An important decision is underway in New York City as Democratic voters are casting their ballots today to choose between Andrew Cuomo and progressive challenger Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani is making history as the city’s first Muslim and South Asian candidate with a strong chance to become mayor. Although several lesser-known candidates are in the race, Cuomo and Mamdani have emerged as the frontrunners. The election uses ranked-choice voting, which means while initial results may come in tonight, the official winner likely won’t be confirmed until around July 1.
A disgraced legacy
Cuomo is attempting a political comeback after resigning as governor in 2021 following multiple sexual harassment allegations. Given New York’s heavily Democratic electorate, the winner of this primary is widely expected to become the city’s next mayor.
Cuomo relies in his candidacy on the political experience he gained through his ten years as governor, which he argues would enable him to tackle the city’s post-pandemic challenges. His campaign focuses on public safety, housing affordability, and economic revitalization, all while trying to distance himself from his past controversies.
Aside from resigning under the threat of impeachment, Cuomo’s administration was tainted by corruption scandals involving close aides, notably the conviction of a top aide for bribery linked to the “Buffalo Billion” economic development program.
He also faced backlash for using state employees and resources to write his pandemic memoir, American Crisis, raising serious accusations of misuse of public funds. While no criminal charges were filed against Cuomo personally, these controversies have deeply damaged his reputation among New Yorkers.
Rising rival
It was these very scandals that propelled public attention toward his rival, Mamdani, who sharply attacked Cuomo’s scandalous record. In response to Cuomo’s dismissal of Mamdani’s legislative experience during the June 12 Democratic mayoral debate—claiming Mamdani had only passed three bills— Mamdani delivered a sharp rebuke:
“To Mr. Cuomo, I have never had to resign in disgrace. I have never cut Medicaid. I have never stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from the MTA. I have never hounded the 13 women who credibly accused me of sexual harassment. I have never done those things because I am not you, Mr. Cuomo.”
Earlier, at the June 4 mayoral debate, Mamdani referred to himself as “Trump’s worst nightmare,” emphasizing his progressive, Muslim, immigrant identity and contrasting his campaign’s funding with Cuomo’s:
“The difference between me and Andrew Cuomo is that my campaign is not funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump in DC,” he said.
Money talks
New York’s mayoral race went viral when candidates were asked which country they would visit first if elected—an ostensibly neutral question that instead exposed glaring bias. Cuomo, along with other candidates wearing yellow badges in solidarity with Israeli hostages in Gaza, seized the moment to demonstrate unwavering support for Israel.
Cuomo exploited dangerous conflations of anti-Israel sentiment and antisemitism, stating he would visit Israel “given the hostility and antisemitism that has been shown in New York,” while other candidates bent over backward to display allegiance to Israel. This left many puzzled as to why such a question about a foreign country was relevant in a US election.
This support is driven less by genuine support for Jewish people and more by financial influence. Powerful pro-Israel lobbying groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) play a significant role in shaping the political landscape in New York. They exert considerable influence by supporting candidates who show unwavering loyalty to Israel, effectively pushing politicians to adopt a pro-Israel stance.
When it was Mamdani’s turn, he said he would remain in New York City to focus on his constituents. The moderators pressed him repeatedly on whether he would go to Israel.
“As mayor, I will stand up for Jewish New Yorkers and meet them wherever they are across the five boroughs, whether in synagogues and temples, at their homes, or on the subway platform,” Mamdani said before being interrupted by a moderator who directly questioned him on Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.
Singled out, Mamdani replied that he believes in Israel’s right to exist as a state with equal rights. This drew criticism from other candidates, who were dissatisfied that anyone could question an ethnostate’s legitimacy while it actively carries out a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
A promising campaign
Beyond his opposition to Cuomo, Mamdani—a democratic socialist endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and Bernie Sanders—has centered his mayoral campaign on bold progressive policies such as a rent freeze, fare-free buses, universal childcare, and public grocery stores. He plans to fund these through taxes on the wealthy and corporations, while advocating for a $30 minimum wage and non-police safety services.
The 33-year-old Uganda-born politician and community organizer rose to prominence as a progressive member of the New York State Assembly. After immigrating to the US as a child, he attended the Bronx High School of Science and studied Africana Studies at Bowdoin College.
Before entering politics, Mamdani worked as a foreclosure-prevention counselor, helping vulnerable New Yorkers avoid eviction—an experience that shaped his views on homelessness. Elected to the Assembly in 2020, he became the first South Asian and first Ugandan to hold that seat, gaining recognition for his work on free public transit, tenant rights, and debt relief for taxi drivers.
His outstanding candidacy—and outspoken support for Gaza and Palestinian rights—has been met with a wave of racist and Islamophobic attacks aimed at undermining his legitimacy as a Muslim immigrant candidate.
Mamdani and his team have received death threats and hate-filled voicemails, including one referencing a car bomb and another declaring “death to all Muslim men, women, and children” — prompting a hate crime investigation.
Republican Council Member Vickie Paladino publicly called for his deportation, questioning his right to run for office despite his lawful US citizenship since 2018. Meanwhile, an outside campaign funding group linked to Andrew Cuomo distributed campaign mailers that manipulated Mamdani’s photo to make him appear more foreign and therefore more “threatening” in the eyes of xenophobic and Islamophobic politicians.
