NEW YORK (AP) — New York City voters will decide the outcome of a generational and ideological divide that will resonate across the country Tuesday when they choose the next mayor to govern the nation's largest city.
Zoran Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary earlier this year, faces former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent and perennial Republican challenger Curtis Sliwa, who is attempting a massive blow.
A Mamdani victory would give the city its first Muslim mayor and youngest leader in generations, while catapulting the democratic socialist to political prominence and making his brand of economic populism one of the most prominent political positions in America.
If Cuomo wins, he will make a remarkable political comeback four years after resignation as governor above the squall allegations of sexual harassment.
For Plum — founder of the crime patrol group Guardian Angels and a longtime contributor to the New York tabloids — a victory would put a Republican in charge of the nation's largest city at a time when many New Yorkers are looking for a leader who can rein in President Donald Trump.
The race made Mamdani a national figure as he sparked anger Trump and other Republicans who tried to portray him as the face of a new, more radical Democratic Party. Trump also has threatened to take over the city if Mamdani wins, and to arrest and deport a member of the state assembly who was born in Uganda but is a US citizen.
Trump reluctantly endorsed Cuomo ahead of the election, saying Mamdani would bring “disaster” to the city and urging Sliwa's supporters to vote for the former governor instead.
Rematch with key differences
Mamdai, a 34-year-old state legislator, Cuomo has already defeated him once in the Democratic primary, energizing progressives to pull off a surprise victory over a once-powerful former governor with a campaign aimed at lowering the cost of living in one of the country's most expensive cities.
This time, Cuomo is counting on the support of moderates and Republicans to win. And he hopes that the incumbent Late departure of Mayor Eric Adams from the race and possible approval will give him support among their overlapping bases of centrists, black voters and ultra-Orthodox Jews. He also received the support of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire who donated $1.5 million to a super PAC backing Cuomo in the final days of the contest.
Mamdani sparked a national stir and received support from prominent progressive figures including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He promised to raise taxes on New York's wealthiest residents and use the money to make city buses free and provide free and universal child care. He also promised a rent freeze for people living in about 1 million rent-controlled apartments.
At the same time, Mamdani's criticism of the city police and the Israeli government's military actions in Gaza, which he called genocide, has upset some centrists who see him as a potential setback in their efforts to broaden the party's national appeal. Some Jewish leaders also took advantage of his refusal to support Israel as a Jewish state, calling him dangerous to Jews.
Although Mamdani has distanced himself Judging by his past rhetoric, some senior New York Democrats remain concerned and have either been slowly supporting him or categorically refused.
Tuesday's general election is conducted as a traditional election, meaning the candidate with the most votes wins. The city's party primaries were decided using ranked-choice voting, which allowed voters to rank candidates in order of preference.
Sliwa's path to victory in a heavily Democratic city is narrow, and it depends on his ability to secure the GOP vote with his tough-on-crime message and Well Yauck stance, as well as picking moderates who don't want to elevate Mamdani or return Cuomo to power.
Sliwa, 71, ignored pressure from within his party to suspend his campaign and create a head-to-head race between Cuomo and Mamdani. Trump himself called Sliva “not quite prime time.” In the final weeks of the race, Cuomo appealed to Sliwa's supporters, saying that a vote for a Republican was a vote for Mamdani.
Cuomo holds his record, but he's haunted by his past
Trump and other Republicans are eager to paint a grim picture of New York under Mamdani's potential leadership.
Cuomo, 67, offered a similar message. Toeing an independent party line, he positions himself as an experienced leader capable of managing the city's vast bureaucracy, which contrasts with Mamdani's relative inexperience.
Cuomo's experience as governor may also be his greatest vulnerability.
He retired in 2021 after Attorney General's report it concluded that Cuomo had sexually harassed at least 11 women. Some women complained of unwanted touching, flirting, kissing and lewd comments. One aide filed a police report accusing him of groping her breasts, although the district attorney declined to prosecute.
Cuomo initially apologized for some aspects of his behavior, saying he had strayed from what is considered appropriate behavior in the workplace. But he has been defiant in recent months, calling his accusers liars and blaming political opponents for his downfall.
