Scandal-hit Andrew Cuomo concedes to socialist Zohran Mamdani in New York mayoral primary

Seasoned but scandalised Andrew Cuomo congratulated Mamdani on a “great campaign” that “touched young people”, and has paved the way for his likely victory in the November mayoral election.

Queens Assemblyman Mr Mamdani, 33, declared victory on Tuesday night, as former frontrunner Mr Cuomo unexpectedly pulled out of the primary race days before it was due to end.

“Tonight, we made history,” Mamdani said to supporters. “I will be your Democratic nominee for the mayor of New York City.”

While the race is not technically over, and more rounds of preference-ranked voting are due to take place until July 1, Cuomo and Mamdani were the favoured frontrunners - so Cuomo’s departure spells a likely primary victory for Mamdani.

Cuomo, New York’s former governor who resigned in 2021 amid multiple allegations of sexual harassment, was widely predicted to take a solid lead in first-preference votes.

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Projected vote counts only spelled a knife-edge loss to Mamdani in later rounds, as tactical cross-endorsements between him and other candidates came into play.

However, in a development which has shocked many: after 93% of first round votes were counted, Mamdani scored almost 10% more first-preference votes than Cuomo, beating him 43.5% to 36.4%.

The third place candidate Brad Lander, who had cross-endorsed with Mamdani, also only received 11.3% of first-preference votes, meaning he is unlikely to pose a threat to Mamdani’s current lead.

Speaking on Tuesday night, Cuomo confirmed he had conceded to and congratulated Mamdani over the phone.

“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,” he said. “I applaud him sincerely for his effort.”

If Mamdani does indeed go on to win the New York mayoral election in November - which is highly likely, given the vastly Democratic and progressive political makeup of New York voters - it would make him the city’s first muslim mayor.

But beyond religious identity, Mamdani’s victory signifies a potential change in direction for the beleaguered Democrats. As the party licks its wounds from defeat to Donald Trump, the New York primary served as a testing ground for how they could provide a viable alternative to the Republicans in the next Presidential election.

The two candidates represented an ideological tug of war in the Democrats: Cuomo, with donor backing and endorsements from voices like Bill Clinton, represented the centrist, establishment-friendly wing of the party.

Mamdani, on the other hand, enjoyed a groundswell of support from young and progressive corners of the party - which could indicate a hunger for something other than the establishment voices that have dominated the party for decades.

The pair ran starkly different campaigns. While Cuomo primarily relied on attack ads and name recognition, Mamdani ran on a progressive platform of rent controls and free public transport, and held widely attended rallies geared towards young voters.

“This has been a historically contentious race,” Mamdani said.

“I hope now that this primary has come to an end, I can introduce myself once more, not as you’ve seen me in a 30-second ad or in a mailer in your mailbox, but as how I will lead as your mayor.“

"I will be the mayor for every New Yorker, whether you voted for me, for Governor Cuomo, or felt too disillusioned by a long, broken political system to vote at all.”