Zohran Mamdani Expected to Win Democratic Primary for New York Mayor

In an unexpected turn, State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani took a commanding lead in the Democratic Primary for New York City mayor, and his fiercest challenger, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has conceded, even with ranked-choice voting still on the horizon.

With 92% of the votes counted, Mamdani leads the pack with 431,434 votes (43.5%), according to the Associated Press, while Cuomo trails with 360,982 votes (36.4%).

According to the New York Times, Cuomo told his supporters as the final votes of the night were trickling through, “Tonight was not our night,” adding, “Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won.”

The Democratic Primary has largely been a two-man race between Cuomo and Mamdani. Cuomo, backed by the party’s centrists and billionaire donors, has led the field throughout the campaign. However, Mamdani has emerged as the front runner in a serious upset. He secured key endorsements from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

Regardless of Cuomo’s concession, no candidate received over 50% of the total votes, which means the winner of the primary won’t be officially declared for some time. New York City’s ranked-choice voting system will soon take effect, which takes ballots from candidates with fewer first-place votes and redistributes them to voters’ next choices. (In the 2021 election, candidate Eric Adams had a substantial lead in the first round, but ultimately only defeated challenger Kathryn Garcia by some 7,000 ballots after the process played out.) That count is expected to take place July 1.

Unlike the last three mayoral cycles, where Democratic nominees Bill de Blasio (twice) and then Eric Adams cruised to easy wins in the general election, Mamdani will not face a clear path once he is most likely named the victor. In addition to Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, Mamdani will face incumbent Mayor Adams, running as an independent, and possibly Cuomo. 

Tuesday night’s events will bring a temporary close to a fight that — in an off-cycle year for Congressional and most gubernatorial races — has transfixed politics-watchers across the country. Cuomo, the son of three-term Governor Mario Cuomo, served as Governor himself from 2011 to 2021; his leadership during COVID saw him at first widely praised and, eventually, criticized and even investigated by the state’s Attorney General, Letitia James. His tenure ended in a cloud as he resigned following multiple allegations of sexual harassment, and his comeback campaign has been marked by few rallies and a reliance on name recognition. Mamdani, a 33-year-old state legislator representing a Queens district, led an insurgent campaign that has drawn firepower from the candidate’s shareable videos and celebrity endorsements — as well his focus on reducing economic inequality.