Zohran Mamdani Takes Large Lead Over Andrew Cuomo in Shocking NYC Mayoral Race Upset
AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool
New York City Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani looked to be heading to a win in the first round of the Democratic primary for New York City mayor Tuesday night as initial vote counts showed him with better-than-expected support and a growing lead over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Citywide polls officially closed at 9 p.m. EST the ballot counting began. Due to New York’s ranked-choice voting system, a clear winner could only be determined on Election Day if a candidate won over 50 percent of the “first choice” votes – meaning they were ranked in the top spot for more than half of voters. In absence of that kind of victory, the ranked-choice system is triggered, which kicks off a process that will not yield a winner until at least July 1, when the tallying of the second-through-fifth place votes will take place.
With 69% reporting, Mamdani had nearly 44% of the votes, followed by Cuomo at 35.7%.
The frontrunner in the lead up to the vote on Tuesday was former Governor Cuomo, who entered the race less than four years after his resignation as governor amid multiple scandals.
Nipping at his heels in the polls has been Mamdani the Democratic Socialist whose social media savvy and bold, progressive agenda has electrified the youth vote and garnered endorsements from left-wing stars of the party – including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
Eleven total candidates were on the ballot on Tuesday, including New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
The highly publicized race, which included viral moments like Lander’s arrest at an ICE facility and a fiery debate, still remains only the first step towards winning the mayoral election itself. Current New York City Mayor Eric Adams will run in the general election this November as an Independent, following his indictment on federal corruption charges, which were later dropped after reported pressure from President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice.
Shortly before 10 pm ET, CNN projected that despite Mamdani’s lead, he would fall short of the 50% threshold and therefore the election would go to the ranked-choice voting process — with Mamdani in a very strong position.
