Zohran Mamdani dominates mayoral contest as early voting begins in NYC
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Democratic candidate Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani participates in a second New York City mayoral debate at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, New York, October 22, 2025.— Reuters
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New Yorkers began casting their ballots in early voting on Saturday to choose the next mayor, with the Democratic Party candidate currently seen as the frontrunner in the city’s political landscape.
The whirlwind race has seen state lawmaker Zahran Mamdani, a self-described socialist, rise from the political wilderness to become the front-runner in a campaign that saw the incumbent mayor bow out and the one-time Democratic favorite lose his primary.
34-year-old Mamdani’s once-unprecedented campaign has been turbocharged by campaigning especially anxious from young New Yorkers.
Emphasizing the rising cost of living is also resonating, with the Queens-based lawmaker pledging to freeze the rents of two million New Yorkers in rent-stabilized properties.
In the latest twist, scandal-tainted incumbent Mayor Eric Adams endorsed the second-place candidate, 67-year-old former state governor Andrew Cuomo—after previously calling him a “snake and a liar.”
Early voting allows New Yorkers to cast ballots from Saturday through Nov. 2, with Election Day on Nov. 4 and the winner taking office in the new year.
The latest citywide poll conducted by Victory Insights from Oct. 22-23 had Momdani at 47 percent, to Cuomo by 18 points.
Adams, who has been embroiled in corruption charges linked to his tenure, withdrew from the race on September 28 but did not initially endorse an opponent.
“You can’t freeze rents, but you’re lying and telling people — we’re fighting a snake oil salesman,” Adams said Thursday, with Cuomo on his side.
“Gentrifiers have driven up rent in the city … and (Mamdani’s) the king of gentrifiers.”
It’s unclear what impact Adams’ endorsement will have on the race.
“It’s possible, but highly unlikely, that Cuomo could catch Mamdani,” said Lincoln Mitchell, a professor of political science at Columbia University who dates the former governor from another era of the former governor’s “tough guy persona.”
‘Affordability Crisis’
The race has also been dominated by the issue of spending, as well as how each candidate will handle Trump, who has threatened to withhold federal funding from the city where he made his name as a property developer and reality TV star.
Trump has branded Mamdani, who wants bus rides and childcare in the city of 8.5 million people, a “communist.”
“I was always very generous with New York, even when you were opposed,” Trump said this month.
“I’m not going to be generous with a communist boy who takes money and throws it out the window.”
Mamdani has said he would cooperate with Trump if he lowered the cost of living in the city, while Silva has said he would try to “negotiate” with the president and Cuomo has said he would “confront” the commander-in-chief.
“I’ve lived in New York for about 10 years. I’ve always been … not necessarily always struggling, but trying to get things together,” Mamdani supporter and tenant organizer Lex Rowntree, 27, told AFP.
“It seems strange to think that some of this would look like an easement,” Rountree added, under Mamdani.
Mamdani’s campaign received a lift on Friday when Hakeem Jeffries, a New York lawmaker and the top Democrat in the US House of Representatives, endorsed him.
“Mamdani is focused on addressing the affordability crisis and is clearly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support her candidate,” the prominent Democrat said.
Join left-leaning Sen. Bernie Sanders and Legislator Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as they bring star firepower to the table Sunday at “Vote Out the Vote” at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens.
