Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic socialist, shocked the world on Tuesday night with his apparent defeat of Andrew Cuomo, a moderate, in the Democratic primary to replace Mayor Eric Adams, preliminary results from the city Board of Elections indicate.
The outcome saw a relative political newcomer, with only four years in the Assembly under his belt, topple a three-term former governor whose father also served as the state’s top executive before him. If he wins in November, he will become the first Muslim mayor in the city’s long history.
Mamdani’s campaign grew from a longshot bid polling in the single digits earlier this year into a movement that galvanized tens of thousands of volunteers behind his platform, which focused on stemming the city’s affordability crisis.
“What we were able to show yesterday is that for the New Yorkers who are worried about being able to afford their rent or their child care or even finding $2.90 for their MetroCard, as many New Yorkers struggle to do, that this eleciton could respond to that very crisis and make the city more affordable for them,” Mamdani told WNYC host Brian Lehrer on Wednesday morning.
Mamdani ran on significantly lowering costs for New Yorkers — by freezing rents for stabilized tenants, funding free and fast city buses, and making subsidized child care universal — by raising taxes on the wealthy.
Meanwhile, Cuomo’s campaign, which was focused on fixing a city “in crisis,” was an attempt at a political comeback after he left office in 2021 following 11 women accusing him of sexual misconduct — allegations he denies.
While Cuomo conceded on primary night, Mamdani still has not won the race outright—he is leading by roughly 8% in the first round of voting, meaning the race will go through ranked-choice tabulations on July 1.
Even so, due to his alliances with several other progressive candidates in the race, such as third-place finisher City Comptroller Brad Lander, Mamdani is likely to maintain his lead over Cuomo or even grow it through the process.
Mamdani ‘created a movement’
Longtime political strategist and former state Democratic Party chair Basil Smikle said Mamdani “created a movement around his campaign” that was fueled by Democrats’ frustration with the party’s establishment in the wake of its 2024 election loss to President Trump.
At the same time, Smikle said, there were a couple of key issues with Cuomo’s campaign. He said those include the former governor’s scandals and record in office, as well as his so-called “Rose Garden Strategy” that relied on consolidating establishment support and making few public appearances.
“When you’re running for mayor, people want to see you on the street, they want to see you at church, they want to see you at the local shops,” Smikle said. “So I don’t think his style of campaigning matched the moment.”
Even though Mamdani’s likely win represents a triumph of the far left over the establishment, several Democrats in that camp appeared to accept the idea that he will be the Democratic nominee in November.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer all said they had spoken with Mamdani over the phone by Wednesday morning and complimented the strength of Mamdani’s campaign and its focus on affordability.
“Today, voters made their voices heard, demanding a more affordable, more livable New York City. I hear them loud and clear,” Hochul said in a Tuesday night statement. “Zohran Mamdani built a formidable grassroots coalition, and I look forward to speaking with him in the days ahead about his ideas on how to ensure a safe, affordable, and livable New York City.”
Mamdani will need to convince Hochul and Albany lawmakers to tax the wealthiest New Yorkers to fund his agenda, something Hochul has already said she is not keen on doing.
Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn, who is a close ally of both Cuomo and Mayor Adams, said in a Wednesday morning statement that she would support Mamdani in the general election — a contest that will definitely include Adams and Cuomo may still run in.
“To everyone who had reservations, I ask you to put them aside in this moment and come together for the future of our city and our party,” she said. “Mamdani has shown that he is committed to representing Democrats from every neighborhood and borough, as evidenced by his overwhelming victory in Brooklyn and accross the city. Brooklyn stands behind Zohran Mamdani as we head into November.”
Where does Cuomo go from here?
The question remains whether Cuomo will still run on the general election ballot line he secured as a failsafe.
“I want to look at all the numbers as they come in and analyze the rank choice voting,” Cuomo said in a Tuesday night statement. “I will then consult with my colleagues on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York, as I have already qualified to run for mayor on an independent line in November.”
The former governor still has millions of dollars in his own campaign funds and a super PAC that raised over $25 million behind him. On top of that, Cuomo also led in the Bronx and had a strong showing in several Queens Election Districts, according to BOE data. In effect, he may still have the resources and path to compete in the general.
Mayor Adams enters the election fray
Whatever Cuomo decides, Mamdani will have to face Mayor Eric Adams, along with Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and independent attorney Jim Walden, in the general election.
Adams is reportedly holding a re-election kickoff event on the steps of City Hall on Thursday. He wasted no time in trashing Mamdani’s platform in a Fox & Friends interview on Wednesday morning.
The mayor contended that Mamdani has more power to enact his agenda in the Assembly than he would in City Hall.
“He’s a snake oil salesman, he will say and do anything to get elected,” Adams charged. “He doesn’t understand the power of government and how you must make sure you must improve your economy, raise the standard of living, and this is what we’ve done in the city.”
But it is unclear whether Adams will be able to win back the support of the establishment, much of which abandoned him following the appearance that he had made a deal with Trump to get his federal corruption case dismissed. Adams denies that there was any such quid pro quo.
Smikle said Adams stands a chance of drawing back some establishment backers, including the city’s business community and real estate industry, who do not want to see a Democratic socialist become mayor.
“I think he’ll fare a little better in the general than some people have previously thought,” Smikle said. “But it’s still difficult for all of that to overcome Mamdani’s momentum going into the general.”
