Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded New York City’s Democratic Mayoral Primary to Zohran Mamdani because the 33-year outdated Indian-American member of the State Assembly had a big lead within the race Tuesday (June 24, 2025) night time.
Mr. Cuomo’s concession got here because the race’s end result shall be determined by a ranked selection depend after neither Democrat acquired a transparent majority within the vote.
Mr. Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist member of the State Assembly, began to pull forward with greater than an estimated 80% of ballots counted.
Mr. Cuomo, in a speech to supporters, stated Mr. Mamdani “won” and that “we are going to take a look and make some decisions”.
“Tonight is his night,” Mr. Cuomo stated.
Mr. Mamdani can be the town’s first Muslim and Indian-American Mayor if elected.
Mr. Cuomo is making an attempt to make a comeback from a sexual harassment scandal. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams skipped the primary. He’s working as an impartial.
The race’s final end result might say one thing about what sort of chief Democrats are in search of throughout President Donald Trump’s second time period.
The vote takes place about 4 years after Mr. Cuomo, 67, resigned as governor following a sexual harassment scandal. Yet he has been the favorite all through the race, together with his deep expertise, title recognition, robust political connections and juggernaut fundraising equipment.
The get together’s progressive wing, in the meantime, had coalesced behind Mr. Mamdani. A comparatively unknown State Legislator when the competition started, Mr. Mamdani gained momentum by working a pointy marketing campaign laser-focused on the town’s excessive price of residing and secured endorsements from two of the nation’s foremost progressives, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The primary winner will go on to face incumbent Mr. Adams, a Democrat who determined to run as an impartial amid a public uproar over his indictment on corruption costs and the next abandonment of the case by Mr. Trump’s Justice Department.
Republican Curtis Sliwa, the founding father of the Guardian Angels, shall be on the poll within the fall’s normal election. There can also be a chance that Mr. Cuomo runs on the November poll as an impartial candidate if he loses the primary.
The mayoral primary’s two main candidates — one a fresh-faced progressive and the opposite an older reasonable — could possibly be stand-ins for the bigger Democratic Party’s ideological divide, although Mr. Cuomo’s scandal-scarred previous provides a singular tinge to the narrative.
The remainder of the pack has struggled to achieve recognition in a race the place practically each candidate has forged themselves because the particular person finest positioned to problem Mr. Trump’s agenda.
Comptroller Brad Lander, a liberal metropolis authorities stalwart, made a splash final week when he was arrested after linking arms with a person federal brokers have been making an attempt to detain at an immigration court docket in Manhattan. It was unclear if that episode was sufficient to jump-start a marketing campaign that had been failing to choose up pace behind Lander.
Among the opposite candidates are City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, hedge fund government Whitney Tilson and former metropolis Comptroller Scott Stringer.
Mr. Mamdani’s energetic run has been exhausting not to discover.
His military of younger canvassers relentlessly knocked on doorways all through the town searching for assist. Posters of his grinning mug have been up on store home windows. You couldn’t get on social media with out seeing considered one of his well-produced movies pitching his imaginative and prescient — free buses, free baby care, new flats, the next minimal wage and extra, paid for by new taxes on wealthy folks.
That youthful vitality was obvious Tuesday night, as each cautiously optimistic canvassers and ecstatic supporters lined the streets of Central Brooklyn, making a party-like environment that unfold from ballot websites into the encircling neighbourhoods.
Outside his household’s Caribbean apothecary, Amani Kojo, a 23-year-old first-time voter, handed out iced tea to Mr. Mamdani canvassers, encouraging them to keep hydrated.
“It’s 100 degrees outside and it’s a vibe. New York City feels alive again,” Mr. Kojo stated, elevating a pile of Mr. Mamdani pamphlets. “It feels very electric seeing all the people around, the flyers, all the posts on my Instagram all day.” Mr. Cuomo and another Democrats have forged Mamdani as unqualified. They say he doesn’t have the administration chops to wrangle the town’s sprawling forms or deal with crises. Critics have additionally taken purpose at Mamdani’s assist for Palestinian human rights.
In response, Mr. Mamdani has slammed Mr. Cuomo over his sexual harassment scandal and his dealing with of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In one heated debate trade, Mr. Cuomo rattled off an extended record of what he noticed as Mamdani’s managerial shortcomings, arguing that his opponent, who has been in theSstate Assembly since 2021, has by no means handled Congress or unions and by no means overseen an infrastructure challenge. He added that Mr. Mamdani couldn’t be relied upon to go toe-to-toe with Mr. Trump.
Mr. Mamdani had a counter prepared.
“To Mr. Cuomo, I have never had to resign in disgrace,” he stated.
Mr. Cuomo resigned in 2021 after a report commissioned by the state lawyer normal concluded that he had sexually harassed at the very least 11 girls. He has all the time maintained that he didn’t deliberately harass the ladies, saying he had merely fallen behind what was thought-about applicable office conduct.
During the marketing campaign, he has change into extra aggressive in defending himself, framing the state of affairs as a political hit job orchestrated by his enemies.
The recent scandal at City Hall involving Mayor Eric Adams, although, gave Mr. Cuomo a path to finish his exile.
