Independent mayoral nominee Andrew Cuomo cast his ballot on Tuesday morning at the Art and Design High School in Midtown East, near the Sutton Place apartment where his daughter previously lived.
The former governor said he was greeted with cheers as he entered the polling place — a first, he says, in his decades-long political career.
“It’s the first time I ever walked into a polling place and the polling place cheered for me,” Cuomo told reporters after voting. “That’s a good sign.”
Cuomo said he believes the city is seeing record turnout because New Yorkers are “concerned about the future of New York” and “concerned about the Democratic Party.”
A record-breaking 732,866 voters cast ballots over the nine days of early voting in the mayor’s race this year, data from the city Board of Elections shows. Baby Boomers and Gen X voters accounted for the majority of early ballots, making up 58% of the early voting electorate. Additionally, 24% of voters were between 44 and 60 years old, and 34% were 60 or older. Meanwhile, voters aged 18 to 44 represented roughly 42% of early voters.
Cuomo has highlighted the strong early turnout, particularly among older New Yorkers, as a potential indicator that his campaign could achieve an upset on Election Day. Historically, he performs well with older voters, while Mamdani has stronger support among younger voters.
Recent polls show Cuomo narrowing Mamdani’s lead, though he still trails the Democratic nominee, with the margin between them ranging from 6% to 15%.
“This is the most important election of my lifetime,” Cuomo said. “And I’m not a kid.”
Joined by his daughters, Michaela and Mariah, Cuomo thanked his family and campaign staff Tuesday for what he called a long, difficult race. “I did it with my father for many campaigns,” he said, referencing the late Gov. Mario Cuomo. “It’s nice to carry on that legacy.”
Cuomo framed the election as a defining moment for the Democratic Party, casting himself as a centrist fighting back against what he described as a “radical socialist” movement on the left.
“What you’re seeing is a civil war in the Democratic Party,” Cuomo said. “You have an extreme radical left that is run by the socialists, which is challenging moderate Democrats. I’m a moderate Democrat.”
He continued to distance himself from President Donald Trump’s endorsement of him on Monday, saying Trump’s remarks were motivated by opposition to Mamdani rather than support for him.
“The president doesn’t support me,” Cuomo said. “He opposes Zohran Mamdani. The president believes Mamdani is a communist. He believes he’s an existential threat. I believe he’s a socialist and an existential threat.”
In an interview on Sunday, Trump told 60 Minutes that he would prefer Cuomo as mayor of NYC over Mamdani before going a step further and officially endorsing Cuomo in a Truth social post.
After voting in Astoria Tuesday morning, Mamdani dismissed Trump’s remarks, which included threats to defund New York City if the Queens Assembly member wins.
“I will treat his threats as they deserve to be treated, which are the words of a president and not necessarily the law of the land,” Mamdani said. “It is time that we have a mayor who stands up for New Yorkers each and every day, not one whose willing to sacrifice those New Yorkers who cannot stand up for themselves.”
