In an election night showing more decisive than even his most optimistic supporters dared to dream of, Zohran Mamdani toppled a political Goliath Tuesday. As of 10 p.m., the 33-year-old insurgent candidate held a strong 7-point lead in first-choice voters over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for mayor.

“My friends, we have done it,” Mamdani said just a little after midnight, addressing supporters at a packed campaign party in Long Island City, Queens. “I will be your Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City.” As the crowd cried and cheered and chanted his name, he spoke of making history, uniting New Yorkers after what’s been a contentious race, and promised to “remake this great city, not in my image, but in the image of every New Yorker who has only known struggle.”

Cuomo himself saw the writing on the wall. Shortly before 10:30 p.m., the self-described “fighter” appeared on stage at his watch party to announce that he had called Mamdani to congratulate him on his “deserved” victory. “Tonight was not our night. Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night,” Cuomo said. “He put together a great campaign, and he touched young people and inspired them and moved them and got them to come out and vote.” Cuomo said he would “look at the numbers” and have conversations about how to move forward – a reference to deciding whether to run as an independent in November – but stopped short of committing to that. At the end of the night, Mamdani led Cuomo 43.5% to 36.4%.

We won’t know the full breakdown of ranked-choice voting for another week, but the consensus among political watchers as results came in was that if Mamdani was ahead in first-choice votes on election night, the chances of Cuomo overtaking him with ranked choice tabulation were next to none.

Mamdani’s feat is unprecedented. Over the course of eight months, he went from an unknown candidate polling at about 1% to mounting a truly competitive challenge against one of New York’s most well-known, if scandal-scarred politicians – one backed by the biggest super PAC ever assembled.

Someone just yelled Cuomo is defeated and everyone is cheering. pic.twitter.com/vefQ36POp9 — Sahalie Donaldson (@SahalieD) June 25, 2025

Mamdani’s youth, his leftist policies, lack of managerial experience, proud affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America, and willingness to break with mainstream Democratic orthodoxy to criticize the Israeli government didn’t stop his rise to mayoral front-runner. Leading up to election day, there was a groundswell of support in his favor, drawn to his economic populist message, charisma, positivity and creative social media strategy. And his support was ultimately not limited to young gentrifier types in brownstone Brooklyn and lower Manhattan. On election night, he appeared to have a lead in areas of eastern Queens and central and southern Brooklyn as well as northern Manhattan – all regions previously unwelcoming to leftist candidates. It was this “unprecedented coalition” Mamdani spoke of Tuesday night. “Dreaming requires solidarity,” he said, promising that while New Yorkers won’t always agree with him, he would never hide from them.

The results are even more stunning when you zoom out a bit to four years ago. When Democratic Mayor Eric Adams won the primary in 2021, were any of this year’s candidates thinking they’d have a shot at the city’s highest office four years later? Cuomo was months away from resigning in disgrace and ruining his chance at a four-term governorship. Mamdani was only six months into his first term in office. Scott Stringer was on his way to a fifth place mayoral finish, and Adrienne Adams was mounting what seemed like a losing campaign for City Council speaker. Perhaps only mainstay Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa could accurately predict he’d be on the ballot. The pace, fervor and sheer quantity of candidates in this Democratic primary makes it easy to forget that Gracie Mansion is not vacant, but in fact has an incumbent running for reelection. Eric Adams – who previously enjoyed support from the city’s establishment Democrats, real estate players and some influential labor unions – couldn’t have hoped for a better foil as he gears up for an independent run in November.

Cuomo’s return to politics – while it proved unsuccessful – showcased that the ex-governor still knows how to twist arms and wrangle support. He managed to lock down endorsements from powerful unions and much of the Democratic establishment. That includes 40% of his top supporters who once called for his removal from office – county party leaders and members of Congress among them. Pro-Cuomo forces easily outspent Mamdani, thanks to a $25 million super PAC that has spent more than $7 million of its funds on ads and mailers attacking Mamdani.

But Cuomo’s early dominance in the race also inspired an alignment – if somewhat begrudging and dawdling – of the leading candidates to the left of the former governor. “What we proved tonight is that organized people can beat organized money,” said Working Families Party Co-Director Jasmine Gripper at Mamdani’s celebration party. Mamdani and Lander took that collaboration to its most explicit end in the final weeks of the race, cross-endorsing each other and campaigning together on Stephen Colbert’s “Late Night” on the eve of Election Day. Adrienne Adams and Zellnor Myrie, who were also endorsed on the New York Working Families Party’s slate, didn’t take it that far but got behind the left’s “Don’t Rank Cuomo” message. (We won’t know how successful any ranked choice voting strategy among those candidates was until next week, when ranked choice voting tabulations are expected to be released.)

That Mamdani, a millennial with scant time in office, emerged as the leading candidate of those four took more than just Cuomo by surprise. Lander forfeited an easy reelection to his comptroller seat in order to run, while Speaker Adams failed to break out as a late entrant in the race.

More than 385,000 voters flocked to the polls to vote early. That’s more than double the number of New Yorkers who cast their ballots early in the 2021 mayoral primary. While the COVID-19 pandemic no doubt had an adverse impact on early voting four years ago, there’s still a measure of unprecedentedness in the data. For one, nearly 25% of early voters did not vote in a Democratic primary between 2012 and 2024 – a significant shift from the 2021 mayoral primary in which only 3% of voters had never participated in a Democratic primary, Gothamist reported. For a candidate like Mamdani whose path to victory hinged on activating a new coalition of Democratic primary voters, the increase may have been instrumental. As is the fact that youth voters between the ages of 25 and 34 made up the biggest share of early voting turnout, according to the Board of Elections.

Lander, the city’s affable and detail-oriented comptroller, had a particularly strong finish to his campaign after months of struggling to distinguish himself in the polls. While attempting to escort a man to safety from a immigration court hearing in lower Manhattan, Lander was roughly apprehended by federal immigration agents and detained for several hours. That coupled with his cross-endorsement with Mamdani and a smattering of positive words from the New York Times’ opinion section and influential editorial board no doubt boosted Lander’s candidacy significantly, though not to a degree to overtake the two leading candidates.

Speaker Adams meanwhile struggled to pick up significant momentum in the race after entering the field later than any of the other candidates. While she’s scored a number of noteworthy endorsements – like the ardent backing of Attorney General Letitia James who’d encouraged her to run in the first place and even scored a second-place endorsement from progressive darling Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – she only just qualified for public matching funds ahead of the deadline.

Much still looms. The primary election is not necessarily the end of the mayoral race this year. In many ways, it’s a preview for the November general election, which could have five major candidates on the ballot. Adams, buoyed by the dismissal of his federal charges and hellbent on redemption, will be on the ballot as an independent as will the well-funded lawyer Jim Walden. Curtis Sliwa is running again as a Republican. Cuomo has already laid the groundwork to run as an independent, though he was noncommittal on election night. “He’s leaving the door open for November,” Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said.

In most recent New York City elections, the winner of the Democratic primary is a shoo-in in November. That would make Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, who appears to have pulled off a stunning upset in Tuesday’s Democratic mayoral primary, a sure thing for City Hall. But this year, for reasons that include an ex-governor desperate for a political resurrection and an indicted (but now no longer indicted) incumbent mayor, it’s not that simple.

Here’s who the players (and possible players) are in November.

Related articles Live blog: NYC primary day

Zohran Mamdani – Democratic nominee

The 33-year-old democratic socialist Assembly member pulled off a stunning upset over Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday as first-choice votes were counting, making him all but the assured Democratic nominee. While it’s true that the New York City general election electorate is more ideologically diverse than that of the Democratic primary electorate – the city has Republicans! – the city is still largely Democratic. “He’s going to be the next mayor in New York City,” Democratic strategist Trip Yang predicted on election night.

Curtis Sliwa – Republican nominee

A mainstay in city elections, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa will rally the city’s growing Republican base. Even voter registration disadvantages aside, Sliwa faces a tough task with an unpopular Republican President Donald Trump in the White House.

Mayor Eric Adams – independent candidate

Mayor Eric Adams and his campaign are feeling pretty good after Mamdani’s success on Tuesday night. Mamdani’s far-left identity is exactly the foil Adams has been hoping for – whereas a Cuomo as democratic nominee would have eaten into Adams’ same base. “The phone’s been ringing off the hook,” said Adams campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro on Tuesday night, suggesting that Adams will pick up Cuomo’s would-be supporters. The Adams campaign was already scheduled to hold a campaign kickoff on the City Hall steps on Thursday.

Jim Walden – independent candidate

Lawyer Jim Walden will be more in the spotlight this summer as an independent candidate. His base of supporters remains to be determined, but he could pitch himself as a moderate unscarred by scandal like Adams.

Andrew Cuomo – a potential independent candidate

Despite securing an independent party line to run on as a fail safe earlier this spring – called “Fight and Deliver” – Cuomo didn’t commit to actually running as an independent in November when he appeared onstage at his election watch party on Tuesday to announce he had called Mamdani to congratulate him on winning the Democratic primary. He said he would “look at the numbers” and continue to have conversations – notably less than a stated intention to run.

Endorsements are a key piece of the puzzle for mayoral candidates – alongside fundraising and communicating their policies and message to voters. They can help broaden a politician’s appeal beyond their base or even deliver on-the-ground votes. Major labor unions and political organizations often have detailed interviews and voting processes to determine their pick.

As the June 24 primary approaches, formalized alliances are beginning to take shape between the candidates themselves. One day before the start of early voting, Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and city Comptroller Brad Lander became the first pair to cross-endorse each other, urging their respective supporters to rank the other second on their ballots in a bid to ice out front-runner Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani and former Assembly Member Michael Blake later cross-endorsed each other too.

Cross-endorsements are still a relatively new strategy in New York City as candidates seek to utilize the ranked choice voting system adopted in 2021. A late-in-the-game endorsement of then–Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang in 2021 ultimately propelled her from third to second place as votes were tabulated. That endorsement went just one way – Garcia didn’t endorse Yang back.

There have already been a couple of non-mutual endorsements in this year’s primary too. State Sen. Jessica Ramos endorsed Cuomo late last week (and got a lot of blowback in the process), but the former governor did not return the favor. Former hedge fund executive Whitney Tilson said he would rank Cuomo No. 2 on his ballot during the second mayoral debate.

We’re staying on top of the public endorsements by labor unions, political power brokers, advocacy groups and more. Keep up with all the major nods here. And because there are a couple familiar faces running again, check out our 2021 endorsements tracker to compare and contrast.)

The endorsements listed here are ones City & State was able to confirm with the individuals or groups directly, through news reports or on the endorsers’ social media accounts.

This post was last updated on June 24.

Mayor Eric Adams (Democrat running as an independent candidate)

None reported yet.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Democrat)

Elected officials: Mayoral candidate and state Sen. Jessica Ramos, Reps. Ritchie Torres, Greg Meeks, Adriano Espaillat, Tom Suozzi and George Latimer, state Sens. James Sanders (ranked No. 1), Toby Ann Stavisky and Joseph Addabbo Jr., Assembly Members Yudelka Tapia (ranked No. 1), Eddie Gibbs, Charles Fall, Latrice Walker, Jordan Wright, Erik Dilan, Sam Berger, Stacey Pheffer Amato, Vivian Cook, John Zaccaro, William Colton, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, Ed Braunstein, David Weprin, Manny De Los Santos, Clyde Vanel, Alicia Hyndman, George Alvarez (ranked No. 1), Council Members Kamillah Hanks, Farah Louis, Darlene Mealy, Susan Zhuang, Lynn Schulman and Selvena Brooks-Powers

Labor: 32BJ SEIU, Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, District Council of Carpenters, District Council 9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, Laborers’ International Union of North America New York affiliate, Teamsters Local 237, IBEW Local 3, Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2, New York City Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, New York City Coalition of the International Union of the Operating Engineers, FDNY EMS Local 2507 and Uniformed EMS Officers Union Local 3621, New York State Iron Workers District Council (ranked No. 1), Teamsters Joint Council 16, Uniformed Firefighters Association, Uniformed Firefighters Officers Association, Uniformed Fire Alarm Dispatchers Benevolent Association, the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York

Organizations: Executive committee of the Staten Island Democratic Party, Village Reform Democratic Club, Aldo’s Democratic Club, New York League of Conservation Voters (shared with Lander), Citizens Union (shared with Lander and Myrie), amNY editorial board, Staten Island Advance editorial board, the New York Daily News editorial board (ranked No. 1)

Others: President Bill Clinton, Former New York Gov. David Paterson, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former state Comptroller Carl McCall, former Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Black clergy members including Rev. Kevin Johnson of Abyssinian Baptist Church and Rev. Johnnie Green of Mount Neboh Baptist Church, Bobov Orthodox community leaders (ranked No. 1), Chairman of the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico Luis Dávila Pernas, Satmar community leaders in Williamsburg, coalition of Hasidic sects in Borough Park (No. 1), fellow candidate Whitney Tilson (No. 2), South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn

Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani (Democrat)

Elected officials: U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (ranked No. 1), Rep. Nydia Velázquez (ranked No. 1), Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (ranked No. 3), fellow candidate and Comptroller Brad Lander (No. 2), Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso (after Lander, and alongside Adrienne Adams), state Attorney General Letitia James (No. 3), state Sens. Jabari Brisport, Kristen Gonzalez, Julia Salazar (with Adrienne Adams, Lander and Myrie), Gustavo Rivera (ranked No. 1), John Liu, Assembly Members Claire Valdez, Phara Souffrant Forrest, Marcela Mitaynes, Sarahana Shrestha, Khaleel Anderson (ranked No. 2 or No. 3), Emily Gallagher (ranked No. 1 or No. 2), George Alvarez (ranked No. 2), Robert Carroll (ranked No. 2), Jessica González-Rojas (as top tier choice shared with Lander, followed by second tier choices Adrienne Adams and Myrie), and City Council Members Jennifer Gutiérrez (with Adrienne Adams and Lander), Sandy Nurse (with Lander, Adrienne Adams and Myrie), Lincoln Restler (with Adrienne Adams and Lander), Chi Ossé (with Lander, Adrienne Adams and Myrie), Alexa Avilés (ranked No. 1), Tiffany Caban (ranked No. 1), Crystal Hudson (with Myrie, Adrienne Adams and Lander), Shahana Hanif (with Lander), Carmen De La Rosa (ranked No. 2)

Labor: District Council 37 (ranked No. 2), United Auto Workers Region 9A (ranked No. 1), Professional Staff Congress (ranked No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3), UNITE HERE Local 100 (ranked No. 2), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 161 (ranked No. 1), Teamsters Local 804 (after No. 1 choice Ramos, and alongside Lander)

Organizations: New York Working Families Party (ranked No. 1), New York City Democratic Socialists of America, New York Communities for Change; CAAAV (formerly the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence) Voice; DRUM (Desis Rising Up & Moving) Beats; Jewish Voice for Peace Action, New York Progressive Action Network (ranked No. 2 or No. 3), New Kings Democrats (with Lander, Ramos and Myrie), Jews for Racial and Economic Justice’s political arm The Jewish Vote (ranked No. 1 or No. 2), Three Bridges Democratic Club (shared with Adrienne Adams and Blake), the Muslim Democratic Club of New York City (ranked No. 1), Sunrise NYC, Gen-Z for Change, CAIR Action New York, Fordham College Democrats, College Democrats of New York, College Democrats of America (with Lander and Ramos), Make the Road Action (after Lander, who they ranked No. 1), Churches United for Fair Housing Action (after Lander, who they ranked No. 1), Emgage Action (ranked No. 1), Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club (ranked No. 2), Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn (ranked No. 2), Alliance of South Asian American Labor, Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City (ranked No. 3), New York State Tenant Bloc (ranked No. 1), Tenants PAC (ranked No. 1), Riders Alliance (with Myrie, Adrienne Adams, Lander, Stringer, Blake), Staten Island Democratic Association, Brooklyn Young Democrats (ranked No. 2), Bangladeshi-Americans for Political Progress (ranked No. 1), Citizen Action of New York (with Lander, Adrienne Adams, Myrie and Blake), BKForge (ranked No. 2), Human Services Action (ranked No. 5), StreetsPAC (ranked No. 2)

Other: Former Rep. Jamaal Bowman, former Assembly Member Richard Gottfried (ranked No. 2), The Nation (ranked No. 1), former mayoral candidate Maya Wiley (No.1)

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander (Democrat)

Elected officials: Fellow candidate and Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani (No. 2), Rep. Nydia Velázquez (ranked No. 3), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (ranked No. 3), Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso (ranked No. 1, followed by Adrienne Adams and Mamdani), Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (as his top choice with Adrienne Adams, followed by Mamdani), New York Attorney General Letitia James (No. 2), state Sens. Liz Krueger (ranked No. 1), Julia Salazar (with Adrienne Adams, Mamdani and Myrie), Andrew Gounardes (with Zellnor Myrie), Gustavo Rivera (ranked No. 2), Assembly Members Khaleel Anderson (ranked No. 1), Emily Gallagher (ranked No. 1 or No. 2), Phara Souffrant Forrest (ranked No. 2), Monique Chandler-Waterman (ranked No. 2), Robert Carroll (ranked No. 1), Claire Valdez, Jessica González-Rojas (as top tier choice shared with Mamdani), City Council Members Tiffany Cabán (ranked No. 2), Jennifer Gutiérrez (with Adrienne Adams and Zohran Mamdani), Sandy Nurse (with Adrienne Adams, Mamdani and Myrie) and Lincoln Restler (with Adrienne Adams and Zohran Mamdani), Chi Ossé (with Adrienne Adams, Mamdani and Myrie), Alexa Avilés (ranked No. 2), Crystal Hudson (with Myrie, Adrienne Adams and Mamdani), Shahana Hanif (with Mamdani), Carmen De La Rosa (ranked No. 3)

Labor: United Auto Workers Region 9A (ranked No. 2), Professional Staff Congress (ranked No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3), UNITE HERE Local 100 (ranked No. 3), Teamsters Local 804 (after No. 1 choice Ramos, and alongside Mamdani)

Organizations: New York Working Families Party (ranked No. 2), Upper West Side Action Group, New York Progressive Action Network (ranked No. 1), Three Parks Independent Democrats, Hells Kitchen Democrats, Broadway Democrats, Independent Neighborhood Democrats, Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, Village Independent Democrats, New Kings Democrats (with Myrie, Ramos and Mamdani), Abundance New York (with Myrie), Jews for Racial and Economic Justice’s political arm The Jewish Vote (ranked No. 1 or No. 2), Bay Ridge Democrats, Indivisible Brooklyn, 504 Democratic Club, BKForge, Fordham College Democrats, College Democrats of New York, College Democrats of America (with Ramos and Mamdani), Make the Road Action (ranked No. 1), Churches United for Fair Housing Action (ranked No. 1), Emgage Action (ranked No. 2), New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees, Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club (ranked No. 3), Four Freedoms Democratic Club (ranked No. 1), Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn (ranked No. 1), Unity Democratic Club (ranked No. 1), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 161 (after Mamdani, who is ranked No. 1, and alongside Ramos), Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City (ranked No. 2), New York State Tenant Bloc (ranked No. 2), Riders Alliance (with Myrie, Adrienne Adams, Mamdani, Stringer, Blake), New York League of Conservation Voters (with Cuomo), Brooklyn Young Democrats (ranked No. 1), Bangladeshi-Americans for Political Progress (ranked No. 2), Citizens Union (shared with Cuomo and Myrie), Citizen Action of New York (with Mamdani, Adrienne Adams, Myrie and Blake), BKForge (ranked No. 1), Human Services Action (ranked No. 2), StreetsPAC (ranked No. 1)

Others: Texas Rep. Greg Cesar, New York City Housing Authority tenant leaders including Aixa Torres, president of Alfred E. Smith Houses in Manhattan, former Assembly Member Richard Gottfried (ranked No. 1), The Nation (ranked No. 2), former mayoral candidate Maya Wiley (No. 3), the New York Daily News editorial board (ranked No. 3)

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (Democrat)

Elected officials: New York Attorney General Letitia James (No. 1), Rep. Yvette Clarke, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (ranked No. 2), Rep. Nydia Velázquez (ranked No. 2), Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (as his top choice with Lander, followed by Mamdani), Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso (after Lander and alongside Mamdani), state Sens. Leroy Comrie (ranked No. 1), James Sanders (ranked No. 2), Julia Salazar (with Lander, Mamdani and Myrie), Gustavo Rivera (ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5), Assembly Members Andrew Hevesi, Brian Cunningham, Khaleel Anderson (ranked No. 2 or No. 3), Emily Gallagher (ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5), Monique Chandler-Waterman (ranked No. 3), George Alvarez (ranked No. 3), Jessica González-Rojas (as second tier choice shared with Myrie, preceded by top tier choices Mamdani and Lander), City Council Members Yusef Salaam, Kevin Riley (ranked No. 1), Althea Stevens, Chris Banks, Rita Joseph (ranked No. 1), Diana Ayala, Amanda Farías, Jennifer Gutiérrez (with Lander and Mamdani), Sandy Nurse (with Lander, Mamdani and Myrie) and Lincoln Restler (with Lander and Mamdani), Chi Ossé (with Lander, Mamdani and Myrie), Alexa Avilés (ranked No. 3), Tiffany Caban (ranked No. 3), Nantasha Williams, Mercedes Narcisse, Crystal Hudson (with Lander, Myrie and Mamdani), Carmen De La Rosa (ranked No. 1)

Labor: District Council 37 (ranked No. 1), Communication Workers of America Local 1180, UNITE HERE Local 100 (ranked No. 1), Professional Staff Congress (ranked No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3), United Auto Workers Region 9A (ranked No. 5)

Organizations: New York Working Families Party (ranked No. 3), The Muslim Democratic Club of New York City (ranked No. 2), Make the Road Action (after Lander, who they ranked No. 1), Churches United for Fair Housing Action (after Lander, who they ranked No. 1), Emgage Action (ranked No. 3), Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club (ranked No. 1), Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City (ranked No. 1), Higher Heights for America PAC, the New Majority NYC (ranked No. 1), Downtown Women for Change (ranked No. 1), Riders Alliance (with Myrie, Mamdani, Lander, Stringer, Blake), Brooklyn Young Democrats (ranked No. 4), Bangladeshi-Americans for Political Progress (ranked No. 3), BKForge (ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5), Human Services Action (ranked No. 1), StreetsPAC (ranked after Lander and Mamdani)

Others: Former Council Member I. Daneek Miller, former Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, Greater Allen Cathedral’s the Rev. Stephen A. Green, Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Citizen Action of New York (with Mamdani, Lander, Myrie and Blake), Jews for Racial and Economic Justice’s political arm The Jewish Vote (ranked No. 3), former mayoral candidate Maya Wiley (No 2.), coalition of Hasidic sects in Borough Park (No. 2), the New York Daily News editorial board (ranked No. 2)

Former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer (Democrat)

Elected officials: Reps. Jerry Nadler, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (ranked No. 4), Nydia Velázquez (ranked No. 4), Assembly Member Deborah Glick, Assembly Member Micah Lasher

Organizations: West Side Democrats, Downtown Independent Democrats, Lexington Democratic Club, Grand Street Democrats, El Nuevo Caribe Democratic Club, New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees, Human Services Action (ranked No. 4), StreetsPAC (ranked after Lander and Mamdani)

State Sen. Jessica Ramos (Democrat)

Labor: Teamsters Local 808, Teamsters Local 804 (ranked No. 1), New York State Iron Workers District Council (ranked No. 2), UNITE HERE Local 100 (ranked No. 4), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 161 (after Mamdani, who is ranked No. 1, and alongside Lander)

Organizations: New Kings Democrats (with Lander, Myrie and Mamdani), Chelsea Reform Democratic Club, Fordham College Democrats, College Democrats of New York, College Democrats of America (with Lander and Mamdani), Emgage Action (ranked No. 4), New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees, the New Majority NYC (ranked No. 2)

Rescinded Ramos endorsements:

Elected officials: State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (previously ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5), Assembly Member Emily Gallagher (previously ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5), Assembly Members Khaleel Anderson (previously ranked No. 5)

Labor: United Auto Workers Region 9A (previously ranked No. 3), Professional Staff Congress (previously ranked No. 4 or No. 5)

Organizations: New York Working Families Party (previously ranked No. 5), Downtown Women for Change (previously ranked No. 1), Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club (previously included on its slate), Jews for Racial and Economic Justice’s political arm The Jewish Vote (previously ranked No. 5), BKForge (previously ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5), New York Progressive Action Network (previously ranked No. 2, No. 3 or No. 4), Citizen Action of New York (previously included on its slate), Riders Alliance (previously included on its slate), Three Bridges Democratic Club (previously including on its slate), Brooklyn Young Democrats (previously ranked No. 5)

State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (Democrat)

Elected officials: Reps. Dan Goldman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (ranked No. 5), Nydia Velázquez (ranked No. 5), state Attorney General Letitia James (No. 4), state Sens. Leroy Comrie (ranked No. 2), Julia Salazar (with Lander, Mamdani and Adrienne Adams), Andrew Gounardes (with Brad Lander), Liz Krueger (after Lander), Gustavo Rivera (ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5), Assembly Members Yudelka Tapia (ranked No. 2), Khaleel Anderson (ranked No. 4), Emily Gallagher (ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5), Monique Chandler-Waterman (ranked No. 1), George Alvarez (ranked No. 4), Jessica González-Rojas (as second tier choice shared with Adrienne Adams, preceded by top tier choices Mamdani and Lander), Council Members Rita Joseph (ranked No. 2), Kevin Riley (ranked No. 2), and Sandy Nurse (with Lander, Adrienne Adams and Mamdani), Alexa Avilés (ranked No. 4), Tiffany Caban (ranked No. 4), Crystal Hudson (with Lander, Adrienne Adams and Mamdani), Chi Ossé (with Adrienne Adams, Lander and Mamdani), Carmen De La Rosa (ranked No. 4)

Labor: District Council 37 (ranked No. 3), Professional Staff Congress (ranked No. 4 or No. 5), United Auto Workers Region 9A (ranked No. 4)

Organizations: New York Working Families Party (ranked No. 4), New York Progressive Action Network (ranked No. 2 or No. 3), New Kings Democrats (with Lander, Ramos and Mamdani), Abundance New York (with Lander), Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn (ranked No. 2), Riders Alliance (with Adrienne Adams, Mamdani, Lander, Stringer, Blake), Brooklyn Young Democrats (ranked No. 3), Citizens Union (shared with Cuomo and Lander), Citizen Action of New York (with Mamdani, Lander, Blake and Adrienne Adams), Jews for Racial and Economic Justice’s political arm The Jewish Vote (ranked No. 4), Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club (ranked No. 4), BKForge (ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5), Human Services Action (ranked No. 3), StreetsPAC (ranked after Lander and Mamdani)

Other: Attorney and former political candidate Zephyr Teachout, former mayoral candidate Maya Wiley (No. 4), coalition of Hasidic sects in Borough Park (No. 3)

Former Assembly Member Michael Blake (Democrat)

Elected officials: State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5), Assembly Members George Alvarez (ranked No. 5), Emily Gallagher (ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5), Khaleel Anderson (ranked No. 5), New York City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa (ranked No. 5)

Labor: United Auto Workers Region 9A (ranked No. 5), Professional Staff Congress (ranked No. 4 or No. 5)

Organizations: Emgage Action (ranked No. 5), Three Bridges Democratic Club (shared with Ramos and Mamdani), Jews for Racial and Economic Justice’s political arm The Jewish Vote (ranked No. 5), Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club (ranked No. 5), Citizen Action of New York (with Mamdani, Lander, Myrie and Adrienne Adams), Riders Alliance (with Adrienne Adams, Mamdani, Lander, Stringer, Myrie), Brooklyn Young Democrats (ranked No. 5)

Other: Former mayoral candidate Maya Wiley (No. 5)

Whitney Tilson, former hedge fund manager (Democrat)

Other: Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman (who has since donated $250,000 to a political action committee supporting Cuomo)

Jim Walden, attorney (independent candidate)

Organizations: New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees, NYPD Retired Sergeants Association

Other: Former prosecutors including former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Richard Donoghue

Curtis Sliwa, Guardian Angles founder and radio personality (Republican)

Organizations: Queens County Republican Party, Bronx County Republican Party, Kings County Republican Party, Staten Island Republican Party, Manhattan Republican Party, New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees

12:50 a.m. – Hochul weighs in on Mamdani’s likely win She has heard the voters, but stopped short of a congratulations. A couple hours after it became clear that Zohran Mamdani will likely take the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor, Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement about his expected victory. “Today, voters made their voices heard, demanding a more affordable, more livable New York City. I hear them loud and clear,” she said. “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.” Hochul stopped short of congratulating Mamdani, despite expressing an openness to discussing his policies. That’s in contrast to her Democratic primary opponent for governor and technically still her lieutenant, Antonio Delgado. “Congratulations to @ZohranKMamdani on a bold, hard-fought win,” he wrote on X. “New Yorkers want leaders who challenge the status quo.” While Hochul has already said she would not back Mamdani’s bid to raise taxes on the wealthy, Delgado has expressed that he is open to the prospect. – Rebecca C. Lewis

12:35 a.m. – Upstate Dems have decided Democrats in Albany, Rochester and Syracuse have chosen their nominees for mayor. In upstate New York, voters may have chosen a few of the state’s next mayors now that the Democratic primaries are settled. In Syracuse, Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens defeated Common Council President Pat Hogan and Common Council Member Chol Majok. In Rochester, Mayor Malik Evans defeated City Council Member Mary Lupien and IT executive Shashi Sinha. In Albany, Chief City Auditor Dorcey Applyrs defeated businessperson Dan Cerutti, Common Council President Corey Ellis and Albany County Legislator Carolyn McLaughlin. For the most part, they have an idea of what they’re up against in November. Republicans in Syracuse chose Thomas Babilon to run in the general election. In Rochester, the GOP didn’t put forward a nominee, although the Conservative Party may try to. Rocco Pezzulo plans to run on the Republican line for Albany mayor. But that’s months away. For now, candidates can rest easy after their primary win. – Austin C. Jefferson

12:15 a.m. – Avilés wins comfortably in tough race Her reelection victory is one for the left too. New York City Council Member Alexa Avilés / Gerardo Romo/NYC Council Media Unit New York City Council Member Alexa Avilés beat opponent Ling Ye by almost triple the votes in the primary race to keep her seat in Council District 38. Ye, a moderate Democrat, challenged the Democratic socialist incumbent in the first competitive council race since the district was redrawn in 2023. District 38 represents the southern Brooklyn neighborhoods of Red Hook, Park Slope, Sunset Park and parts of Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst. The area is historically progressive with a large Latino and Asian immigrant population. But after redistricting, it included whiter, more moderate areas which many anticipated would tighten the race. Evidently, it did not. Read more here.

11:55 p.m. – Mark Levine is in comptrol The Manhattan borough president got nearly 50% of the first-place votes in the race for New York City comptroller. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine / Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine has emerged as the likely winner in the New York City comptroller race, garnering a significant 14 percentage point lead over New York City Council Member Justin Brannan in first-choice votes. His likely win would be made official through ranked choice voting on July 1. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my bar mitzvah,” Levine said to open his victory speech at his West Village election night party. Flanked by several of his top endorsers and fellow elected officials – including Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, state Sen. Brian Kavanagh, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and City Council Members Linda Lee and Shekar Krishnan – Levine proceeded to thank his supporters, friends and family. Levine had long been seen as the front-runner in the race, having led Brannan in cash on hand throughout the race. Also on the ballot were state Sen. Kevin Parker and civil servant Ismael Malave; neither of their campaigns ever really took off. Read more here.

11:30 p.m. – Sean Ryan’s victory speech He won the Democratic nomination, but could face a crowded general election. Austin C. Jefferson State Sen. Sean Ryan might have himself a new job next year after winning the Buffalo Democratic mayoral primary over acting Mayor Chris Scanlon and a field of challengers. The state lawmaker took in 46.5% of votes in the primary with all precincts reported, which could change the tides of power in Western New York. Ryan’s victory was built on a message of change, framing the incumbent Scanlon as more of the same after former Mayor Byron Brown’s lengthy and sometimes divisive administration that ended abruptly with his exit for the top job at Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. Ryan eventually took the stage in a packed theatre district, performance art venue, and greeted a buzzing crowd. “We need to fill the damn potholes,” he said to a cheering room of supporters. Across town, Scanlon conceded but may still run for office as an independent, something his predecessor proved was a realistic strategy after winning a write-in campaign in 2021. He would face a field with more than just Ryan in it, as independents Michael Gainer and Garnell Whitfield, in addition to Republican James Gardner, could appear on the general election ballot. – Austin C. Jefferson

11:20 p.m. – And ultimately, Zohran Mamdani stuns New York Long Island City In an election night showing more decisive than even his most optimistic supporters dared to dream of, Zohran Mamdani toppled a political Goliath Tuesday. As of 10 p.m., the 33-year-old insurgent candidate held a strong lead in first-choice voters over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for mayor. Cuomo himself saw it that way. Shortly before 10:30 p.m., the self-described “fighter” appeared on stage at his watch party to announce that he had called Mamdani to congratulate him on his “deserved” victory. “Tonight was not our night. Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night,” Cuomo said. “He put together a great campaign, and he touched young people and inspired them and moved them and got them to come out and vote.” Cuomo said he would “look at the numbers” and have conversations about how to move forward – a reference to deciding whether to run as an independent in November – but stopped short of committing to that. Read more here.

11:15 p.m. – Lander on Cuomo: “Good fucking riddance” Atolye Venue & Bar, Brooklyn Rebecca C. Lewis He may not have won tonight, but the crowd gathered at New York City Comptroller Brad Lander’s election night party erupted into cheers when he announced that Andrew Cuomo had conceded the race to Zohran Mamdani. “I want to thank and congratulate on his incredible success during his campaign … as even Andrew Cuomo has admitted Zohran Mamdani is the Democratic nominee,” he said. “And just for technical purposes, it will be the Lander twos that get him over 50%.” The mood at the party was highly celebratory even though Lander had not won. Even before Cuomo’s concession, when Mamdani was just leading in the polls, Lander spoke with an upbeat tone about how the race was shaping up. “We are sending Andrew Cuomo back to the suburbs,” Lander near the beginning of his speech. “With our help, Zohran Mamdani will be the Democratic nominee.” He had harsh words for the former governor, using words like abusive, corrupt and bitter. “Andrew Cuomo is in the past, he is not the present or future of New York City,” Lander said. “Good fucking riddance.” Lander thanked his campaign staff, volunteers, supporters, children and wife for sticking with him throughout the race. And he thanked Mamdani for the cross-endorsement. “We showed that politics does not have to be a dark, negative, sour, individual selfish undertaking that so many of us hate and are tired of,” Lander said. “Instead, we were able to bridge our differences to show that politics can be a team sport.” He did rule out serving in a potential Mamdani administration when asked by City & State. “He’s got a big mandate for change,” said Lander, who gave up his citywide position to run for mayor. “It’s going to take a lot of hands to make it happen, and I would love to help him.” – Rebecca C. Lewis

10:35 p.m. – State Sen. Sean Ryan is victorious The lawmaker was declared the winner of the Democratic mayoral primary in Buffalo. Austin C. Jefferson They’re bringing out the balloons and warming up the crowd at Babeville in Buffalo. State Sen. Sean Ryan has won his race in the Democratic primary for mayor, according to The Associated Press. He is expected to take the stage any minute after beating a field of candidates led by acting Mayor Chris Scanlon. “Oh my god, I feel like we just won the Super Bowl,” said state Sen. April Baskin. – Austin C. Jefferson

10:25 p.m. – Andrew Cuomo says Mamdani won Yes, you read that right. Andrew Cuomo has called Zohran Mamdani to congratulate him on his victory.

“Tonight was not our night,” he says. “Tonight was AM Mamdani’s night…. He deserved it. He won.” pic.twitter.com/0Vp8fApzv6 — Annie McDonough (@Annie_McDonough) June 25, 2025 “He’s leaving the door open for November,” Andrew Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said. That echoed Cuomo’s brief comments on stage that he would look at the numbers and make a decision. In those remarks, Cuomo congratulated Zohran Mamdani on a well-run campaign that engaged young voters, and said he already called to congratulate him. “He ran a highly impactful campaign,” adding, “He deserved it.” – Annie McDonough

10:15 p.m. – Zoh-mentum knocks Team Cuomo’s confidence off its axis Mamdani’s lead in first-choice votes creates anxiety in Cuomo’s camp Annie McDonough Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” played softly over the loudspeakers at Andrew Cuomo’s campaign watch party as supporters nervously sipped wine and watched the ex-governor underperform. With around 90% of first-choice ballots counted, Zohran Mamdani has held a roughly 7-point lead – a gap that would be challenging for Cuomo to make up in ranked choice voting, a source close to the Cuomo campaign acknowledged, describing the mood as “apprehensive.” – Annie McDonough

10:15 p.m. – Williams praises Lander and dunks on Cuomo Atolye Venue & Bar, Brooklyn Fresh off his projected reelection, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams made his first stop of the night at New York City Comptroller Brad Lander’s party. Despite Lander lagging in third on election night, Williams praised his former City Council colleague. “I am not surprised at the courage he had to step forward at 26 Federal Plaza,” Williams said of Lander’s arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while trying to escort an immigrant out of court. Williams thanked supporters for his victory with over 70% of the vote, an overwhelming showing over his main opponent Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar, who received nearly 19% of the vote, but he said there was a bigger victory this evening. “I think even Brad would agree that what we’re most proud of is Andrew Cuomo is down right now,” he said. Williams said he hopes that New York City hasn’t seen the last of Lander, but closed his speech with another dig at Cuomo. “Thank you all for stepping up and for believing in this city and for not ranking Andrew Cuomo,” he said. – Rebecca C. Lewis

10:10 p.m. – A happy mood at Sean Ryan’s party Things are looking good for the state senator. State Sen. Sean Ryan has taken a nearly 2,000-vote lead in the Buffalo mayoral primary. And the cheers are going up in the crowd each time the results update online. 83% of precincts are reporting and Sean Ryan is up by nearly 8%. pic.twitter.com/vYzxXixQZ1 — Austin Jefferson (@AJeffNY) June 25, 2025 – Austin C. Jefferson

10 p.m. – Mamdani is ahead, like, decisively ahead Long Island City, Queens Sahalie Donaldson With almost 90% of first-choice votes counted, Zohran Mamdani maintained a lead beyond the expectations of even his most optimistic supporters. At his election night party, excitement steadily built amongst the campaign and supporters as more and more of the vote rolled in. “It’s not Zohver (?) yet,” campaign spokesperson Andrew Epstein told reporters at Mamdani’s election night party. “But we are feeling very good.” – Sahalie Donaldson

9:45 p.m. – Alexa Avilés fends off a primary challenge in a new district At least one socialist prevailed tonight. New York City Council Member Alexa Avilés, a Democratic socialist and a member of the council’s Progressive Caucus, easily defeated her primary challenger Ling Ye. Council District 38 was redrawn in 2023, and it got a little redder. Ye, a former staffer to Rep. Dan Goldman, was running to Avilés’ right, criticizing her for taking protest votes against the New York City budget and for her position on Palestinian rights. – Holly Pretsky

9:40 p.m. – Adams is here and “exhilarated” Jamaica, Queens Devyn Novikoff The speaker did keep her word: Adrienne Adams arrived promptly at 9:40. Adams came into the party vibrant, energized, and ready to take on this race no matter what the polls show at the moment. Adams noted her late entry into the race and touted her campaign’s ability to “propel” to the level of candidates who have been in the race for over a year. She couldn’t end her speech without praising state Attorney General Letitia James, and said James taught her “everything she knows about fighting the good fight.” Adams made it known she doesn’t think this is not over yet. The latest polling has her at 4.3%, but she has faith in ranked choice voting. “I’m not down, I’m not out, I’m exhilarated,” Adams said. – Devyn Novikoff

9:30 p.m. – Mamdani making clear inroads with Queens South Asian voters Is a key part of Mamdani’s strategy working? With about 66% of scanners reporting, a key constituency in Zohran Mamdani’s path to victory seemed to be showing up and showing out. The Hillside Avenue corridor in eastern Queens, which is home to many South Asian voters, was showing strong support for Mamdani as were parts of Glen Oaks – which also is a South Asian stronghold. This is significant for the Queens Assembly member as he hopes to court South Asian voters, particularly in an area not known for having particularly high voter engagement. Pretty striking here: You can see a distinct line of support for Zohran Mamdani along the Hillside Avenue corridor in Queens, home to many South Asian voters. (This is 57% in) pic.twitter.com/WBXnojqBoF — Sophie Krichevsky (she/her/hers) (@skrichev13) June 25, 2025 – Sophie Krichevsky

9:15 p.m. – On the ground with Andrew Gounardes Atolye Venue & Bar, Brooklyn State Sen. Andrew Gounardes made his first stop of the evening at New York City Comptroller Brad Lander’s election night party. He said Lander has had his back “since before day one,” but acknowledged that the mayoral race is a two-way contest between Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “The question is the margin,” Gounardes told City & State. “And this is going to November one way or another.” Despite alluding to the general election, which Cuomo has already pledged to run in as an independent should he lose the Democratic primary, Gounardes was not yet ready to say whether he thinks Mamdani should run on the Working Families Party line. As City & State reported earlier today, his taking that line is far from a sure thing. – Rebecca C. Lewis

9:15 p.m. – Vanessa Gibson declared winner The Bronx borough president survived a primary challenge. In one of the early calls of the night, NY1 declared that Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson had defeated New York City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. With just over a third of the scanners reported, Gibson has 70% of the vote, and Salamanca has about 30%. This was a race that had expected to be a little closer, given Salamanca’s strong private fundraising and prominent perch as chair of the Land Use Committee. – Eric Holmberg

9 p.m. – James addresses Adrienne supporters Jamaica, Queens Devyn Novikoff State Attorney General Letitia James was the first speaker at Adrienne Adams’ election night party, kicking off the night after the polls closed at 9 a.m. “She is someone without drama, someone who obviously ran this race with dignity. We all owe her a debt of gratitude,” James said of Adams. – Devyn Novikoff

9:10 p.m. – Can Sean Ryan secure the almighty pizza vote? Theatre District, Buffalo Austin C. Jefferson State Sen. Sean Ryan’s election party has taken the bold move of serving predominantly pepperoni pizza and having a cash bar. Will the longtime Buffalo lawmaker’s base forgive a lack of Buffalo wings? Time will tell. Food aside, the polls have just closed and experts say that with solid turnout in their respective bases in the Buffalo mayoral race, whichever way Niagara swings could determine the outcome of the race for Ryan or acting Mayor Chris Scanlon. – Austin C. Jefferson

8:45 p.m. – State Sen. Jessica Ramos stumps for Cuomo Andrew Cuomo’s watch party Annie McDonough State Sen. Jessica Ramos is standing firm behind the surprise endorsement that launched a thousand rage tweets. The labor champion and long-stalled mayoral candidate shocked some of her progressive endorsers by throwing her support behind Andrew Cuomo in a one-way endorsement earlier this month. Ramos, a not-so-subtle critic of Zohran Mamdani earlier in the race, saw the tea leaves in the two-man race and went with the horse with more experience, she said. At Cuomo’s election night watch party, Ramos was even the first campaign surrogate to speak to the press. “What’s important is that we have a responsible adult who is interested in delivering on the affordability crisis, on the climate crisis for New Yorkers, and putting labor in front of those crises.” She brushed off Cuomo not reciprocating her endorsement – he told reporters this morning he only voted for himself for mayor despite having the option to rank four other candidates. “That’s okay,” Ramos said with a game smile. – Annie McDonough

8:30 p.m. – Adrienne’s party gets underway – in a brownout Jamaica, Queens Devyn Novikoff City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams is having her election night party in her council district at Sangria’s Tapas Bar and Restaurant on Sutphin Boulevard. The speaker is set to arrive at 9:45 p.m., shortly after the polls close at 9 p.m. Friends, family and supporters are talking amongst each other and drinking frozen margaritas – a fitting choice as the entire block experiences a brownout (or partial power outage) leaving the restaurant without a working air conditioner during this historic New York City heat wave. “We are gonna do what we do when you’re from the outer boroughs: adapt,” Adams’ campaign spokesperson Lupe Todd-Medina said to the crowd. – Devyn Novikoff

6:30 p.m. – Lander closes out primary day on his home turf Park Slope, Brooklyn Steve Kastenbaum Brad Lander’s last stop of the day: the F train station in Park Slope, where he shook a few more voters’ hands, posed for photos and spoke with reporters. “We are offering a hopeful spirit of collaboration and think we are a team New York City can believe in,” Lander said about the cross-endorsement with Zohran Mamdani and their joint appearances. “I feel it, enormous energy out there today, and I’m excited to see how the results come in tonight.” When asked if that meant a Mamdani victory would feel like a Lander victory, he didn’t hesitate to say yes. “I really think preventing Andrew Cuomo from being the next mayor of New York City would be a gift to New Yorkers,” Lander said. “Helping prevent it is something I would feel proud of.” On his feelings around the phrase “globalize the intifada” versus Mamdani’s interpretation, Lander responded, “What I have said is, ‘Here’s how I hear that phrase, right?’ And therefore, you know, I can say, ‘I hear it that way, I’d rather you not use it.’” He charged Cuomo with weaponizing antisemitism. – Steve Kastenbaum

6 p.m. – More voting totals Over 800,000 have now cast ballots The New York City Board of elections recorded almost 831,000 votes in its latest update. Without including early voting numbers, about 447,000 New Yorkers headed to the polls on election day proper in the record heat. Including scanned absentee and mail-in ballots, about 876,000 ballots have been cast in the primary so far. About 1 million people voted in the June 2021 primary election. – Rebecca C. Lewis pic.twitter.com/PhDRlsSd6g — NYC Board of Elections (@BOENYC) June 24, 2025

4:30 p.m. – Scanlon highlights Ryan’s opposition to Buffalo budget asks In Albany, Ryan pushed back against budget requests from the city he now hopes to lead. Acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon / Austin C. Jefferson Acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon and Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes hit back against criticisms of the current mayoral administration. Scanlon pointed to this year’s budget requests by the city for an increased bed tax and parking structure sales to help refill Buffalo’s coffers – which he said his chief rival, state Sen. Sean Ryan, opposed. “When he should be lobbying on behalf of the city of Buffalo he did the exact opposite,” Scanlon said. Peoples-Stokes has been part of Buffalo’s state delegation alongside Ryan for years, and she took a dim view of his ability to advocate for the city. “People show you who they are and it’s a lot different than when they start telling you things,” she said. – Austin C. Jefferson

4:30 p.m. – Voters try to beat the record heat Harlem and South Brooklyn in the hottest part of the day Harlem voter Doug Vitarelli cast a mayoral ballot that included both Mamdani and Cuomo lower down.

“I hope he brings a new energy, I like his progressive stance,” he says of Mamdani.

And, “I know Cuomo’s had some personal problems but he gets shit done.” pic.twitter.com/ciWr0qPIna — Annie McDonough (@Annie_McDonough) June 24, 2025 It’s an unpleasant day to be outside, but 100-degree temps didn’t stop voters from trickling into a couple poll sites off Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem. Earlier in the day, mayoral candidates urged voters to get out despite the heat: “It is a little bit hot. Frankly not as hot as I think they predicted,” said Andrew Cuomo. “You’ll be inside voting anyway!” City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said a few hours later. Early voting analyses showed that Cuomo’s outer-borough strongholds did not show up in the same numbers as the brownstone Brooklyn and lower Manhattan areas that are more likely to support Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander. Cuomo’s voters needed to show up in strong numbers on election day to help him make up for that. A poll site supervisor at the MLK Jr. Towers Community Center in Harlem said that a window AC unit and a couple fans were keeping poll workers relatively comfortable as voters slowly floated in through the late afternoon. One item lacking was water bottles: a couple cases dropped off by the New York City Board of Elections were missing this morning, and they were still waiting on a new delivery. When Board of Election employees arrived at P.S. 249 on Caton Avenue in Brooklyn at 5 a.m., they walked into a gymnasium that one poll worker said felt like an oven. There found no pre-positioned bottled water, no fans. “It was so muggy, it felt like a boiler room,” said poll worker Shuchi Vyas. Opening all the doors and windows didn’t bring relief. It got worse as the day wore on. Vyas said a BOE employee came by at midday and dropped off just one fan for the entire gymnasium. “We’re having headaches and issues working through things. I’m having trouble with address look-ups,” Vyas said. A local homeowner later loaned them four small electric fans. It wasn’t until a little after 4 PM that another BOE worker delivered a few more large fans. At that point, the temperature outside the polling station had reached 100 degrees. – Annie McDonough and Steve Kastenbaum

4 p.m. – Council District 2 candidates hit the trail A competitive open seat in lower Manhattan Candidates for the competitive lower Manhattan City Council District 2 race said they’ve seen a high level of energy and turnout today and throughout early voting. “People are expressing their vision of the future of New York,” Assembly Member Harvey Epstein said, taking a brief break from the sun under a tree by the Bard High School Early College poll site. “They’re doing it with their vote and their energy and they’re doing it because they care deeply about the city they live in.” With so many new primary voters heading to the polls – likely spurred in large part by the mayoral race – it’s been a good opportunity for first time candidates Sarah Batchu and Andrea Gordillo to get their names out there. As the heat crawls to 100 degrees, things are slowing down a bit this Baruch College poll site in Gramercy. @sarahbatchu, a canidate in the lower Manhattan CD-2 race, said it’s been a busy morning. Many of the people she’s talked to today have been first-time primary voters. pic.twitter.com/8EzaffnlzA — Sahalie Donaldson (@SahalieD) June 24, 2025 “I think the mayoral race will make a huge difference for myself and Andrea as younger candidates who are more progressive,” Batchu said while campaigning outside of Baruch College in Gramercy. “It’s been interesting to have those conversations with folks who were not expecting to weigh in on something other than that.” Of the roughly 12,000 people who cast their ballot in the Council District 2 race during early voting, 13% were between the ages of 18 to 25 and 28% were 26 to 35 – both a big increase from the last primary, according to data from the Batchu campaign and political consultant Eugene Noh. Taking a quick respite from the heat with her mother and cousin at a Thai restaurant in the East Village, Gordillo said it’s been rewarding to see so many months of hard campaigning pay off. “A lot of people don’t even know how to find out about candidates,” she said. “But having that runway of knocking doors for almost six months now, at this moment I can feel the groundswell now.” Also running for the seat is former Rep. Anthony Weiner. – Sahalie Donaldson

4 p.m. – The show goes on despite power outages at poll sites BOE says power has gone off and on again, but no voting disruptions As parts of Baychester and Co-Op City were hit with power outages this afternoon after a transformer blew in the area, according to New York City Board of Elections Deputy Executive Director Vincent Ignizio, PS 160, which houses a polling site, had a partial outage. However, Ignizio said that the polling room itself was not affected. He also said that while other sites throughout the city – he did not say where – had had power go out and come back on, but that again, “voting hasn’t been impacted despite some outages.” The BOE had been preparing for heat-induced outages at polling places, but should power not be restored at sites before scanners’ backup batteries die, some vote counts could be delayed by as much as a few days. – Sophie Krichevsky

3:30 p.m. – Avilés greets voters outside PS 169 Sunset Park, Brooklyn Devyn Novikoff As the temperature is still heating up this afternoon, so is the Council District 38 race. City Council Member Alexa Avilés, who is facing a tough challenge from moderate Ling Ye, is canvassing across from PS 169 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn and is confident about the turnout. “I think there is a lot of energy and excitement around the community,” Avilés said. There are no lines around the block, but voters are definitely showing up to cast their ballots. Garrett Adler voted for Avilés, calling the lawmaker a “major supporter of the community” who advocates for access in local public schools. He showed up to vote in the heat given the high stakes of the primary election in his district and citywide. “The City Council vote is more serious than I was hoping for. I was hoping Alexa would have an easy win but it seems like there was a stiff competition from her opponents,” Adler said. – Devyn Novikoff

3:20 p.m. – WFP is MIA in Rochester The progressive third party sits out an upstate mayoral race. Rochester City Hall / Austin C. Jefferson The New York Working Families Party’s decision to stay out of the Rochester mayoral primary, four years after endorsing incumbent Mayor Malik Evans, may be a missed opportunity to cement their role in regional politics, and no one is quite sure how they got there. Read the full story on what’s happening in Rochester. – Austin C. Jefferson

3 p.m. – New election day totals Six hours left to vote In the New York City BOE’s latest update, 710,858 voter check-ins have been recorded. Excluding early voting numbers, that brings the votes recorded just today to about 327,000 with six hours before polls close. In 2021, about 1 million voters turned out to vote in the primary election. pic.twitter.com/TSd5YhIvwm — NYC Board of Elections (@BOENYC) June 24, 2025 – Rebecca C. Lewis

3 p.m. – Mail ballots roll in About 430,000 people voted before primary election day in person or by mail. The New York City Board of Elections released updated absentee and mail-in ballot numbers. Per the agency, just under 45,600 are both valid and scanned as of June 20 – and therefore will be reflected in unofficial election night results released tonight. In total, voters have returned about 55,000 of the 131,000 ballots mailed to voters as of Monday. But as long as they’re postmarked by today, the BOE can continue receiving mail and absentee ballots for about another week. In 2021, when concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic still loomed large, voters returned about 132,000 absentee ballots during the primary. That’s a far cry from 55,000 currently returned, not all of which are valid. A nearly 100% return rate would be needed to get close to the 2021 numbers, which rarely if ever happens. But combined with the roughly 385,000 early votes cast in person, about 430,000 people had their ballots cast and scanned before primary election day. That’s over 100,000 more votes than early and absentee ballots cast in 2021. – Rebecca C. Lewis

2:45 p.m. – Voters in Brooklyn brave the heat Park Slope, Brooklyn As the temperature approached 100 degrees, the pace of voting at several polling stations in Park Slope didn’t show signs of letting up, including at PS 282 on Sixth Avenue. Matthew Lowen wasn’t surprised by the turnout. “I think it’s due to a dissatisfaction with overall politics in the country, including the Trump administration,” he told City & State. Locally, he thinks people are interested in replacing Mayor Eric Adams, and “definitely don’t like the idea of Cuomo being in power again.” Raven White voted in a mayoral election for the first time. “I’m so excited and I feel so hopeful for the future of New York City.” White credited Zohran Mamdani with motivating them to vote. “New York City is the center of the resistance so we need someone like Mamdani.” Others, like Lee Fondakowski, said they were partially motivated by quality-of-life issues. “I’m really interested in where we are as a city. Are we going to go way to the left? Are we going to go toward the center? Where are we going to go?” – Steve Kastenbaum

2 p.m. – Sean Ryan calls in friends as turnout slows to a trickle in Buffalo North Buffalo Austin C. Jefferson State Sen. April Baskin is helping out fellow state Sen. Sean Ryan, who’s running for mayor of Buffalo. The two lawmakers were posted outside a North Buffalo community center pitching voters on what he hopes will be a breath of fresh air at City Hall. “Buffalo needs a mayor who actually has a plan,” Baskin said while deftly avoiding mention of both Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon, who is running for reelection, and his predecessor Byron Brown. Ryan has been appearing all over town today with his pals from the statehouse. Turnout has been slow, but his campaign is expecting an uptick once people get off work (and the temperature goes down). Over in the Fruit Belt neighborhood, about six people came in to vote at an elementary school polling site. – Austin C. Jefferson

1:15 p.m. – Adrienne Adams hits Co-Op City The speaker in the Bronx Mayoral candidate and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams visited Co-Op City in the Bronx with Council Members Kevin Riley and Oswald Feliz. Adams has visited several districts with her colleagues in the last stretch of the race, including Yusef Salaam and Diana Ayala. Riley’s also facing a primary challenge today from former Council Member Andy King. One voter, Jacob Mobley, told me he ranked Adams first and Scott Stringer second because he was impressed with her experience and he liked how Stringer did as comptroller. Mayoral candidate Adrienne Adams and Council Member Kevin Riley are out in Co-Op City talking to voters.

“We’ve been talking about this election for months and months – the country is talking about this election,” Adams says. “So people are excited to vote.” pic.twitter.com/BHicwXuhbq — Annie McDonough (@Annie_McDonough) June 24, 2025 – Annie McDonough

12 p.m. – Lander brings in the big guns Tish is on the line. Attorney General Letitia James, one of New York’s most popular elected officials, and former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger recorded robocalls for Brad Lander’s mayoral campaign targeting Black and Jewish News Yorkers in hopes of discouraging them from ranking former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “If you want to know why there’s not enough affordable housing in our community? You can blame Andrew Cuomo,” James says in her call. “And if you want to know what he really thinks of us? He used the N-word in a radio interview. And accused Barack Obama of “shucking and jiving.” Cuomo used the N-word to describe anti-Italian discrimination on WAMC in 2019. His “shuck and jive” comment happened while he was state attorney general, and Obama was running for president in 2008. – Sahalie Donaldson

11 a.m. – Andrew Cuomo casts his vote High School of Art and Design, East Midtown Accompanied by two of his daughters and his son-in-law, ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo cast his vote in the Democratic primary, ranking only himself for mayor. “Ranked choice?!” he joked in feigned surprise, when a poll worker handed him his ballot inside the high school gym and started explaining the ranked choice voting system. Cuomo said that would be voting for other races down the ballot, but declined to say who he would be voting for in the City Council’s 4th District or New York City comptroller primaries, telling City & State, “My ballot is private.” Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo casts his vote for mayor – not ranking anyone else but himself on his ballot he says

Several voters at this poll site stop him to say they voted for him.

Earlier, he got some jeers on the street, including a cyclist telling women nearby to watch their back pic.twitter.com/7xJUO8M10o — Annie McDonough (@Annie_McDonough) June 24, 2025 Delivering a closing argument of sorts to a throng of media who accompanied him, Cuomo reiterated his argument that his closest rival in the race – Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani – is too inexperienced for the job and that he would approach it as a “messenger” rather than as a manager. He also alleged that Mamdani’s criticism of Israel – a negative for the Assembly member with some Jewish voters – has driven his career in politics. “It was always about politics, and it was always about Israel,” Cuomo alleged, though the Assembly member’s mayoral campaign has largely focused on affordability. “That has been the driving force throughout his entire trajectory,” Cuomo said. The ex-governor, who resigned following a barrage of sexual harassment allegations against him in 2021, was embraced by several voters at the poll site – one older white woman told Cuomo’s daughters, “I adore your father.” Outside the pollsite, Cuomo received a couple jeers from passersby as he spoke to reporters. “Ladies, don’t get too close to him,” one cyclist said. – Annie McDonough

11 a.m. – What if Zohran loses? Mamdani could still run on the WFP line in November, but he probably wouldn’t. Many have assumed that if Zohran Mamdani loses the Democratic primary, he will still run in November’s general election as the candidate of the Working Families Party. But people close to Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America say that he would not run unless he believes that the race is winnable, and there are good reasons for him to be wary of running as a third-party candidate against a Democratic nominee. Read more here. – Peter Sterne

10:30 a.m. – Zellnor Myrie casts his ballot Prospect Lefferts Gardens Sahalie Donaldson Mayoral candidate Zellnor Myrie cast his ballot at Fenimore Street United Methodist Church in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn, with his wife former Assembly Member Diana Richardson and parents in tow. While he wouldn’t specify which of his fellow candidates he ranked second and third, Myrie said he’d filled his ballot with the rest of the Working Families Party’s slate Addressing reporters afterwards, Myrie, a Black progressive, spoke of the generational divide between older and younger Black voters – a divide fueled by the city’s affordability crisis. He said progressives need to do a better job at meeting Black voters where they are and talking about real solutions. As for why Cuomo is performing so well with older Black voters, Myrie said he thinks it has to do with the fact that he’s been around so many years – and perhaps more specifically, good will garnered from his father’s time as governor. Myrie said he’s tried to remind Black voters over the last few months of Cuomo’s record. “This is someone who has not actually cared about our community, he has used our community when it is politically beneficial to him, but when we have counted on him for actual resources he was nowhere to be found,” Myrie said. – Sahalie Donaldson

10:15 a.m. – Cross endorsing all the way to the finish line Verdi Square on the Upper West Side Rebecca C. Lewis Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander greeted voters on Manhattan’s Upper West Side this morning, offering a final show of collaborative campaigning on Election Day. “You can see New Yorkers are hungry for a different kind of politics,” Mamdandi said, adding that it had been “a joy” campaigning with Lander. The comptroller, in turn, said that “something quite beautiful” happened with their cross-endorsement to block voters to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “People are excited by the idea of a politics that’s more collaborative,” Lander said. “They like the idea of a Muslim New Yorker and a Jewish New Yorker campaigning together.” Working Families Party leaders also joined Mamdani and Lander, who make up half of their endorsed slate. Co-Executive Director Ana Maria Archíla said that while she’s confident one of their candidates will win, she said the party has nonetheless considered the fate of their line in the general election should they lose the primary. But one thing is for certain: “It is safe to say we will never give it to Andrew Cuomo,” Archila said. “Don’t rank Cuomo!” – Rebecca C. Lewis

10 a.m. – City Council Member Shahana Hanif greets voters Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Steve Kastenbaum City Council Member Shahana Hanif began the day greeting voters at PS 58 in Carroll Gardens, later heading to Bishop Ford High School in Windsor Terrace. “I feel energized,” said Hanif, the first Muslim woman elected to the City Council, before asking a constituent for their vote. She praised fellow progressive Zohran Mamdani: “What he did to get normal people tuned in is fascinating. It’s going to change New York City politics forever.” Hanif’s race against Maya Kornberg has been shaped by broader issues, including the war in Gaza and rising concerns about antisemitism. Hanif said those narratives were pushed by opponents trying to unseat her. “The issues around hate and bias were certainly there, but the topic I heard most in conversations was housing affordability.” She defended her record on fighting hate and antisemitism. – Steve Kastenbaum

In the 11 months since City & State broke the news that Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani was planning to run for New York City mayor, the 33-year-old democratic socialist has seen his star steadily rise. Virtually unknown before he announced his candidacy in October, Mamdani has run a nearly flawless campaign and is now neck-and-neck with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has led the polls since before he even entered the race. But Cuomo could still very well win Tuesday’s Democratic primary. What would Mamdani do if Cuomo becomes the Democratic mayoral nominee?

The widespread assumption among political observers has been that he will run in the November general election as the candidate of the New York Working Families Party, setting up a five-way race between him, Cuomo (the Democratic nominee), incumbent Mayor Eric Adams (running as an independent), Curtis Sliwa (the GOP nominee) and independent candidate Jim Walden.

But this is not necessarily the case. People close to Mamdani’s campaign told City & State that he has not yet decided whether to run in November if he loses the Democratic primary, and there are very compelling reasons why he may decide not to run in the general election as a third-party candidate. (Mamdani’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.)

Mamdani has so far declined to say publicly whether he plans to run in the general election if he loses the Democratic primary. “I’m focused on June 24,” he repeatedly told Zeteo’s Mehdi Hasan in an interview earlier this month.

Cuomo has confirmed that he will run as an independent candidate if he loses the Democratic primary; he had to petition for a third-party ballot line (“Fight and Deliver”) in order to preserve the opportunity to run in November. Mamdani didn’t petition for his own third-party ballot line, which means he could only run in November if he wins the Democratic primary or gets the WFP nomination.

The open ballot line for the anti-Cuomo candidate

New York’s fusion voting system allows candidates to run on multiple ballot lines during the general election. Typically, the Working Families Party will give its ballot line to the Democratic nominee, allowing them to run on both the Democratic and WFP ballot lines. This is true even when the WFP supported a different candidate in the primary.

The mayoral election could be different, though. The WFP detests Cuomo, who tried to destroy the party after it once considered not backing him, and it has spent most of the primary advancing an anti-Cuomo message. WFP Co-executive Director Ana Maria Archila told City & State on Tuesday that they will never give Cuomo the WFP ballot line, even if he becomes the Democratic nominee.

The WFP encouraged its supporters to rank Mamdani No. 1 on their ballots, and it has little to lose and a lot to gain from hitching its wagon to Mamdani’s rising star. The party was once a powerful institution that married powerful unions with grassroots organizers. But most of the unions were pressured by Cuomo to pull out of the WFP in 2018, and the organization is now a shell of its former self. While the organization eventually ranked Mamdani No. 1, it can’t take much credit for his early success.

On the prospect of what happens to the WFP ballot line of no one from their slate wins, co-executive director Ana María Archila says, “It is safe to say we will never give it to Andrew Cuomo” pic.twitter.com/a8kKrmYHtf — Becky says Pride ️‍⚧️️‍⚧️ (@_rebeccaclewis) June 24, 2025

Mamdani’s campaign was largely built by the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (of which I am a former member, though I left well before NYC-DSA began talking about a Mamdani mayoral run). Mamdani’s relative success in the Democratic primary – especially compared to non-socialist progressives like city Comptroller Brad Lander and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie – indicates that the center of gravity within New York City’s progressive movement may be shifting away from WFP and toward the socialist left.

But the WFP does have one thing that DSA can’t offer Mamdani: a general election ballot line. If the party ran Mamdani as its general election nominee, it would tie the party to the biggest progressive star since Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“Personally, I believe he will win the primary, but if he lost narrowly, I think it would make a lot of sense for WFP to recruit him,” said Michael Lange, a left-leaning political commentator and elections analyst who is close to Mamdani. “To have your brand as the Working Families Party so closely associated with someone whose star is so ascendant and is just, even in defeat, running a really, really excellent and transcendent campaign, particularly with your base, but also well beyond it.”

Mamdani’s decision

Mamdani is often caricatured as an unserious and idealistic dreamer, but he is – at least by the standards of leftist politics – actually a hard-nosed and disciplined campaign strategist. He won’t run a race that he knows he cannot win.

It was always going to be difficult for Mamdani to win the Democratic primary, but from the very beginning, he knew it was at least possible. He laid out a plausible path to victory: a young Muslim progressive campaigning relentlessly on bold solutions to affordability issues could win the support of three key constituencies: young voters, Muslim voters (many of whom either didn’t bother to vote in primaries or had previously supported Adams) and rent-stabilized tenants. He believed that he could easily raise enough grassroots small-dollar donations to unlock public matching funds, which he could spend on paid media while spinning up a large volunteer canvassing operation on a scale never previously seen in a citywide election. It was a risky strategy, but it has obviously paid off.

Mamdani epitomizes DSA’s electoral philosophy: only contest winnable races. The socialist organization frequently backs longshot primary challenges, and it often loses those challenges, but it doesn’t endorse in races that it considers to be unwinnable.

“We don’t get involved in races unless we think we can win. That’s part of our endorsement process,” said Grace Mausser, the co-chair of NYC-DSA and the socialist organization’s former director of candidate recruitment.

Dirty break

State Sen. Jabari Brisport is one of Mamdani’s closest colleagues in Albany. A fellow member of DSA’s State Socialists in Office bloc, Brisport has frequently collaborated with Mamdani – even co-starring in a comedy sketch with him about the New York Health Act – and has been an early and ardent supporter of Mamdani’s mayoral run. As Mamdani considers whether to run as a third-party candidate in the general election, he’ll likely tap Brisport for advice.

That’s because Brisport has experience with running as a third-party candidate. In 2017, he ran with NYC-DSA’s backing for a City Council seat in Central Brooklyn. Rather than running in the Democratic primary, though, he ran in the general election on both the Green Party line and on an independent ballot line. He did remarkably well for a third-party candidate, losing to Democratic nominee Laurie Cumbo by just 39 points. Three years later, he ran for state Senate, again with the support of NYC-DSA. But this time, Brisport ran in the Democratic primary, where he beat an incumbent Assembly member by 23 points before running unopposed in the general election. The lesson for NYC-DSA was clear. Ever since Brisport’s failed third-party run in 2017, the organization has only backed candidates running in Democratic primaries.

Brisport told City & State that he has not yet spoken with Mamdani or NYC-DSA about the possibility of Mamdani running in November if he loses the primary. But he acknowledged that it is far more difficult to win a general election as a third-party candidate than as the Democratic nominee.

DSA members have probably spent more time than anyone else thinking about the potential of third-party candidates against Democrats. For years, the national organization has been consumed by an ongoing debate over how to relate to the Democratic Party. Broadly speaking, there are two camps. The “clean break” camp argues that the DSA needs to immediately break away from the Democratic Party and form its own political party that would run candidates against Democratic nominees. The “dirty break” camp argues that DSA should slowly build a power base independent of the Democratic party but still run candidates in Democratic primaries for now.

So far, the “dirty break” strategy has won out, simply because it is virtually impossible for a left-wing candidate to defeat a Democratic nominee in a general election. DSA remains willing to endorse third-party candidates if they have a feasible path to victory. But they very rarely do.

“The vast majority of DSA candidates, not just in New York City but nationally, who have been endorsed have run on Democratic ballot line,” Mausser said. She added that DSA behaves like “a party in the European sense,” since it has total control over which candidates run as DSA-endorsed candidates, even though it does not have its own ballot line.

Five-way race?

If Cuomo wins the Democratic nomination, there will be either four or five serious candidates in November’s general election. In addition to Cuomo, there would be incumbent Mayor Eric Adams (running as an independent), Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate Jim Walden. The fifth potential candidate would be Mamdani or another progressive running on the WFP line. Could Mamdani win on the WFP line?

The bullish case for Mamdani on the WFP line is that Cuomo, Adams and Walden would split the centrist vote while Sliwa would win Republicans, paving the way for a progressive to win a plurality. Unlike the primary, it’s not a ranked choice contest. Nearly half of Democratic primary voters are anti-Cuomo, so maybe they would embrace an anti-Cuomo WFP candidate, while some of Cuomo’s Black and Orthodox Jewish base would defect to Adams or Walden, and Sliwa would keep Republicans from flocking to Cuomo – or Adams.

The problem with this theory is that more people vote in the general election than in the Democratic primary. Even if Mamdani maintained all of his support from the primary, Democrats who did not vote in the primary will likely just vote for Cuomo because he is the Democratic nominee. The overall electorate would be much more conservative than in the Democratic electorate – full of conservative-leaning independents and Republicans – which seems almost tailor-made for Cuomo.

“The general election electorate empowers many voting blocs, much more than the Democratic primary, that are very hostile to left-leaning insurgents,” Lange said. He specifically pointed to the South Shore of Staten Island, a conservative region that is almost irrelevant in the Democratic primary but has some of the highest turnout of the general election.

Mamdani could always hit upon an unexpected strategy that would make him viable in the general election. But even if Mamdani did somehow build a movement of independent voters, he could still be undone if Republicans abandoned Sliwa and backed Cuomo en masse just to stop him. Former GOP Rep. George Santos reluctantly endorsed Cuomo this week, inveighing against Mamdani and writing on X that “the flip side of this is Cuomo whom we all hate, but one thing is for certain, we know how to deal with him.” Santos’ plea to stop Mamdani is unlikely to matter much now, since his audience of Republicans aren’t eligible to vote in the Democratic primary, but it could preview a general election strategy to mobilize Republicans to support Cuomo just to stop Mamdani.

The bottom line is that it’s very difficult to see how Mamdani could win the general election. And if he doesn’t see a path to victory, he’s unlikely to run.

Winning isn’t everything

Which of the following sounds like a more impressive feat for a 33-year-old democratic socialist: winning 45% of the Democratic primary vote against a former thrice-elected governor backed by $25 million in dark money or winning 15% of the vote in a five-way general election race?

Even if he loses the Democratic nomination, Mamdani is now indisputably a leader of the left in New York City, talked about in the same breath as Ocasio-Cortez. His near victory in the Democratic primary and sky-high favorability ratings among younger Democrats ensures that. In the coming years, he will continue to be one of the loudest voices of opposition to a Mayor Andrew Cuomo and President Donald Trump, and he is sure to run for higher office again – perhaps replacing Ocasio-Cortez in Congress if she runs for U.S. Senate in 2028.

But running a doomed general election campaign could puncture some of the Mamdani mythos and burn out his army of volunteers, since it’s not clear that Mamdani’s tens of thousands of canvassers would want to spend the next four months grinding it out in a hopeless race.

“I think it will be really hard to make the case to people that they should give as much time as they have to a general election just because,” Mausser said. “Running a race just to run a race is a waste of people’s resources, in my opinion, and I think people realize that and that’s why they’re not willing to turn out and knock doors.”

Still, the fact that Mamdani shouldn’t run as a WFP candidate doesn’t mean that no one should.

A poll conducted for the WFP in May and obtained by Politico showed that Democratic primary voters would prefer New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams over Cuomo in a general election. But there’s already been significant friction between the speaker’s relatively moderate politics and the WFP during the Democratic primary, so it’s difficult to imagine that she would want to run on the WFP line in the general.

A more compelling option might be Lander. The city comptroller’s pragmatic progressivism could have more crossover appeal to anti-Cuomo Democrats and independents than Mamdani’s democratic socialism, and Lander has little to lose from continuing his anti-Cuomo crusade. He is likely to come in a distant third in the Democratic primary, so a third-place finish in the general election would hardly be a downgrade. Running in the general election would also allow him to keep his name at the top of voters’ minds, which could be useful if he ends up running against Rep. Dan Goldman next year, as many progressives have suggested he should.

Zohran Mamdani will know within a week, and potentially even within twelve hours, whether or not he will be the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor. If he’s not, then he’ll spend the subsequent days and weeks talking with advisers, including the leadership of NYC-DSA, about whether it makes sense to run in November. It’s always possible he could come up with an unprecedented strategy to mobilize voters and carve out a narrow, but plausible, path to victory – just as he did in the Democratic primary. But most likely, he would determine that there’s no viable path to victory and it makes more sense to end his campaign on a high note, while still serving as an effective surrogate for another candidate who does take up the WFP’s anti-Cuomo mantle.

If Mamdani wins the Democratic primary, then that will be a whole other story.