Andrew Cuomo Falls To Radical Socialist Zohran Mamdani In NYC Mayoral Major

[ad_1] Andrew Cuomo’s scandal-plagued political profession got here to an unceremonious finish Tuesday when voters overwhelmingly ranked their former governor under a 33-year-old socialist who needs to abolish the police and set up city-run grocery shops.

Zohran Mamdani, an Assemblyman from Queens, emerged from the primary spherical of New York Metropolis’s Democratic mayoral main with round 44% of the vote. Cuomo — who resigned as governor in 2021 amid allegations that he sexually harassed feminine staffers — got here in second, with round 36% of votes. He known as to congratulate Mamdani on his victory late Tuesday evening, and didn't say if he nonetheless plans to seem on the poll for the Combat And Ship Get together, which he fashioned for this race.

“Tonight was not our evening,” Cuomo mentioned. “Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s evening.”

New York Metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander, a progressive stalwart who just lately received himself arrested at an anti-ICE protest, secured 11% of votes, inserting third. New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams, who sidestepped the Democratic main solely to run as an unbiased, informed reporters immediately that he voted within the main: for himself, all 5 instances.

Mayor Adams casts his vote at PS 81 within the Democratic main.

He mentioned he’d vote for “Eric Adams 1-5,” writing himself in as a substitute of casting his poll for one of many candidates (he’s opted out of the first).

I requested if he’d vote for @OsseChi, and he shot a v skeptical look pic.twitter.com/Ct5csrPTna

— Josie Stratman (@JosieStratman) June 24, 2025

Mamdani’s clear, early lead got here as a little bit of a shock following polls that put him and Cuomo neck-and-neck within the days main as much as the election. An Emerson Faculty ballot launched Monday had Cuomo main Mamdani by a slim 35% to 32% margin in first-choice votes, however discovered that Mamdani pulled forward after a number of rounds. However a Marist College ballot performed per week prior confirmed Cuomo profitable each within the first spherical and after a number of rounds of ranked alternative.

Tuesday’s election marks the start of the top of a colourful and contentious main race between 11 candidates. New York Metropolis makes use of ranked alternative voting, wherein voters choose as much as 5 candidates and rank them so as of choice. Election officers gained’t declare a winner till one candidate wins greater than 50% of first alternative votes.

If no candidate does on the primary poll, every voter’s last-ranked candidate is eradicated, and the votes are recalculated. It took two weeks and eight rounds of counting for Adams to clinch the nomination, although Mamdani will doubtless clinch the nomination sooner, given his lead. The New York Metropolis Board of Elections is anticipated to ship a closing lead to per week.

No matter who finally wins the Democratic nomination, Cuomo, Mamdani, and Adams are set to be on the poll in November’s normal election. They’ll face off in opposition to Republican Curtis Silwa, a chat present host, and unbiased Jim Walden, a former Assistant U.S. Legal professional for the Japanese District of New York.

Cuomo, nonetheless mired by sexual harassment allegations and his botched dealing with of the COVID pandemic, turned an early foil for his extra progressive opponents. Mamdani inspired his supporters to donate to rival progressive Adrienne Adams’ marketing campaign. Final month, Mamdani and Lander cross-endorsed one another, urging voters to not rank Cuomo.

True to his pledge, on Tuesday, Lander informed friends at his election evening celebration that “with our assist, Zohran Mamdani would be the Democratic nominee” and reportedly led a “goodbye Cuomo” chant at his election evening celebration, in keeping with the New York Occasions.

Whereas not one of the Democratic mayoral candidates cross-endorsed Cuomo, the previous mayor racked up endorsements from big-name Democrats like Invoice Clinton and Michael Bloomberg. Mamdani has the backing of progressive stalwarts like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and a slew of celebrities together with Emily Ratajkowski and Cynthia Nixon, who known as Cuomo a “TRUMP BILLIONAIRE-FUNDED SEX PREDATOR.”

Run don’t stroll to GO VOTE FOR ⁦ZOHRAN MAMDANI⁩ FOR NYC Mayor!!!

Rank ⁦Zohran #1

Brad Lander #2

Adrienne Adams/Scott Stringer/Michael Blake or Zellnor Myrie #3 to #5.

DO NOT RANK TRUMP BILLIONAIRE-FUNDED SEX PREDATOR ANDREW CUOMO pic.twitter.com/cydMezdSU7

— Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) June 24, 2025

Mamdani, who gained a majority of early votes, leaned into his socialism all through the marketing campaign. He pledged to freeze hire, set up city-run grocery shops, and commit $65 million to transgender procedures for each youngsters and adults. Mamdani has additionally promised to make college lunches, metropolis buses, and childcare free, and to determine a “Division of Group Security” to “forestall violence earlier than it occurs” — which critics say is solely an effort to defund the police.

He was not the one candidate with a radical coverage platform. Lander known as for New York Metropolis to turn out to be a nationwide abortion hub, and proposed fixing the town’s housing disaster by paving over — and constructing residences on — municipal golf programs. Assemblyman Michael Blake known as to dispatch therapists to reply to 911 calls in lieu of police. And State Senator Zellnor Myrie known as for the town to impose anti-racism curricula in its kindergartens.

Additionally on the poll Tuesday was Manhattan District Legal professional Alvin Bragg. A soft-on-crime Soros prosecutor finest identified for his relentless pursuit of President Donald Trump, Bragg simply defeated his sole challenger to safe the Democratic nomination.