New Yorkers head to polls in knife-edge mayoral primary to pick Democratic nominee
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo is running against progressive Zohran Mamdani in New York’s mayoral primary, which will decide who the Democrats put forward in November’s mayoral election.
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While the results won’t guarantee New York’s 111th mayorship, the winner is largely considered to be a shoo-in, as registered Democrats vastly outnumber Republicans in the city.
The primary hosts a wide field of candidates in the multi-round vote system: Cuomo and Mamdani are the two frontrunners, and the pair represent a significant tug of war in the Democratic party’s makeup.
But beyond New York’s mayorship, the results of the primary could have far-reaching implications for the Democrats in a deeply turbulent time for the party.
Cuomo, the former Governor of New York who resigned in 2021 after dozens of women accused him of sexual harassment, represents the centrist, donor-backed wing of the party.
Cuomo has received endorsements from extremely established corners of the party, including Bill Clinton.
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Mamdani, a 33-year-old Assemblyman from the Queens borough, represents the progressive wing of the party and has enjoyed a groundswell of support from young, progressive voters.
He has also recently been endorsed by progressive Democrats like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The pair have run two very different campaigns. While Mamdani has run a tech-savvy campaign with policies and rallies that appeal to the young, Cuomo has opted mostly for attack ads and smaller, more controlled appearances.
Cuomo, until recently, was projected as the frontrunner in the primary - but Mamdani has gained significant ground in recent weeks, leading some pollsters to doubt Cuomo’s previously assured victory.
A major poll released on Monday from local station Pix11 spells a tight race between the two frontrunners - but projects that Mamdani could win out in several rounds of voting.
In a voting system similar to the Single Transferable Vote process used in Scotland, the mayoral primary allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference: least favoured candidates will then be eliminated through several rounds of voting.
While Cuomo is projected to win the largest share of first preference votes, Mamdani is projected to gain significant ground in later rounds through second, third and fourth preference votes.
Mamdani benefits from a uniquely young and politically active section of voters in the city, and early votes cast spell a huge turnout among young voters. Data published by the New York Post showed that around 40% of early voters were under 40.
Early voter turnout has also nearly doubled from what it was four years ago, which means if the age cohorts remain consistent throughout voting periods, Mamdani could benefit from a huge upswing in youth voter turnout.
But as well as Mamdani’s surge of support from high-profile and young progressives, he has also tactically cross-endorsed with other less popular candidates.
For example, he and projected third-place candidate Brad Lander urged supporters last week to pledge their second preference votes to each other.
Brad Lander, a fellow progressive City Comptroller, recently made headlines when he was arrested by ICE while visiting an immigration detention centre.