NEW YORK CITY—Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old New York state assemblyman, has claimed victory in the first round of the Democratic primary contest for mayor of New York City in the 2025 election, while former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has conceded—a stunning upset victory.
Mamdani, an Indian Ugandan immigrant who became a U.S. citizen in 2018, earned 43.5 percent of the first-preference vote. He took office as a New York state assemblyman in 2021, representing the 36th District that covers the Queens neighborhood of Astoria.
Cuomo, who served as governor from 2011 until his resignation in 2021—he resigned because of an impeachment process following allegations of sexual misconduct he has denied—was long the frontrunner in the race, until Mamdani closed the polling gap in recent weeks. Cuomo won only 36.4 percent in the first round—a setback that makes it unlikely for him to gain the 50 percent necessary in subsequent rounds—and conceded the race on election night.
“In the words of Nelson Mandela: it always seems impossible until it’s done,” Mamdani wrote on social media, claiming victory in the race. “My friends, it is done. And you are the ones who did it. I am honored to be your Democratic nominee for the Mayor of New York City.”
Cuomo’s loss marks an unrealized political comeback for the former governor, whose career was eulogized after his resignation as governor. Cuomo is the scion of a political dynasty—his father, Mario Cuomo, served as the 52nd governor of New York from 1983 to 1994—and he previously served in a host of high federal and state offices. Mamdani, likewise, is of prominent lineage: His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a well-known postcolonial scholar, and his mother, Mira Nair, is an Oscar-nominated Indian American filmmaker.
After the incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, chose to run as an independent amid corruption allegations and Democrats’ criticisms of his cooperation with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement, Cuomo became a major Democratic candidate in the race. However, in the final weeks of the campaign, Mamdani’s campaign began gaining traction on social media and among progressive voters. According to some surveys, he was ahead of Cuomo, leading many to believe that he could win an upset victory.
Mamdani ran on a left-wing platform and was endorsed by the nation’s top progressive officials, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). During his campaign, he promised a rent freeze, the abolition of bus fares, city-run grocery stores with low prices, and no-cost child care, making the cost of living in New York City his signature issue.
Cuomo, by contrast, had earned the endorsement of many high-profile entities, such as The New York Times editorial board and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is popular in the city. He also courted and earned the endorsements of many rabbinical and Jewish community figures, who opposed Mamdani because of the latter’s criticism of Israel’s ongoing military engagements in the Gaza Strip.
Apart from Mamdani and Cuomo, several other candidates ran in the primary, including New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, Speaker of the New York City Council Adrienne Adams, and former Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. Lander, who was cross-endorsed by Mamdani in order to win his second-preference votes, earned 11.3 percent of the vote in the first round. Assuming that these voters ranked Mamdani second as instructed by Lander, Mamdani would win the nomination outright after the second-round tally.
The outcome means that Mamdani will face Adams in the general election.
Separately, Curtis Sliwa won the Republican nomination for mayor, although New York City’s heavy Democratic and progressive lean means that the GOP is usually uncompetitive in the race.
Voters on Mamdani and Cuomo
The Epoch Times spoke with some of the nearly 1 million people who voted in the primary in the boroughs of the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn to find out who they supported, why, and how they would react to a Cuomo or Mamdani victory.
“I voted for Zohran Mamdani,” Nikita Jain, a young engineer from Brooklyn who voted on Election Day, said. “I feel that his entire candidacy has been very, very well advertised, I think, to immigrants and people in general. He seems to be very, very far left-leaning, but I think that is what many people have been kind of [wanting].
“I did not [rank Cuomo]. From what I have heard of him, I have not heard good things. I don’t think that having someone who is relatively ethically questionable in office is the best idea.”
Other voters cited Cuomo’s alleged sexual misconduct as a big reason for voting against him.
“I ranked Zohran Mamdani first and Brad Lander second; making sure not to rank Cuomo was the major priority for me,” Samantha Espella, an attorney and public defender who lives in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, told The Epoch Times as she exited the polls. “It’s really important to reflect [on] who we want to be our politicians and who we want to represent us. I don’t want a man capable of that to represent me in any capacity.”
Espella also criticized Adams and said she would vote against him in the general election—a common view expressed by Democratic primary voters regardless of their preferred candidate.
Zack Friend, a young Jewish man who voted in the Lenox Hill neighborhood of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, said he only voted for Cuomo to prevent Mamdani’s victory, citing the latter’s criticism of Israel.
“I do not think that [Cuomo is] a stellar human being by any means,” he said.
“We’re left between choosing between the lesser of two evils.”
Friend said the choice between Cuomo and Adams would be “tough.”
Some voters are paying more attention to policy issues in the city and demanding changes. Crime, homelessness, and sanitation have been the top complaints for New Yorkers during Adams’s tenure.
“It’s safety right now in New York,” said Michael Lotour, a voter in the Bronx who spoke with The Epoch Times about his top concerns. He ranked Mamdani first and Cuomo second, saying he would not vote for Adams over his “alliance with Trump.”
“I’m just dissatisfied with his service this term,” Lotour said.
Lee, a young woman voter in Manhattan who ranked Lander first and Mamdani second, sought to follow the instructions published by Ocasio-Cortez beforehand.
“I do think Eric Adams is entirely ineffective … I’m just trying to minimize badness,” Lee said.
Luke Florczak—a 31-year-old former U.S. Marine and candidate for New York City Council in District Four, covering much of Midtown Manhattan—told The Epoch Times: “Having spoken with Adams, he’s not the kind of person that I would trust.
“I’m always at the mayor’s house hearing his speeches, mingling with the other veterans that are there. It always just feels like a dog-and-pony show.”
He also criticized Cuomo for the sexual harassment allegations against him.
Ranked Choice Voting
New York City uses a ranked choice voting system for primary elections, in which voters rank candidates based on their preferences and the winner is determined by a process of elimination over multiple rounds, whereby the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated and his or her voters’ preferences are retallied until one candidate reaches 50 percent. While intended to give voters more choice, the system has proved confusing to some voters.
“I never knew that I could vote [for] people at the same time,” said Veronica Osifo, an elderly woman in the Bronx who spoke with The Epoch Times after voting and only ranked Cuomo on the ballot.
Some voters used the opportunity to rank candidates by placing Mamdani and Cuomo, the top-polling candidates, lower on the ballot, reasoning that their top preferences would be eliminated anyway and that their votes would still be effective over multiple rounds.
“I can rank top candidates lower and it doesn’t matter,” said Davy, a math tutor in Manhattan who ranked state Sen. Zellnor Myrie and Lander as his top two preferences, with Mamdani at third.
New York City has sought to educate the public about ranked choice voting with election mail and signage at polling stations.
“Shout out to the city for sending out … detailed instructions on how to [rank] beforehand,” Lee said. “A lot of people got that in the post. It takes maybe 10 minutes to wrap your head around it to kind of get educated on it. I was really impressed by the candidates’ and local politicians’ efforts to educate folks on [the system].”
Candidates ‘Get Out the Vote’
All across the city, The Epoch Times observed campaign staff and volunteers handing out flyers near polling stations, careful to observe a state law that bans electioneering within 100 feet of the entrance. Candidates, too, were out in public, seeking to motivate supporters and convince undecided voters to support them.
Apart from the mayoral election, the city also held primary contests for citywide offices, borough presidents, city councilors, and district attorneys.
“Today is Tuesday,” Florczak told The Epoch Times as he walked around distributing campaign literature. “The last time I slept was Sunday morning. I’ve been coordinating volunteers, passing out flyers, [and] I’ve been to just about every poll location today since 5 a.m.”
Florzack said most voters he encountered were well-informed about the election.
“You see a lot of people who have done their homework,” he said. “They know who they’re voting for; you know they‘ll [decline] a flyer because they know who they’re voting for. There are a few others that actually need to be reminded that ’Hey, it’s election day!’”
Primary day, June 24, was marked by extreme heat. The temperature of 102 degrees Fahrenheit was the hottest day in New York City in 137 years, beating the record of 96 degrees F in 1888. However, most voters said that turnout, by their observations, had not been depressed.
“People were out walking around,” Florczak said. “Me and a volunteer passed out probably 300 to 400 flyers … between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.”
Lee said: “Turnout is actually really impressive. I saw a lot of old people coming in. People were really making efforts [to] be brought in by their friends and family, commuting, [in] air-conditioned vehicles and stuff.”
Regarding the heat, Friend said, “I hope people are getting … out here [to vote], because it’s more important than that.”
The general election will be held on Nov. 4.
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