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Why It Matters<\/p>\nZohran Mamdani chances of winning New York City’s upcoming mayoral election have hit a new high, betting odds show.<\/p>\n
According to online gambling website Polymarket, a platform where users can place bets on the likelihood of world events, the New York assemblymember and self-described democratic socialist has a large lead over his rivals, independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.<\/p>\n
Newsweek reached out to Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.<\/p>\n
Why It Matters<\/p>\n
The\u00a0New York\u00a0<\/a>mayoral race has attracted national attention. Whoever wins will have huge influence over America’s most populous city and preside over a big shift in city politics and policy priorities on critical issues for New Yorkers, from affordability and crime to the city’s relationship with President Donald Trump and the National Democratic Party.<\/p>\n Mamdani has emerged as a leading candidate\u00a0among the city’s most progressive voters<\/a>\u00a0in the mayoral election due to policy proposals that include rent freezes and city-owned grocery stores to combat rising grocery costs. He has been endorsed by New York Representative\u00a0Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a>, a Democrat,\u00a0and Independent Vermont Senator\u00a0Bernie Sanders<\/a>.<\/p>\n If Mamdani wins, he would also become the city\u2019s first Muslim mayor.<\/p>\n What To Know<\/p>\n According to the odds at the time of writing, Mamdani is in the lead with 92.8 percent of the vote share. Cuomo, the former governor who entered the race as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, is second with 5.9 percent of the share. Republican candidate Sliwa, a talk-show host and founder of volunteer organization the Guardian Angels, is trailing with 0.7 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n Last week, on October 13, Mamdani’s odds were at 88.3 percent and Cuomo’s were 10.8 percent, so Mamdani’s odds have increased by 4.5 percent in one week.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, recent polling has also indicated Mamdani will win the election. A\u00a0Fox News poll<\/a>\u00a0of 1,003 registered New York voters conducted over October 11-14 put Mamdani at 52 percent, well ahead of Cuomo with 28 percent and Sliwa at 14 percent.<\/p>\n Speaking to Newsweek, Mark Shanahan who teaches American politics at the University of Surrey in the U.K. said: “This is certainly Mamdani’s race to lose now, but as ever, it’s never over ’til it’s over. His platform remains well to the left of mainstream Democrat ideology and there can be a great difference between what voters say to the pollsters and what they actually do when they go to vote. <\/p>\n “But two things favor Mamdani hugely. First, New York is a Democrat city. Sliwa, the Republican candidate is colorful and interesting, but he’s not going to win and he is taking few votes from Mandani. The second key factor is the rejection of elite politics\u2014and Cuomo is firmly from the elite. New Yorkers are making it pretty clear that they’ve seen it all before with Cuomo and don’t want to see it again.”<\/p>\n What People Are Saying<\/p>\n