeared on the screen: many blamed him for shaving off some of the vote that Cuomo might have gained. “Shame on Curtis Sliwa,” bellowed David Rem, 61, a rubbish disposal man who works in Queens, waiving a sign that said “Sliwa Is A Spoiler”.
“I’m very disappointed,” said Dr Marc Alan Minick, 75, who worked for Cuomo and his father, Mario Cuomo, who also won three terms as governor.
He felt that the mayoral race should have had nothing to do “with socialism, with being a Muslim. What people fail to realise is what New York City needs now is an experienced mayor. The guy that just got elected never had a job other than the one he has now”.
Curtis Sliwa at his watch party
RYAN MURPHY/REUTERS
A sweeping victory for the Democrats
Democrats have won all three top elected jobs in Virginia in a successful night for the party to confirm its “blue state” status.
Abigail Spanberger’s election as governor by a large margin was the first to be called, followed by Ghazala Hashmi for her deputy as lieutenant governor and then Jay Jones as attorney general.
Hashmi becomes the first Muslim woman elected to state-wide office in America after defeating John Reid, a former conservative talk show host.
The blue wave appeared to be fuelled by federal job cuts and the government shutdown.
Trump reacts to Republican losses
President Trump has shifted the blame for the defeats suffered by Republicans across the country, arguing the government shutdown and his absence from the ballot were responsible.
“’TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,’ according to Pollsters,” he wrote on Truth Social.
The president has blamed Democrats for the government shutdown, which has so far lasted 35 days.
Cheers, hugging and a Mamdani candle
By Lara Spirit, Washington Correspondent
I’ve been watching the results at an event in a Levantine restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, in a back room packed to the brim with excited Mamdani supporters.
The room erupted in screams as CNN named Mamdani the winner, with friends hugging each other, taking selfies with the projector screen and — in a moment of extreme reverence — lighting a candle at the front of the room with Mamdani’s face on.
Mamdani projected to win mayor’s race
Zohran Mamdani is projected to be the next mayor of New York City, completing his extraordinary rise from virtual obscurity to one of the biggest jobs in American politics.
The 34-year-old democratic socialist harnessed voter anxieties over the cost of living to defeat Andrew Cuomo, his much more experienced rival, according to an NBC News projection.
In electing Mamdani as the first Muslim mayor of New York, voters rejected increasingly dire warnings from Republicans including President Trump that he represented a serious threat to the city.
Mamdani overcame doubts over his political CV and allegations his ambitious social policies were unaffordable and unworkable.
If his victory is confirmed he will be sworn into office in January.
Most votes in mayoral election since 1969
More than two million votes have been cast in the New York mayoral race for the first time since 1969, the city’s Board of Elections said.
The announcement was made ahead of polls closing at 9pm local time, meaning the final total will be even higher.
Voters have apparently been energised by the three-way battle between Mamdani, Cuomo and Silwa, who each represent distinctly different visions for the city.
Just under 1.5 million votes were counted in 2021 when Eric Adams was elected.
Mikie Sherrill wins New Jersey race
Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, has won the race to become New Jersey’s next governor, according to the Associated Press.
Sherrill, a former US Navy helicopter pilot, had been in a close contest with Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican candidate backed by President Trump.
After the AP said she had won, Sherrill wrote on X: “New Jersey, it is the honor of my life to earn your trust to become this great state’s 57th Governor.
“I promise to listen, lead with courage, and never forget who I serve.”
Polls have closed in New York City and voters will soon discover who has been elected the new mayor.
Zohran Mamdani remains the favourite after holding a significant lead in pre-election day polling.
If the 34-year-old is declared the winner, it could mark the end of Andrew Cuomo’s political career and fuel the progressive wing of the Democrats.
Mamdani is a Democrat socialist who built his campaign on a promise to tackle New York’s spiralling cost of living.
Democrat Mikie Sherrill has edge in New Jersey
Polls closed in New Jersey with exit poll data giving an edge in the closely-watched governor race to the Democrat candidate Mikie Sherrill.
Sherrill, a congresswoman and former Navy helicopter pilot, was put ahead among independent voters against her Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli, an accountant and former state assemblyman, by 52 to 45 per cent, according to a CNN exit poll.
Independent voters make up a crucial 31 per cent of the state electorate and this type of lead would require a very strong turnout of Republican voters for Ciattarelli to record a win.
Abigail Spanberger with her husband after the win
WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES
Virginia is a victory for the Dems — particularly the moderates
Analysis by Katy Balls, Washington Editor
While the New York mayoral has received the most media attention to date, it’s not the only key race taking place this evening. The Democratic party is also hoping to make gains in New Jersey and Virginia.
It’s in Virginia that they have so far had the most promising development of the night with the race called and Democrat Abigail Spanberger to be the next governor.
Her victory will be used by the moderate wing of the party as proof that Zohran Mamdani’s democratic socialism isn’t the only route to power on the left.
Democrat Abigail Spanberger wins Virginia governor race
Election night got off to a strong start for the Democrats with the Virginia governor race called for the party’s candidate Abigail Spanberger within a hour of polls closing.
Spanberger, 46, a moderate former CIA officer and congresswoman, becomes the state’s first ever female governor by comfortably defeating her Republican opponent Winsome Earle-Sears, the lieutenant governor, according to several US media outlets.
With just under half of votes counted, Spanberger was running nine points ahead, more than the 5.8 per cent winning margin for Kamala Harris against Donald Trump a year ago.
Abigail Spanberger
WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES
The Democrat was boosted by a wave of anger among the more than 300,000 federal employees living in Virginia, which borders Washington DC, after the swingeing round of lay-offs by President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).
The CNN exit poll put support for Spanberger at 61 per cent against 37 per cent in households with a federal worker.
Trump claims ‘voter rigging’ in California
California’s attorney-general, Rob Bonta, has warned that President Trump might use false claims of voter irregularities to challenge the results of the state’s special election.
Voters went to the polls on Tuesday to cast their ballots on Proposition 50, which if passed would redraw congressional maps to favour Democrats.
Trump called the ballot measure, which is expected to pass, a “giant scam” and said voting had been “rigged”.
Bonta said the Trump administration could use the claims to challenge the election outcome. He also warned of similar tactics at the midterms next year.
“All indications, all arrows, show that this is a tee-up for something more dangerous in the 2026 midterms and maybe beyond,” he said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
‘VOTE FOR JACK,’ urges Trump
President Trump urged voters in New Jersey to vote for Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican candidate for governor who is in a tight race with the Democrat’s nominee, Mikie Sherrill.
Trump said he had “heard that 32,000 Orthodox Jews around Lakewood and Jackson, New Jersey, have showed up BIG for Jack Ciattarelli” who is behind in polls.
He wrote on Truth Social: You can win this Election for Jack! VOTE FOR JACK, WHO HAS MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT.
Free champagne if Mamdani wins
Keith McNally, the London-born restaurateur, said his New York venues would offer free champagne if Mamdani wins.
The 74-year-old described the election as one of the most important ever to be held in America.
McNally, whose restaurants are frequented by celebrities, said Mamdani would challenge oligarchs, oppose President Trump and support the working class.
“I would happily pay more in taxes so that all the people in New York can afford to live here and have a decent, healthy life,” McNally said. “That’s why I voted for Mamdani.”
He added that if it looks as though Mamdani will win, all customers and staff at his restaurants Balthazar, Morandi and Minetta “will be offered a glass of champagne on the house”.
Mayor’s race draws highest turnout in decades
More than 1.7 million people have voted in the New York mayoral election, the biggest turnout in at least 30 years, according to the city’s Board of Elections.
The figure was correct as of 6pm ET, three hours before polls closed.
Almost 1.9 million New Yorkers voted in the 1993 race, when the Republican Rudy Giuliani defeated the Democratic mayor David Dinkins.
Cost of living is top issue for voters
The cost of living was the main priority for New Yorkers in the mayoral race, according to an exit poll.
Mamdani made affordability a key part of his campaign and it appears his message has resonated with voters.
According to an NBC News exit poll, 56 per cent of New Yorkers said the cost of living was their top issue, while 72 percent of voters said housing costs were a major problem.
New York is one of the most expensive places to live in the US.
Eric Adams bows out with final swipe at Mamdani
Eric Adams, the scandal-hit outgoing mayor of New York City, criticised Mamdani after casting his vote for Cuomo.
“My vote is clearly for Governor Cuomo,” he said, according to The New York Times. “We can’t go backwards. This city’s not a socialist city.”
Adams cast his vote at an elementary school in Brooklyn. He dropped out of the race in September when polls showed he faced a steep uphill battle for re-election.
On Tuesday, he insisted New York was in a strong position. “The only message I can give to New Yorkers as I go to the next leg of my journey: I’m leaving you a good city,” he said. “Don’t mess it up.”
Top Democrat declines to say who he voted for
Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s Democratic minority leader, has refused to say who he cast his vote for.
“Look, I voted and I look forward to working with the next mayor to help New York City,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
Mamdani has been endorsed by the New York governor Kathy Hochul, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader. The former president Barack Obama did not endorse Mamdani publicly but called the democratic socialist candidate to praise his campaign and offered to be a “sounding board” if he won, The New York Times reported.
Final campaigning stretch before polls close
Voting booths in Flatbush, Brooklyn
MICHAEL M SANTIAGO/GETTY IMAGES
Andrew Cuomo urged New Yorkers who have yet to vote to “hit the polls” and search for his name on the ballot, calling this election the “most important of my lifetime”.
“If I could accomplish all of these things as your governor, imagine what I could do as your mayor,” he wrote on an X post on Tuesday.
Mamdani has been posting on his social media accounts every other hour, while Sliwa has made several stops across New York City after accompanying his wife to vote this morning.
More than 1,450,000 votes — with hours to go
A dog sits in a stroller at a polling station at the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan
TIMOTHY ACLARY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Almost 1.5 million people had cast their votes in New York City as of 3pm ET, according to the city’s board of elections. Those figures are higher than the total number of people who voted in the 2021 mayoral election, and polls will remain open for another four hours.
This year’s is the highest turnout since the former mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has backed Cuomo, was elected in 2001.
Elon Musk: Mamdani’s policies wouldn’t just hurt the rich
Appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience last week, Elon Musk claimed that Zohran Mamdani’s proposals would greatly hurt the city and the quality of life of New Yorkers. Mamdani has pledged to go after the rich, promising to raise taxes for the wealthy to fund his plans for the city.
“Mamdani is a charismatic swindler,” Musk, the richest person in the world, said on the podcast. “If Mamdani’s policies are put into place … it would be a catastrophic decline in living standards, not just for the rich but for everyone.”
Cuomo: Diversity can be a weakness
Cuomo poses with voters in the city on Tuesday
ALEXI J ROSENFELD/GETTY IMAGES
Running to be mayor of one of the most diverse cities in the world, Andrew Cuomo has said diversity “can be a weakness”. He made the comments during a recent appearance on MSNBC.
“Our diversity is our strength but it can also be a weakness, so you have to make sure you’re always keeping people united,” he said.
Cuomo doubled down on his remarks when he was asked to explain what he meant.
“Diversity can be a weakness if you have antipathy among groups,” he added.
White House pushes back after Mamdani blames Trump for bomb threats
President Trump was blamed by Mamdani for “baseless allegations of voter fraud”
AP/MANUEL BALCE CENETA
Earlier today, Mamdani suggested that bomb threats targeting polling sites in New Jersey could be the result of President Trump’s rhetoric.
“This [is] part of the general approach the Trump administration has taken to intimidate voters with baseless allegations of voter fraud as a means of trying to repress the voice of Americans across this country,” Mamdani said.
Responding to a question about Mamdani’s remarks, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the comments were “irresponsible”.
“I think this is just another example of how the Democrat Party, unfortunately, stands for nothing. All they stand against is President Donald Trump,” Leavitt said. “It’s quite sad to see that we have someone at the top of the ticket on an election day today saying such things about the president when he obviously had absolutely nothing to do with those threats.”
Mamdani learns about Cheney’s death from reporter
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Mamdani found out about the former vice-president Dick Cheney’s death when a reporter asked him about it after Mamdani arrived at his polling site this morning.
“When?” Mamdani asked.
• Dick Cheney, former US vice-president, dies aged 84
Mamdani: This is not a campaign. This is a movement
Zohran Mamdani claimed in an Instagram post on Tuesday that his campaign and volunteers have knocked on three million doors.
“When we launched this campaign a year ago, we said we wanted to build the single largest grassroots campaign in New York City history and knock on one million doors by the June primary. Some people laughed,” he wrote. “Today, we passed three million.”
After the presidential election last year, Mamdani was videotaped being rejected and ignored by passersby as he attempted to interview Trump supporters on a street in the Bronx. Mamdani returned to the site where he recorded that video last week, but this time he was received by people cheering and asking to take photographs with him.
“I told all my African people to vote for you because I know, with you, New York City will change,” one man told Mamdani.
Cuomo ‘has met Muslim community figures’
During a radio interview, Cuomo was confronted about his reluctance to condemn Islamophobia targeted at his rival, Zohran Mamdani, and accusations of supporting such discrimination.
The former governor told WNYC he was all about “unifying” the city, and that he had met members of the Muslim community and planned to make them an active part of his administration.
Cuomo recently came under fire after he appeared to agree with a radio host who suggested Mamdani would celebrate if another 9/11 occurred.
“That’s another problem,” Cuomo said on air, after briefly laughing.
Trump declares California redistricting ‘giant scam’
President Trump today claimed the vote on redistricting in California was “RIGGED”, “unconstitutional” and a “GIANT SCAM”.
In a post on his Truth Social site, he added: “All “mail-in” ballots, where the Republicans in that state are “Shut Out,” is under very serious legal and criminal review. STAY TUNED!”
Asked for evidence, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said: “It’s absolutely true that there is fraud in California’s elections. It’s just a fact. They have a universal mail-in voting system which we know is ripe for fraud … Fraudulent ballots that are being mailed in in the names of other people and the names of illegal aliens who shouldn’t be voting in American elections.”
She said Trump would soon be releasing an executive order “to strengthen our elections in this country and to ensure that there cannot be blatant fraud as we’ve seen in California”.
Marjorie Taylor Green endorses Curtis Sliwa
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared on ABC’s The View on Tuesday, and told hosts she wouldn’t vote for Andrew Cuomo. Greene said she would vote for Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate.
“I personally … wouldn’t vote for Andrew Cuomo,” she said. “All these women came out with these accusations against him which I found pretty disgusting. And then the Covid lockdowns and all the people’s parents and grandparents who died in nursing homes.”
Mamdani denies being a Marxist
The Democratic candidate greets fans in Brooklyn
REUTERS/KYLIE COOPER
Mamdani denied holding Marxist beliefs, insisting again he is a democratic socialist during a CNN interview on Monday night. Mamdani had been asked by an anchor to respond to comments from Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JP Morgan Chase, about Mamdani’s real stances.
“This is something that business leaders would also hope for the success of the city,” Mamdani said. “And I put that forward to say that despite where New Yorkers may stand on my candidacy, whatever qualms they may have, they know I’m actually being honest with them about my ideas and who I’m looking to fight for.”
Mamdani, who has said “we shouldn’t have billionaires”, has proposed raising taxes on millionaires to fund his housing, transportation and childcare plans.
How Mamdani conquered social media
Cait Camelia, 25, part of the “hot girls for Zohran” movement
JOHN BECK FOR THE TIMES
Mamdani has led an active social media campaign, including canvassing by a group of young women and men who called themselves “hot girls for Zohran”.
“What makes you hot is the fact that you’re voting for him. If you believe in progressive leadership and if you believe in good politics, then that in and of itself is hot,” one of the canvassers told The Times in June. “Our goal is to be as inclusive as possible. People of all ages, all genders can be hot girls for Zohran. Men can be hot girls for Zohran.”
Mamdani, the favourite to win, has heavily relied on young voters and social media to spread his message, appearing at a nightclub and being featured on Instagram reels and TikToks with influencers as election day closed in.
• Read about the “hot girls for Zohran” here
Curtis and Nancy Sliwa on election day
X/CURTIS SLIWA
Sliwa, the founder of the nonprofit crime-fighting group Guardian Angels, is running for mayor for the second time, amid calls for him to withdraw from the race as he polls a distant third place after Mamdani and Cuomo.
But the Republican, who calls himself the “law-and-order” candidate, has insisted on staying in the race. Sliwa has made fighting crime a central part of his campaign, often referencing the time he was shot several times in 1992.
Sliwa has been married four times, once owned 16 cats and has openly spoken about being left impotent after a surgery to treat his prostate cancer. His most recent marriage, to Nancy Sliwa, a lawyer and animal rights activist, took place in 2018.
Voting tally already surpasses previous total
In its most recent bulletin, New York City’s board of elections said that a total of 1,195,062 people had voted as of noon on Tuesday.
That’s including the more than 700,000 New Yorkers who voted early and the close to 400,000 who have voted in person today. The current tally has already surpassed the number of people who voted in the 2021 election.
Bomb threats across NYC and New Jersey
Ridgewood police in the area of Somerville Elementary School after a polling station was evacuated due to a bomb threat
KYLE MAZZA/ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES
Three polling locations in New York City received bomb threats on Tuesday, sources told CBS.
The New York City police department and federal law enforcement responded to an “elaborate swatting attempt” at polling sites in Washington Heights, the West Village and Midtown after “terroristic” messages were sent to the city’s board of elections.
In New Jersey several polling sites had to be closed, and voting was disrupted after the state received bomb threats that police have said were hoaxes.
Mamdani’s gaffe over ‘aunt’s’ fear of wearing hijab after 9/11
The mayoral candidate faced pushback after recounting a story about an aunt who was too afraid to wear a hijab on the subway amid rising Islamophobia in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Mamdani told the story after his rival, Andrew Cuomo, laughed in the middle of a radio show when the host suggested Mamdani would “cheer” if another 9/11 took place.
But Mamdani later faced scrutiny and accusations of lying after revealing the woman he was referring to in the story was actually his father’s cousin. He claimed he had called her “aunt” all his life.
“Zehra fuhi, my father’s cousin, who passed away a few years ago,” he said. Fuhi means aunt in Urdu and Hindi.
Election results: when will we know who wins?
The polls will close at 9pm, with first results expected to come swiftly after that. During the last mayoral election in New York City, Eric Adams was declared the winner by the Associated Press at about midnight.
Eric Adams, the present mayor of New York
TIMOTHY A CLARY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
However the high turnout and close margins this year might delay counting.
Watch: Cuomo warns against ‘socialism’The harassment claims clouding Cuomo’s race
“What do you say to the women that you sexually harassed?” Mamdani asked Cuomo during a debate in the build-up to the election.
Cuomo, stunned, responded after a pause: “If you want to be in government, you have to be serious and mature. There were allegations of sexual harassment … the cases were dropped, so everything you just said was a misstatement.”
Cuomo, who resigned from his post as New York governor in 2021 after a sexual harassment scandal, has since portrayed himself as a victim and blamed his downfall on cancel culture.
After accusing Mamdani of having too little experience to manage the city during a debate weeks ago, Mamdani countered by bringing up the accusations that Cuomo harassed 11 women in the workplace, as well as Cuomo’s role in attempting to conceal the number of Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes.
Although an investigation by the district attorney’s office found Cuomo had harassed the women, all criminal charges against him have been dropped due to lack of evidence.
Mamdani votes ‘yes’ for controversial housing proposal
After months of dodging questions on the topic, Mamdani revealed on Tuesday that he voted “yes” on several housing proposals on the ballot that would give the mayor more power over building. The controversial measures, supported by the governor Kathy Hochul, has sparked fears among city council members that it would weaken their control over zoning.
Mamdani did not explain the delay in sharing his stance, adding that he ultimately talked about his vote, which came only after more than 700,000 had cast their ballot, as “a responsibility to share my thoughts with New Yorkers”.
Sliwa arrives at polling site with wife
Sliwa stops by a deli in the Bronx on voting day with his wife Nancy
X/CURTIS SLIWA
Curtis Sliwa accompanied his wife, Nancy, as she voted in the Bronx. He cast his ballot during early voting.
Sliwa kept his hand on his wife’s back as she cast her ballot in the crowded polling station on West 72nd Street.
The Guardian Angels founder, who once owned 16 cats and in 2021 tried to bring one to his polling station, was wearing his usual red beret and a tie with cats on it.
Musk says ballots are ‘a scam’
Elon Musk claimed the New York City mayoral election was a “scam”.
“No ID is required,” the billionaire argued, adding that Mamdani’s name appeared twice and Cuomo’s was buried.
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According to the Board of Elections, you do not need to present an ID to vote in New York City unless you are voting for the first time and did not provide identification when you registered.
Mamdani, like Sliwa, appears twice in the ballot due to fusion voting, which allows more than one political party to nominate the same candidate. Mamdani is endorsed by both the Democratic Party and the Working Families Party. He said on Tuesday that he voted for himself under the Working Families Party.
Andrew Cuomo casts his ballot
Cuomo with his daughters Michaela and Mariah
TIMOTHY A CLARY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Cuomo, along with two of his daughters, arrived at a polling site in Manhattan just after 10am.
The former governor of New York joked that he was still deciding who to vote for and insisted Trump does not support him. Cuomo said that, if the president has urged people to vote for him, it is only because he opposed Mamdani.
“I feel that the momentum is on our side,” Cuomo said.
Criticism over deepfake ad by Cuomo campaign
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The Cuomo campaign has sparked criticism after airing an AI-generated Halloween ad that featured deepfakes of Mamdani and Curtis Sliwa.
In the ad, Mamdani is depicted as a socialist trick-or-treater who takes 52 per cent of the candy “for the government”. The deepfake goes on to say, “defund the police!” when a little boy dressed as a cop appears on screen. The fake Mamdani then peels off his skin and reveals he is actually Curtis Sliwa.
“At this point, I’m so far behind that a vote for me is a vote for Mamdani,” the fake Curtis Sliwa says. “And that’s the scariest thing of all this Halloween.”
What the New Jersey and Virginia elections say about the Democrats — and Trump
Just to prove she’s not a Jersey girl, how about this pork roll thing?” said Jack Ciattarelli, the businessman hoping to hand President Trump at least one election victory next week.
His Democratic opponent in the race for New Jersey governor, Mikie Sherrill, has been caught dismissing the name of the state’s favourite breakfast sandwich as “gross”. She referred to it as “Taylor ham”, a phrase only heard in northern areas like well-to-do Montclair where she moved 15 years ago from her native Virginia.
It was a jokey moment on a friendly podcast about a long-running New Jersey debate, but it proved irresistible to Ciattarelli as he seeks to portray her as an opportunistic outsider.
Trump reluctantly backs ‘bad Democrat’ Andrew Cuomo
President Trump gave a reluctant last-minute endorsement to Andrew Cuomo in his battle with Zohran Mamdani to become the next New York City mayor.
Cuomo, the former Democratic governor of New York, is running as an independent after losing the party’s primary to Mamdani.
Trump has sniped at Mamdani for months, and during a CBS 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, he repeated his threat of withholding federal funds from his native city if Mamdani wins.
Trump says Jewish Mamdani voters are ‘stupid’
On Truth Social, President Trump told followers that any Jewish person who votes for Mamdani is “a stupid person!!!”, describing the Democratic candidate as “a proven and self-professed JEW HATER”.
Mamdani has been outspoken about his stance on Israel, saying he does not support the state. He has also declined to condemn the use of the phrase “globalise the intifada” — although according to a New York Times report, he privately said he would “discourage” its use.
However Mamdani has said there is no room for antisemitism in New York City and touted the support of Jewish communities.
Mamdani: ‘We’re on the brink of making history’
From Will Pavia, New York Correspondent
Mamdani said he would seek to “transform the most expensive city in the United States of America into one that’s affordable to each and every person that calls it home”.
“We are on the brink of making history,” he said.
Asked about concerns, in parts of the country, over a 34-year-old democratic socialist running New York, he said: “Well, I get older every day. I think more about New York than I do about anything beyond our five boroughs. I look forward to fulfilling the hope that New Yorkers have put on me, and to earning the trust of those who voted for another candidate.”
Watch: Mamdani speaks as voters head to pollsMamdani responds to Trump’s funding cut threats
From Will Pavia, New York Correspondent
Mamdani speaks to the press after voting at a polling station at the Frank Sinatra School of Arts in Astoria, Queens
LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
SELCUK ACAR/ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES
Zohran Mamdani pledged to fight “for every single dollar this city is owed” this morning in the face of threats from President Trump to withhold federal funding from New York.
The democratic socialist and frontrunner to be the city’s next mayor addressed reporters from a playground in Astoria, shortly after voting with his wife Rama Duwaji.
“It is a day we have been dreaming of for more than a year and as much as things have changed over the course of this campaign, in many ways it is the same campaign that we opened on October 23 [2024].”
Then he was a relative unknown. Now the little playground near his home in Astoria was packed with reporters and photographers perched on playground sets to get their shot.
When will the new mayor be sworn in?
The winner of the 2025 New York City mayoral race will be sworn on January 1, 2026, marking the official start of his term.
Eric Adams, the current mayor, was sworn in a minute after midnight on January 1, 2021 in Times Square. Although City Hall is where swearing-in ceremonies are traditionally held, the mayor ultimately has the decision to choose the location.
Long lines in deep blue district
The lines at my polling station in Brooklyn were long — one person had to leave after waiting 20 minutes (Josie Ensor writes). Poll workers who had volunteered at previous elections said they had not seen lines this long before at 8.30am.
A busy polling station in Brooklyn
MICHAEL M. SANTIAGO/GETTY IMAGES
My district is deep blue on the electoral map, so it was no surprise that of the ten people I surveyed, seven said they had voted for the Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, the other three for Andrew Cuomo, the independent candidate.
James Graham, a 30-year-old software engineer, voted for Cuomo in 2018 but believes the former Democrat has lost his magic. “He’s run a totally uninspiring campaign,” he said “All he talks about is the things he can’t do. That’s not the attitude we need.”
Maeve Newman, 26, a data analyst, voted for Mamdani. “So many people here are existing at the bottom and only one candidate is trying to address that,” she said. “Rent freezes, free childcare — people scoff but these things are all achievable.”
Andrew Cuomo visits a polling station at the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan
REUTERS/KYLIE COOPER
Elon Musk endorsed Andrew Cuomo on Monday, telling his followers on X that a vote for Curtis Sliwa was a vote for “Mumdani … or whatever his name is”.
President Trump backed Cuomo during a CBS 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, saying he would choose a “bad democrat” over Mamdani, a self-described democrat socialist.
“I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or another, but if it’s gonna be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you,” he said.
Could radical Democrat be last straw for Staten Island?
The light of an October afternoon is fading as Curtis Sliwa stands on a roadside deep in suburban Staten Island, greeting his people (Will Pavia writes).
He is perched on a rock on a narrow grassy verge and looks from a distance, in his suit and his beret, like a military statue on a pedestal. Occasionally a passing car honks and the statue raises a palm in acknowledgment.
Curtis Sliwa with supporters in Staten Island last week
JOHN TAGGART FOR THE TIMES
The half a million residents of this island are the only constituency of New York City’s five boroughs that is majority Republican. And Sliwa, the Republican candidate for mayor, believes that they may demand to secede from the city if the democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani wins the race as expected.
“I think they will want to join New Jersey,” he says.
• Read in full: Will Staten Island secede if NYC elects Mamdani?
Trump is pragmatic, says Cuomo in plea for votes
Andrew Cuomo has urged Republicans to vote for him and not Curtis Sliwa, after being endorsed by President Trump.
“President Trump is pragmatic. He is telling them the reality of the situation, which is if you don’t get out and vote, Mamdani is going to win,” Cuomo said during an appearance on Fox and Friends on Tuesday morning.
Trump gave his last-minute endorsement on Truth Social, claiming: “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!”
In response, Mamdani mocked Cuomo, writing on social media: “Congratulations Andrew Cuomo. I know how hard you worked for this.”
Comment: Mamdani’s hard-left economics have willing British audience
The ripples from today’s mayoral election in New York extend across the Atlantic (Melanie Phillips writes).
The upstart Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani is expected to win. His agenda, combining extreme left-wing policies with a pitch about “genocide” in Gaza, is prompting enthusiasm in Britain among hard-left politicians who think he’s mapping out the route to hitherto unattainable electoral success.
In New York over the past few days, I’ve found a city divided between horror and jubilation over the prospect of Mamdani in City Hall. With many postal votes already in, people are wearing “I voted for Zohran” stickers. But a poll suggests that hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are preparing to bolt from the city if he wins.
• Read in full: New York radical will embolden UK Green fantasy
Illustrator who could be NYC’s first lady
Mamdani with his wife, Rama Duwaji, after he was announced as the Democratic nominee in June
MICHAEL M SANTIAGO/GETTY IMAGES
Fresh out of university and with her parents in Dubai, a Syrian-American artist named Rama Duwaji wondered what she would do with the rest of her life (Will Pavia writes).
“The ideal scenario is I’d be living in New York,” she told an interviewer. “I mean, it’s kind of a cliché.”
That was in 2020. The next year she moved to the US where she met a man called Zohran Mamdani on a dating app and started working as a ceramicist and illustrator. This year they got married. Now she is expected to become the first lady of New York City.
• Who is Zohran Mamdani’s wife? Artist fighting ‘American imperialism’
‘Best candidate in the race’
Among the New Yorkers to cast their votes early were Zohran Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji. The couple voted at a high school in Queens.
Asked by journalists who had gathered outside who he had voted for, the Democratic Party candidate laughed and replied: “Best candidate in the race.”
Cuomo began race as frontrunner
Andrew Cuomo campaign in the Washington Heights neighbourhood of Manhattan on Monday
TIMOTHY A CLARY/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Cuomo launched his campaign in March, saying he wished to “do the right thing” and rescue his home town from crime, homelessness and disorder on the subway (Will Pavia writes).
There seemed to be little standing in his way. An unpopular, scandal-plagued incumbent, Eric Adams, and a handful of politicians with modest profiles were the only other candidates running in the Democratic primary.
Every poll showed Cuomo comfortably ahead of a crowded field, with at least 30 per cent support. The path to Gracie Mansion appeared all but assured in a city where Democrats make up two thirds of the electorate.
Primary voters, however, had a different plan. In June, Zohran Mamdani — self-described Democratic socialist — defeated Cuomo by 13 points. In an “age-quake”, Mamdani brought record numbers of young voters to the polls, and for the first time in a city primary, voters under 50 outnumbered those over 50.
• Read in full: Who is Andrew Cuomo? Former governor and NYC mayoral election candidate
‘Toxic energy’: how campaign got personal
The insults have got increasingly personal during the mayoral campaign.
Cuomo has called Mamdani, 34, a “kid” who would get knocked “on his tuchus” by President Trump. He also accused Mamdani of bringing a “toxic energy” to New York.
A group supporting Cuomo recently ran an advert depicting Mamdani in front of the Twin Towers on 9/11.
Mamdani, in response, said he faced “racist, baseless” attacks. He has called Cuomo a “desperate man” and “Trump’s puppet”, as well as highlighting allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo — which Cuomo has denied.
Mamdani leading in latest poll
The last opinion poll before the election in New York put Mamdani at 43.9 per cent, Cuomo at 39.4 per cent and Sliwa at 15.5 per cent.
More than 2,400 “likely voters” were asked for their voting intentions by AtlasPoll, between October 31 and November 2.
• NYC election polls: latest predictions for mayoral race
Redrawing the electoral map in California
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, who is frequently mentioned as a 2028 presidential hopeful, is leading a charge to redraw congressional maps to give Democrats as many as five more House seats in upcoming elections.
Gavin Newsom
JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES
The push is the centrepiece of a Democratic effort to counter new Republican maps in Texas and elsewhere that were drawn to boost the GOP’s chances in next year’s fight to control Congress.
In order for the new maps to count in 2026, however, voters will first have to approve a yes-or-no ballot question known as Proposition 50.
New Jersey vote on a knife-edge
In New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill, a fomer helicopter pilot for the US navy, is standing for the Democrats.
Sherrill was only marginally ahead in the polls and Tuesday’s vote is expected to be on a knife-edge.
Standing against Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia is Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA agent who spent years working undercover overseas.
Spanberger was leading by seven points in opinion polls heading in to the vote. Virginia is home to more than 300,000 federal workers, many of whom may have been affected by Trump’s DOGE cutbacks as well as the ongoing government shutdown.
Both Sherrill and Spanberger have downplayed their support for progressive policies, including LGBT rights during the campaign.
Governor elections are test for Trump
Other elections taking place today include the vote for a state governor in Virginia and New Jersey. They are the the only states electing governors this year, and their results could be seen as mini-referendums on Trump’s second term.
Both states voted Democrat in last year’s presidential election, but voters in each have a history of electing Republicans for state office.
The Republican candidates have closely aligned themselves with the president, even though he did not appear in either state to campaign.
• What the New Jersey and Virginia elections say about the Democrats — and Trump
Trump has endorsed Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey, but held only two town halls by telephone on his behalf.
The president also did a telephone town hall for Virginia on the eve of the election but gave the candidate Winsome Earle-Sears only a half-hearted endorsement and did not use her name.
What do the three candidates stand for?
Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa and Zohran Mamdani took part in a debate on October 16
ANGELINA KATSANIS/AP
Mamdani has campaigned on a ticket of trying to make New York more affordable for its residents.
He has vowed to increase publicly subsidised housing, raise corporate taxes and taxes on the city’s wealthiest.
Cuomo, who is standing as an independent after losing the Democratic race to Mamdani, has made a pitch to reduce crime and hire more police officers and compared Mamdani to socialist leaders in Latin America, including Venezuela and Cuba.
Sliwa is running as the Republican Party candidate. The founder of the Guardian Angels, a voluntary crime prevention organisation, has emphasised public safety and quality of life for New Yorkers, especially in the city’s outer boroughs.
When will the result be announced?
Polls in New York opened at 6am ET (11am GMT) and will close at 9pm ET (2am GMT).
A result is expected to be announced soon after polls close. In 2021 a winner was announced about ten minutes after voting ended. However, polls have narrowed in the final days before voting, which may mean a result will be announced later this time.
• NYC mayoral election 2025: candidates, key issues and when polls open
Last month one poll gave Mamdani a 26-point lead.
However, the latest AtlasIntel poll, published on the eve of voting, showed Mamdani’s lead over Cuomo down to under five points.
Trump: I’ll deport Mamdani if he wins
Trump has also threatened to take over the city if Mamdani wins, as well as arrest and deport him.
Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, to parents of Indian descent. He lived in Uganda until he was five then his family moved to South Africa. The family settled in New York when he was aged seven. Mamdani is a US citizen.
His middle name is Kwame, named after the Ghanaian leader Kwame Nkrumah, who was prime minister of the country when it gained independence from Britain in 1957.
• Read in full: Who is Zohran Mamdani? Democratic candidate in line to be NYC mayor
Trump threatens to withhold funds
On the eve of the election, President Trump threatened to withhold federal funds from New York if Mamdani wins.
In a Truth Social post, the US president said: “If communist candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, It is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home.”
Trump told people to vote for Andrew Cuomo, an independent candidate
MARK SCHIEFELBEIN/AP
New York received about $7.4 billion (£5.6 billion) in federal funding this year.
In an interview with CBS News’s 60 Minutes programme, Trump said: “It’s going to be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York. Because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there.”
Mamdani has denied he is a communist and called himself a democratic socialist. In one interview he described himself as “kind of like a Scandinavian politician”.
Trump urged New Yorkers to vote for Andrew Cuomo, even if they do not like the former governor.
World watches as New Yorkers head to polls
New York City’s voters are choosing who they want as the next mayor of America’s largest city — and the outcome is being keenly watched at home and abroad.
Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary this year, faces the former governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and the perennial Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
Zohran Mamdani at a campaign event in Queens on Saturday
STEPHANIE KEITH/GETTY IMAGES
A victory for Mamdani, 34, who led the polls coming into the vote, would give New York its first Muslim mayor and youngest leader in generations.
If Cuomo wins, he will have staged a remarkable political comeback four years after resigning as New York governor over a barrage of sexual harassment allegations.
Andrew Cuomo on the campaign trail on Monday
SETH WENIG/AP