Zohran Mamdani is projected to become the next mayor of New York City, following a decisive victory in one of the most closely watched races in the nation. NewsNation and Decision Desk HQ called the contest Tuesday evening in favor of the 34-year-old Muslim socialist Assemblyman, who entered Election Day as the clear frontrunner.
The race drew national attention as three prominent figures vied for the city’s top job: Democratic Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, independent candidate and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican contender Curtis Sliwa. The election capped months of political tension that reflected deep ideological divides within the Democratic Party and across New York’s electorate.
Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, had surged to prominence over the summer after defeating Cuomo in the Democratic primary. His campaign promised to shake up City Hall with an ambitious progressive agenda aimed at addressing what he called “a city that works for the wealthy but fails its workers.”
He vowed to freeze rents on stabilized apartments and provide free, universal child care. He also wants to create city-owned grocery stores to rein in food costs and hike taxes on the wealthiest 1%.
The progressive lawmaker, who represents Queens in the state legislature, ran on a cost-of-living platform that resonated with voters struggling under high housing prices and inflation. His message of economic justice, however, alarmed business leaders and moderates who warned his policies could drive companies and jobs out of the city.
Critics cast Mamdani as an idealistic and inexperienced agitator — someone unlikely to deliver on his most ambitious promises and ill-equipped to oversee the nation’s largest police force and public school system. Billionaire investor Bill Ackman warned Mamdani’s policies would “kill NYC jobs” and “cause companies to flee.” Mamdani also faced scrutiny for earlier calls to defund the police — a position he has since walked back.
As Mamdani’s movement gained traction, Andrew Cuomo attempted a political comeback. Running as an independent, Cuomo campaigned as a centrist with a message focused on safety, stability, and competence. His pitch: that experience, not ideology, should guide the city forward.
Cuomo made public safety the centerpiece of his campaign, pledging to add 5,000 new police officers to the force and boost patrols across the city’s subway system. He pushed for a collaborative, rather than combative, relationship with the city’s business community and opposed Mamdani’s proposed tax increases.
But Cuomo’s long public record — including his tenure as governor from 2011 to 2021 and the sexual misconduct allegations that led to his resignation — proved difficult to overcome. Many voters viewed him as emblematic of the Democratic establishment that Mamdani’s movement sought to replace.
The outgoing mayor, Eric Adams, who had been elected in 2021 as a law-and-order Democrat, dropped out of the race in September after losing support among key constituencies. Adams later endorsed Cuomo, underscoring the deep fractures within the party. The contest came to symbolize the struggle of Democrats to define their post-Trump identity, following President Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory.
Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder and perennial Republican candidate, ran on a platform centered around public safety and opposition to progressive policies. In a city dominated by Democrats, Sliwa’s campaign faced long odds, but some analysts believed his candidacy could siphon votes away from Cuomo and inadvertently clear the path for Mamdani’s victory.
Sliwa was undeterred, even as Trump reportedly advised him that the numbers weren’t in his favor. Despite his uphill battle, Sliwa continued to draw attention for his outspoken criticism of Mamdani’s agenda and his pledge to “restore sanity” to New York City governance.
Mamdani’s victory was fueled by a wave of endorsements from prominent progressive leaders, including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Cuomo, meanwhile, garnered support from figures tied to the city’s traditional power structure, among them former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Rep. Tom Suozzi, and former Governor David Paterson.
Sliwa’s campaign drew backing from Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik and ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, though their endorsements were not enough to alter the city’s deeply blue political landscape.
