There’s a tight race between Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, Eric Adams, and Curtis Sliwa, each of whom is polling within a few points of the other.
WASHINGTON—A political earthquake hit New York City on the night of June 24, as state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani was elected as the Democratic Party’s nominee for mayor in the 2025 general election.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old self-described democratic socialist, won 56 percent of the vote against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the scion of the state’s latest political dynasty. As the Democratic nominee to lead one of the country’s most Democratic-leaning cities, Mamdani would traditionally be the favorite to win November’s general election.
However, this time might be different. Mamdani’s socialist views have concerned many constituencies in New York, where the issues of crime and affordability have pushed some voters away from the political left in search of less-progressive candidates.
Mayor Eric Adams, the incumbent, is running for reelection as an independent, and Cuomo, who lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani, is now running in the general election as the nominee of the newly formed Fight and Deliver party. Amid a splintering of Democratic support, the Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa, is now polling in proximity to the frontrunners, which gives the GOP some unexpected influence in this campaign.
The mayoral election in New York City is, thus, more competitive than any in recent memory. Here is what we know about the four major candidates running for the office, their platforms, and attitudes toward each other.
Zohran Mamdani
As the Democratic nominee—and ex officio the Working Families Party nominee—in the race, Mamdani has been the fulcrum of conversation about the general election. His policy proposals—a “rent freeze” on stabilized housing, city-run grocery stores for low prices, no-fare buses, and higher taxes on wealthier citizens—have attracted praise from the left wing of the party but opposition from many other quarters, which are fueling the challenges against him.
Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, and immigrated to the United States at age 7. He became a U.S. citizen in 2018, just two years before he was elected to the New York state Assembly from the 36th District, which covers the Northern Queens neighborhoods of Astoria and Ditmars. Previously, he worked as a housing counsellor defending tenants against eviction and as a progressive advocate.
“Socialism won,” wrote Mamdani of his 2020 primary victory for the State Assembly against a Democratic incumbent. Mamdani is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the most prominent socialist political group in the country, and describes himself as a “democratic socialist” running for mayor on his website. The country’s two leading left-wing politicians—Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)—have both enthusiastically supported Mamdani’s campaign.
Additionally, Mamdani has drawn attention for his support of Palestinians during their decades-long land dispute with Israel, and for his criticism of the country’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza after the terrorist group launched a massacre on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Mamdani has also openly supported the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, which defenders of Israel criticize as anti-Semitic.
“My support for BDS is consistent with the core of my politics, which is nonviolence, and I think that it is a legitimate movement when you are seeking to find compliance with international law,” said Mamdani during a town hall event during the primary campaign.
In a four-way race between Adams, Cuomo, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, Mamdani is polling at 26 percent support, according to a recent poll by HarrisX. That makes him the frontrunner, but only by three percentage points against his next-placed rival, Cuomo.
By Arjun Singh
